The Knight

Chaucer describes an ideal Knight, a "verray parfit, gentil knyght", who conscientiously follows all the
social, moral, chivalric, and religious codes of conduct. Chaucer does not have any particular individual in
mind but casts the Knight as an idealistic representative of his profession. Although the institution of
chivalry had become decadent in the fourteenth century Chaucer withholds his criticism and instead
endows the Knight with all the gentlemanly qualities that are in keeping with his character. Thus the
Knight possesses all the traditional chivalric virtues of politeness in speech, consideration for others,
righteousness, generosity, helpfulness, and loyalty. He also loves truth, honor, freedom, and courtesy.
Moreover he is not only brave and worthy but also wise. Although the Knight rides on a good horse, he
isn’t ostentatiously dressed himself. He has come straight from his expedition and is still wearing his
armor. His simple coarse sleeveless tunic made out of fustian bears the stains of his armor. This minute
detail serves to impart a certain degree of realism to the portrait and also serves to underline the
Knight’s religious devotion and his eagerness to go on the pilgrimage. The Knight’s ascetic clothing thus
stands to his credit and highlights his integrity and honor. Chaucer also describes the Knight’s
participation in several battles and campaigns. Scholars have pointed out that the majority of the
Knight’s campaigns are religious in nature and are by and large crusades against the heathens.

The Prioress

Chaucer has painted an utterly charming and elegant portrait of the Prioress. She is named Eglentyne or
Sweetbriar. She has a broad forehead, perfect nose, blue-gray eyes, and thin red lips. Her smile is simple
and coy. Her appearance conforms to the contemporary ideal of a beauty. She only swears by ‘St. Loy’
which is to say that she hardly swears at all. She sings the divine service very well with a pleasant nasal
intonation and can speak French elegantly. She is obviously a lady who has not forgotten her past of
extravagance and fine living. She strives to imitate courtly manners which is evident in her precise table
manners where she even takes care not to wet her fingers too deeply in sauce. Her tender heart runs
over with pity at the sight of dead or bleeding mice caught in a trap. She is fond of animals and feeds her
three dogs with roasted meat and expensive fine bread. Chaucer criticizes the Prioress by praising her
very faults. The Prioress’s kindness to her pet dogs is seen as a weakness. Her charity should extend
towards needy people rather than animals. Moreover in the medieval world animals were not thought
to possess souls and were as such outside the scheme of salvation. As a nun she cannot strictly follow
the rules of simplicity and poverty. This is seen in her love of jewelry as she possesses a red-coral rosary
and an elegant gold brooch with the vague motto ‘Amor vincit Omnia’ i.e. love conquers all. Keeping her
ecclesiastical background in mind the inscription should rather have been ‘Amor Dei’, i.e. concerned
with divine love instead of worldly profane love. She is elegantly dressed in a cloak and her wimple is
neatly pleated. Thus Chaucer combines strokes of irony with unconcealed appreciation in his
presentation of the gentle, demure, aristocratic and worldly Prioress.

The Monk

Chaucer presents a corrupt Monk who loves the good life and finds more pleasure in hunting than
studying in the cloister. The Monk’s weakness for good food and expensive clothing and his love for
hunting violate the monastic vows of poverty and simplicity. He is riding a sleek berry brown horse on
his way to Canterbury. The bells attached to his horse’s bridle tinkle pleasantly with the wind. Chaucer
ironically pronounces that the Monk is perfectly suitable for the office of abbot. The Monk, Daun Piers,
is an outrider; i.e. he takes care of the monastery’s estates. He spends more time outside his cloister
than he should. He does not care at all about the rules laid down by St. Benedict and bears no guilt
about the fact that he rides out instead of devoting himself to his monastic duties. Chaucer ironically
agrees with the Monk’s point of view and innocently asks why should the Monk make himself mad by
pouring over a book in a cloister. The Monk’s pleasure in hunting is a fitting object of satire. In the
Middle Ages Monks who took delight in hunting were severely condemned by the reformers. In fact
hunting itself was considered an immoral activity. Chaucer’s Monk is a perfect hunter and one who takes
extreme interest and pleasure in tracking and hunting wild rabbits. He thus keeps fine horses and well
bred hunting hounds in his stable. The Monk is a worshipper of materialism. The sleeves of his coat are
trimmed with the finest gray fur in the land. His hood is fastened under his chin with an exquisite gold
love knot. His boots are supple and expensive. His bald - head and face shine radiantly as if anointed
with oil. His large eyes roll in his head and gleam like a furnace under a cauldron. He is healthy and well
fed and loves to eat a plump roasted swan. Chaucer ironically concludes that the Monk is certainly a
"fair prelat". Chaucer’s subtle ironic portraiture of the ‘manly’ Monk and repeated approbation of the
Monk’s abilities only arouses the reader’s derision.

