Characters of the

Canterbury Tales
Satire in Chaucer’s “General
Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales
 Criticism through humour
⦿Estates Satire: each class or
profession is described to show how
it fails the ideal, implying a moral
judgment.
 What is Satire?
⦿Satire is the use of humor, sarcasm,
irony, or wit to point out vice or
human folly to scorn and ridicule in
the hopes for change

⦿ Itworks to make vice laughable and/or

reprehensible and thus bring social pressure
on those who still engage in wrongdoing.
 What is Satire?
⦿Satire usually attacks types or
stereotypes -- the fool, the boor, the
adulterer, the proud -- rather than
specific persons.
 Medieval society
⦿Before the end of feudalism, and the
consolidation of the middle class, people were
grouped as follows:

1. Those who fight (knights)

2. Those who pray (clergy)
3. Those who labour (workers)
 Knights
⦿ A warrior who relies on
the code of chivalry.

⦿ Knights were most known

for their fights abroad: in
France or the Crusades, so
they were often well
traveled.
Chaucer’s Knight
● distinguished ● NOT satirized
● followed chivalry ● He represents all that
● truthful, honorable is good about
● ridden into battle knighthood and
● honored for his nobility.
graces ● Idealised character
● fought in many battles
● modest, humble
● not boorish
● a true, perfect knight
 Squires
⦿ A knight in training, he
should have many of the
same qualities that we
see in the knight

⦿ Oftena younger man of

wealth or position
Chaucer’s Squire
● lover
● curly locks: vain
● has fought in nearby
battles so he could
impress the lady he
loves (courtly love)
● sings, dances and
writes poetry
● could “joust and dance”
▶ “loved so hotly that till
dawn grew pale/He
slept as little as a
nightingale”
▶ courteous and
serviceable when father
is around
▶ contrast with father
 Yeomen
⦿ Heis a forester, and is
well-versed in woodcraft
and hunting.

⦿ He would be responsible
for helping find food and
shelter
Chaucer’s Yeoman
● wears coat & hood of
green
● is servant to knight, yet
a freeman
● feathers perfectly made
in arrows
● knows his business as
an archer and does it
well
● wears St. Christopher
medal (patron saint of
travellers)
● a “proper forester”
● NOT satirized.
● Good example from the
middle class
 Prioresses
⦿ A high ranking nun, this
is one of the few
positions a woman could
find power/ authority.

⦿ Itis usually a high born

woman who chose to
serve the Church instead
of getting married
Chaucer’s Prioress
● coy (falsely modest, flirtatious)
● known as Madam Eglantyne (not
a religious name)
● struggles to show grace,
manners, and sophistication, to
pretend to be high class
● speaks French because she has
learned at a school, not as
mother tongue (unlike nobility)
● owned hunting dogs (not proper
for her) yet was overly upset
when a mouse died
● fed dogs roasted flesh and fine
food while people were starving
Chaucer’s Prioress
● breaks church rules: owns pets
(small dogs), which she feeds
with luxurious food
● charity & generosity to animals
● NO reference to her attitude to
people in need
● seductive physical description:
improper for a nun
● wears expensive jewellery
(trinket, brooch)
● unreligious “Amor vincit omnia”

Strong implicit satire

 Monks
⦿ Church academics that
live secluded in
monasteries.
⦿ Oaths of poverty, chastity,
humility, sometimes
silence, etc.

⦿ His job would be to copy

over texts and tend to the
daily tasks of the
monastery
Chaucer’s Monk
● Shouldn’t be outdoors ● expensive clothing (fur
● Rides and owns fine on sleeve) when monk is
horses & hunting to be poor
dogs, which he was ● fat (opposite of his vows)
not to do ● attitude of a nobleman
● ignores rules of his unsuitable for the church
order: considers them ● glittering, bulging eyes
old-fashioned (physiognomy)
● was “progressive” but
supposed to be poor
Strong implicit satire
 Friars
⦿ Friars are homeless.
They work to help the
sick and the poor

⦿ Friars are beggars that

depend on good will of
those they help to live

⦿ They give up any

material possession
Chaucer’s Friar
● “fixed up” marriages
● “intimate” with city dames
● claims to have licence
from Pope to hear
confessions--charged ● brute: would butt down doors
money as penance with his head
● gifts to girls ● begs money even from
poorest, whom he is to help
● knows taverns and
● charges money on “settling
barmaids well
days”
● white neck, lisp (physiog.) ● wears clothes as costumes
● wanton (lecherous)

Strong implicit satire

 Merchants
⦿ Merchants were a new
class at this time
⦿ They were the nouveaux
riche (newly rich) and
often obsessed with wealth

⦿ They often had more

money than the
aristocracy.
Chaucer’s Merchant
● forking beard
(physiognomy)
● sense of authority:
gave many opinions Mild satire
● dabbles in exchanges
● pretends to be rich and
stately
● in debt and no one
knows it from the way
he talks
 Clerks
⦿ Scholars or students
studied at Oxford for
two main jobs: to be a
lawyer or a clergy man
⦿ These were men (never
women!) of high birth
and fortune who could
afford the education
Chaucer’s Oxford Cleric
(Student)
● hollow look
● threadbare clothing
● could not find a job in
the church
● is too unworldly for
secular employment
● borrows money from
friends, never repays
● was “book smart” but
“life dumb”
● speaks little and
gravely
● sense of superiority
● unconcerned about
others
Mild satire
Sergeants at Law
⦿ He’s a lawyer.

⦿ Thisjob is very much

the same now as it was
then

⦿ He mostly works to
draw up contracts-
including property
buying.
 Chaucer’s Sergeant at the Law
● an experienced lawyer ● could argue cases
● expert on real estate either way with
law impunity
● all was “fee-simple” to ● ambitious: no real
his strong digestion care for justice
● found loopholes in law
to deprive heirs of their
land

Mild satire
 Franklins
⦿ A franklin is a free land
owner, although not a
member of the nobility

⦿ Wealthy landlord without a

title of nobility

⦿ Recent a social position in

Chaucer’s time, when the
feudal system deteriorated.
Chaucer’s Franklin
● wealthy landowner
● lives for pleasure,
particularly “Epicurean”
delights: unchristian
● enjoys his food, has a
table prepared all day
long
● obscene waste of food
at times of famine
● tries to compensate for
his lack of title by
showing off

Strong satire
 Guildsmen
⦿ Haberdasher ⦿ These men are all
members of a guild, or a
⦿ Dyer union, which is another
recent innovation from
⦿ Carpenter Chaucer’s time. 
⦿ Weaver ⦿ They are specialized
craftsmen
⦿ Tapestry Maker
⦿ Thisunion helped to give
them more esteem and
respect.
 Chaucer’s Haberdasher, Dyer,
Carpenter, Weaver, and Carpet-
Maker
● treated as a single ● ambitious wives: want to
character be called “Madam” and
● wealthier than expected to be “seen” like a
●impressive gear queen
● political aspirations ● they carry their own
(“alderman”) servant (Cook), unlike
richer characters

Mild satire
 Cooks
⦿ This is a low level
servant’s position.
Cooks normally worked
in the kitchen as boys--
untrained
⦿ Cooks were responsible
for obtaining good meat,
cooking, and preserving
it
 Chaucer’s Cook
● could distinguish London ale
by flavor (which was quite
cheap): drinks a lot
● has an ulcer on his knee
(probably from cooking at
open pot): not hygenic
●made good thick soup
●made good blancmange
(yellow-white, thick, creamy
chicken soup--much the color
of what might be in the ulcer) Mild satire
 Skippers
⦿ He is a tough military man
who can navigate an ocean
and stand his own in a
fight. 

⦿ Notnormally good at
dealing with “civil
society”
Chaucer’s Skipper
● not good at riding (does ● ignores conscience:
his best with a farmer’s unchristian
horse) ● kills his prisoners
● tanned (a mark of low
breeding)
● steals wine from traders

Strong satire
 Doctors
⦿ Not like the professional
doctors we have today,
they were often “quacks”
at worst or pharmacists at
best

⦿ In the Medieval times,

they believed that all
disease was due to humors
(fluids) that were out of
balance.
Chaucer’s Doctor
● grounded in astronomy ● greedy: loves gold
& astrology, as most ● makes money during
doctors in the Middle Black Death: almost
Ages were immoral
●not very religious:

● business with does not read the Bible

apothecaries (modern
day laboratories) Strong satire
 Medieval women
⦿ Women were not allowed many
rights during the Medieval Ages,
including holding a job or
property.

⦿ Widows had more freedom

⦿ Their job was to take care of the

home and family, so they were
often uneducated and illiterate.
Chaucer’s Wife of Bath
(woman from Bath)
● Five-time widow
● Professional: a weaver
● tight, red clothing
● half-deaf: speaks loudly
● gap-teeth (seductive)
● large hips
● Experienced: “knew the
remedies for love’s No satire in GP
mischances
 Parsons
⦿ The lowest level of
priest. He is given care
of a small parish, and is
responsible for all who
live there.