The Friar, Brother Hubert, is among Chaucer’s portraits of the corrupt clergy. The Friar is a gay, merry,
wanton man. He is a seeker of pleasure. He is a limiter; i.e. he is licensed to solicit alms within certain
assigned limits. He is a grand imposing man and the only member in all the four orders of the
Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Augustinians, who was so well-versed in the language of
dalliance and flattery. In contrast to the Monks, Friars had the liberty to preach outside the monastery
walls and they followed the ideal of active as opposed to contemplative service. The prime objective of
the Friars however was to attack evil and sinners by preaching among the people. However this
mendicant life soon degenerated into a pleasurable way of life. Friars transformed begging into an
extremely profitable business proposition. Moreover Friars who were supposed to guard people against
evil themselves committed venal sins like seducing village girls and married women by their sweet talk
and gifts. Chaucer’s lecherous Friar too has arranged marriages of many young girls whom he had
seduced. He is thoroughly familiar with the tricks of the trade and his hood is always stuffed with
trinkets cherished by gullible women. Chaucer ironically commends the Friar as a strong pillar of the
church.

The Merchant

The Merchant with his forked beard is a representative of the rising middle classes. He is well dressed
with fashionable motley colored clothes, stylish Flemish beaver hat and expensive boots. He gives his
opinion on English trade policies in a pompous manner and always bases it on what would be favorable
to his own trade. He manages his financial affairs so cleverly that nobody knows that he is actually in
debt. He never loses any money in his bargains and is extremely knowledgeable about the business of
borrowing and lending money. Chaucer says that the Merchant is a worthy man but declines knowing
his name.

The Clerk

The Oxford clerk is among Chaucer’s idealized portraits. The Clerk is a serious student who had long ago
devoted himself to the study of logic. Perhaps he is studying for a Master’s degree. He is very thin,
hollow and pale and his horse is as thin as a rake. He does not have any benefice and is extremely poor
which is evident from his threadbare short upper coat. He prefers to single - mindedly pursue his
insatiable quest for knowledge and learning rather than mindlessly run after wealth and riches. He
would rather have twenty books of Aristotelian philosophy at his bedside than fine clothes, fiddle or a
gay harp. Although he is a philosopher he has little gold in his coffer. He is a man of few words and does
not speak more than necessary. But whatever he does say tends to increase moral virtue in the listeners.
The scholarly Clerk religiously prays for the welfare of his friends and benefactors. Chaucer seriously
appreciates the Clerk’s solemnity and openly praises him. There are no ironic overtones in the Clerk’s
portrait apart from the pun on his being a philosopher and yet being poor. In the Middle Ages, a
philosopher also implied an alchemist who claimed to transform base metals into silver and gold.
Chaucer’s Clerk does not have gold in his coffer. He is a serious student of logic and philosophy and has
willingly forfeited worldly pleasures for intellectual enrichment.

The Sergeant at Law

The Sergeant at Law is an expert lawyer and a man of considerable importance. He has often functioned
as a judge at the assizes. He has often been at the ‘parvys’; i.e., porch of St. Paul’s church where lawyers
often met for consultations. He was highly renowned for his knowledge and knew all the statutes by
heart. He commanded high fees for negotiating the purchase of land and could draft his legal documents
so well that nobody can find any fault with them. Therefore he has attained mastery in his profession.
The Sergeant at Law is also very discreet and cautious in his speech. He was a very busy man but he
always pretended to be busier than he really was. Chaucer here ironically comments on the tendency of
humans to pretend. The Sergeant at Law has misconceptions about his importance and holds a high
opinion of himself.

The Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath is Chaucer’s most delightful character. She is a skilled weaver who even surpasses the
weavers of Ypres and Ghent. She thinks highly of herself and loses all patience if anybody dares to
precede her in making an offering. She is garishly dressed. She wears scarlet red stockings and supple
new shoes. Her handkerchiefs are of the finest weave and weigh over ten pounds. Chaucer mentions
that she has been married five times and has had innumerable affairs in her youth. She has traveled
widely and has been on pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome, Bologna, Galicia and Cologne. She is gap-
toothed and rides her gentle ambling horse easily. It was believed in the Middle Ages that a gap-toothed
person would be very lucky and travel far and wide. The lengthy description of her travels indicates that
she has led a fairly comfortable life. She wears a riding skirt round her large hips and a pair of sharp
spurs on her heels. She knows how to enjoy herself in company and her special forte lies in her
knowledge of all the cures of love. Her knowledge about the remedies of love is probably a reference to
Ovid’s "Amor Remedia". The irony lies in her knowledge of "Amor Remedia" rather than "Ars Amatoria".
Chaucer comments that it is a pity that the good Wife of Bath is somewhat deaf. The reader learns in the
Prologue to her Tale that this is a result of her dominating character. Her fifth husband had struck her
angrily on the head in response to her attempt to dominate him. But ultimately the Wife of Bath had
governed him for the rest of his life. The Wife of Bath is a happy daughter of Venus from whom she gets
her lecherous temperament and Mars from whom she gets her fiery temper. She is frank and forthright
in her opinions and believes in leading an enjoyable life. She is the first feminist character in English
Literature and appeals for the liberation of women in her tale. She is a charming, lively, energetic
character. Although some readers are offended by her coarseness, one must concede that her bold face
and domineering spirit make her portrait immensely vivid.

The Parson

The Parson, like the Knight, is an idealized figure. The Parson’s portrait is totally devoid of any ironical
undertones or satire. He is a truly virtuous, devout, conscientious, pious, diligent and patient individual.
However Chaucer’s description of this ideal Parson in turn serves to indicate the sins of the average
priest in the fourteenth century. He is a learned man, a clerk, and devoutly teaches his parishioners the
tenets of Christianity. It was unusual for a Parson to be learned and scholarly during the Middle Ages. In
fact the majority of the parish ecclesiastics were totally uneducated and incompetent men. The Parson
retains his faith in God even in times of adversity. Further he is benign, wonderfully hardworking and
bears his troubles patiently. He is very generous and gives his sparse income to the needy parishioners
even when there is scarcely enough left for himself. He is opposed to excommunicating poor
parishioners for the non-payment of tithes (taxes paid to the church). The Parson would also give away
the offerings made by the parishioners to the very poor and needy.

The Miller

The Miller, named Robin, is a stereotypical representation of a dishonest man. He is a rich villager whose
prime concern is the augmentation of his own profits. Professor Curry has provided a scientific
explanation of the Miller’s character based on Aristotle, Rhazes, and the Secreta Secretorum. His
physical characteristics are a reflection of his personality and temperament. His broad-shouldered,
stocky built, his huge plump face with luxuriant red beard, and squat nose with an ugly black wart on top
--- is symptomatic of his shameless, loquacious, quarrelsome, deceitful and lecherous character. Chaucer
states that the Miller is quite an expert in stealing grain and charging thrice the amount and yet has a
golden thumb. Chaucer uses the common saying, "An honest miller hath a golden thumb" as a pun, to
ironically suggest that this Miller’s golden thumb only serves to increase his own profits. The Miller is
very strong and can heave the strongest door off its hinges by battering it with his head. He comes
across as a repulsive buffoon who likes to joke about sin and scurrilous tales. He plays the bagpipe very
well, and leads the company of pilgrims out of the town, to its soulful music.

The Reeve

Chaucer’s Reeve named Oswald is a slender choleric man. Professor Curry has scientifically interpreted
the Reeve’s physical attributes. There is a traditional connection between choleric temperament and
thinness. Further a choleric man always has thin pipe like legs which indicates a lecherous character.
Chaucer’s Reeve is also close shaven that is an indication of his inferior position in the social hierarchy.
The Reeve occupies a position between that of the steward or seneschal and a bailiff. He was a
carpenter in his youth. Oswald is a typical presentation of a deceitful Reeve. He has managed his lord’s
account since his lord was twenty years old and cheats him to fill his own coffers. Moreover he also
knows all the secrets of the bailiffs and laborers and blackmails them. He is thus feared by all and
nobody dares to expose him. He is richer than his lord and often lends him his own money. This
treacherous Reeve lives in a pleasant house upon a heath, shadowed by green trees. The Reeve rides a
farm horse named Scot and wears a long coat tucked in like a friar’s. Throughout his portrayal of the
Reeve, Chaucer highlights his deceitful malicious and reprehensible character.