⦿ Thisis a poorly paid

position, but he is given
a home to live in
Chaucer’s Parson

● holy-minded
● poor
● learned
● devout
● patient

Idealised character: redeeming

member of the Church
Chaucer’s Parson
● noble
● a shepherd
● virtuous rich in holy
thought
● served the poor
● gave own money
● practiced what he
preached
● NOT satirized
Idealised character
 Plowmen
⦿ Poorfarmers: a ploughman is a farmer that does not have
his own land.

⦿ He makes his living through hard, manual labor

 Chaucer’s Plowman
● honest hard worker, ● honest: always pays
good and true his tithes in full
● follows the Bible ● Parson’s brother
● helps poor by working
for free

Idealised character: redeeming

member of the working class
 Millers
⦿ He runs a mill to grind
flour from wheat and
grain

⦿ Often millers cheated

the farmers they worked
with by overcharging
them. Because of that,
they were often thought
of as thieves.
 Chaucer’s Miller
● great stout fellow
● brute: boasts he could
heave any door off the
hinge or break it with his
head
● red beard (similar to a
fox: cunning)
●disgusting: wart on end
of nose with tuft of hair; ●“stole”grain with his
black wide nostrils “thumb of gold”
●told filthy tavern stories ● plays bagpipes
(unsuitable for Strong satire
pilgrimage!)
 Manciples
⦿ A Manciple is someone
that runs a college or
business.

⦿ (Think
mid-level
manager…)

⦿ Usually these are college

educated men that have
training as a lawyer
Chaucer’s Manciple
● buyer of food for the 30
Knights of the Temple
(lawyers)
● got to market early to
get best values
● was illiterate
Strong satire
● wise in practical
matters, though
● lived debt free on what
he “saved”
● deceived his masters
and is proud of it
(boasts about it to the
rest)
 Reeves
⦿ A reeve is a servant that
runs a rich man’s house.
(We might think of him as
a butler.) He is usually
elected from among the
servants

⦿ This servant also has

another trade that he is
responsible for as well as
the run of the home. 
 Chaucer’s Reeve
● supervisor of the serfs ● was a carpenter
● calfless legs ● rode at back of
● no one ever caught procession
him in arrears ● hated the Miller
● knew the serfs’ ● IS satirized
dodges, so they
feared him
● better at bargains
than his lord

Strong satire
 Summoners
⦿ Summoners delivered
subpoenas for the
church court

⦿ Thisis a low ranking

position in the Church 
Chaucer’s Summoner
● face like a cherubin ● drinks wine ‘til all was
(irony) hazy: shouts in Latin
● carbuncles and ● takes bribes: quart of
pimples wine or “favors” from
● black scabby brows, women
thin beard ● threatens people with
● frightened the children excommunication
● loves garlic, onions, ● grotesque description
leeks and strong wine
(stinky breath!) Very strong satire
 Pardoners
⦿ Pardonerssold
Indulgences to raise
money for the Church.
• An indulgence was a way to
“buy your way out of hell”
⦿ LikeFriars, they did not
have a home base, but
traveled from town to
town as a missive from
Rome
Chaucer’s Pardoner
● effeminate appearance
● similes of animals
● hair: rat-tails, like wax
● bulging eyeballs like a hare
● goat-like voice
● carries pardons from Rome
●could not grow a beard
● like a gelding or mare

Very strong satire

Chaucer’s Pardoner
● corrupt: sells fake relics
(pillow case = Virgin Mary’s
veil
● gobbet of Peter’s sail
● pigs’ bones
● good at singing and
oratory

Very strong satire

 Hosts
⦿ An Innkeeper
⦿ They were usually very jolly to
put people at their ease.
⦿ Inns were a combination of a
restaurant and hotel, so the more
comfortable the people were, the
more money the innkeeper made
Chaucer’s Host
● serves fine food
● suggests the tale-telling
contest
● prize will be a meal in
his tavern for the
winner paid for by the
others
● businessman
● return trip would mean
another round of meals
and lodging
● he will be sole judge of
the tales
● accompanies the
pilgrims to Canterbury
● provides framework for
the tales
 The Narrator
⦿ Thenarrator is also called
Chaucer

⦿ Different from author: he

is an unreliable narrator

⦿ Simple-minded,
superficial: he does NOT
pass judgment on the
other pilgrims
 The Narrator
⦿ Chaucer,the pilgrim vs
Chaucer, the author

⦿ disclaimsresponsibility
for what he relates

⦿ claimshe will repeat

verbatim what others say
Nature of the Tales
● variety of genres
● tale suits its teller
● commonly told stories
● stories were interactive
with other tales
● Friar told a tale to insult
the Monk and vice versa
● Reeve told a tale to insult
the Miller, etc.