The Summoner

The Summoner was a church official who was responsible for summoning the sinners before the
ecclesiastical courts. Chaucer shows his extreme loathing and hatred for the two characters of the
corrupt Summoner and Pardoner. He groups them together as joint partners in spiritual crime and
makes the Pardoner accompany his brother the Summoner in a bawdy song about lustful love. The
Summoner possesses disgusting physical features that reflect the sordid state of his soul. His fiery red
pimpled cherubic face is the direct result of his sinful and lecherous activities. His food habits are far
from sober. His delight in eating garlic, onions and leek and his fondness for wine further aggravates his
physical condition. He suffers from some kind of leprosy. The Summoner appears extremely repulsive
with suppurating blotches on his cheeks, black scabby eyebrows and scanty beard. It is hardly surprising
that innocent children are afraid of his gruesome appearance. Chaucer sarcastically approves of the
Summoner saying that there wasn’t a friendlier rascal to be found. The Summoner would allow a sinner
to keep a mistress for an entire year just in return for a quart of wine. He is sympathetic to such people
because in all likelihood he commits the same sin himself. The Summoner is also illiterate and
broadcasts his ignorance by repeating a few Latin phrases when drunk.

The Pardoner

If the Summoner received Chaucer’s unmitigated disapproval, the Pardoner is a personification of

absolute evil. A Pardoner sells papal indulgences and relics. He preached that Papal indulgences
pardoned the sins committed in one’s life and ensured a place in purgatory instead of hell. Pardoners
made a commercial business out of sale of indulgences as they made them easily available through
payment of money. Chaucer’s Pardoner has come straight from Rome with a bag overstuffed with
indulgences. He also carries false relics to cheat naïve people. These include a pillow case which had
served as the Virgin’s veil, the piece of sail with which St. Paul went to sea until Christ caught him, and a
glass jar filled with pig’s bones. He has duped many innocent parsons and his parishioners by selling
them false indulgences and relics. He confesses in the Prologue to his Tale, that, he knows the exact
method of extorting money from people by preaching against the avarice of money. The hypocritical
Pardoner has repulsive physical features. His sparse waxy yellow hair hangs limply by the sides like
strands of flax. His glaring hare like eyes, small goat like voice and absence of facial hair indicates that he
is a eunuch. He rides ‘dischevelee’ and his hood is in his bag. He wears a vernicle on his cap to indicate
his official authority. His special skill lies in singing at the offertory to extract maximum money from the
people. The Pardoner does not invite Chaucer’s gentle irony but harsh sarcasm. There is an outright
condemnation of the Pardoner’s mal-practices and moral corruption.

Chaucer

Chaucer is the author of "The Canterbury Tales" and also appears as one of the pilgrims throughout the
entire book. He functions as the naïve narrator and the reader’s guide on the way to Canterbury and his
ironic comments as the poet reveals the true color of this assorted group. Chaucer’s cheeky presence as
one of the pilgrims lends an air of realism and immediacy to the book and the reader feels that he is
reading an eyewitness account. He tells the tales of Sir Topas and Melibee during the course of the
journey. He finally identifies himself as the poet at the end in "Retracciouns". The reader first meets him
in the "General Prologue" where he describes the pilgrims that he encounters at the Tabard inn. He
poses as a naïve first person narrator and claims to be objective in his appraisal of the pilgrims’
appearance but it is seen that he seems to possess the knowledge of an omniscient narrator. The reader
thus learns not only about the pilgrims’ physical appearance but also details about their personal lives
and careers. Chaucer, the observer and recorder of events as one of the pilgrims, frequently pronounces
his judgement as the poet. He openly condemns the corrupt Summoner and the evil Pardoner. This
intrusion of the poet’s voice does not effect the narrative. Rather it helps the story to achieve
immediacy.

The Host

The Host, named Harry Bailey, is not included among the twenty-nine pilgrims who gathered at the
Tabard Inn. He is introduced at the end of the "General Prologue". The character of the Host is not fully
developed. He appears to be a friendly, agreeable and sensible man. His genial warmth is his most
outstanding characteristic. Chaucer comments that the Host is the fairest burgess in the whole of
Cheapside and is fit to serve as a marshal in a lord’s house. He is frank and forthright in his speech. The
Host proposes the story telling competition for the long journey to Canterbury and says that each
pilgrim is to tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back. The others will
reward the pilgrim who tells the best tale by a supper at the Tabard Inn. The Host then proposes to join
the group of pilgrims himself. The pilgrims immediately accept him as the guide, judge, manager and
reporter. Thus thirty people set off towards the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury the next
evening. The Host frequently provides the link between the various stories and decides the order in
which the pilgrims narrate their tales. After each tale the Host provides his opinions and comments
which reveal his intelligence. The Host for instance stops Chaucer’s Tale of Sir Topas in the middle
because he senses that it is mindless rhyming. Critics believe that the Host was modeled on a certain
Harry Bailly who actually lived in Southwark in Chaucer’s time.