Directions: Fill in the Blanks As We Read, and Answer Questions, Where There Is Space

Name: English 11 Canterbury Tales Prologue Study Guide Directions: Fill in the blanks as we read, and answer questions, where there is space. (10 Points)

1. What time of year provides the setting for the General Prologue? April

2. Where did the English often go in spring during the Middle Ages? Why? The English go on a pilgrimage (religious trip) to Canterbury, the popular shrine of St. Thomas Becket.

3. Why is the narrator in Southwark at the inn? What is the inn’s name? The narrator is at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, ready to join a group heading to Canterbury.

4. The Knight, who is an example of someone who lives by the code of chivalry, is characterized by his truth, honor, generosity and courtesy (46).

5. His son the Squire is an attractive, well-dressed young man who shows promise as a knight, but he seeks to excel in order to please his lady (90), and he doesn’t sleep (“loved so hotly”) much on nights when the moon shines bright.

6. The Yeoman, who accompanies the Knight and the Squire, is a free-born worker or woodsman from their manor whose main weapon is his bow (He represents the kind of English fighting man who would soon make medieval knights obsolete.)

7. The Prioress is neat and has good manners, but her motto, which is love conquers all things (Amor vincit omnia) seems a bit ambiguous, and her rosary sounds rather too ornamental.

8. The richly dressed Monk enjoys hunting and is not particularly concerned with obeying the rules of his order. What opinion of his behavior does the narrator express in ll. 182-189? Do you think we are supposed to agree? The Monk ignores the rules of St. Benedict, the strict rules for the behavior of monks. The narrator says he agrees with the monk’s ignoring the proper behavior, but the narrator is being facetious/sarcastic. The reader is supposed to realize that the Monk is not a proper monk.

9. The Friar, whose name is Hubert, enjoys the company of innkeepers and barmaids, not beggars and lepers. In ll. 208-09 we learn that he has provided dowries to allow many poor girls to get married. Why do you think he does this? He likely has provided dowries to quickly marry off young, poor girls that he has impregnated.

10. The Merchant is such an impressive businessman that no one would guess he is in debt.

11. The Oxford Student (usually called the Clerk of Oxford) spends his money on books, not food or amusement. Although he is a comic figure, what Chaucer says about him is what most teachers would like hear: "And gladly would he learn and gladly teach.”

12. The Lawyer (Sgt at Law) is very impressive but seems much busier than he really is.

13. The wealthy Franklin, who has been a member of Parliament, lives in comfort and is particularly careful to have good wine and food.

14. The Guildsmen, all prosperous tradesmen from a town, include a haberdasher (hat seller), a dyer, a carpenter, a weaver, and a carpet-maker.

15. They have with them a skilled Cook, who unfortunately has a(n) ulcer (open sore) on his leg.

16. The Skipper (also called the Shipman) is a good sailor, but what do ll. 406-410 suggest about his ethics? He steals wine and ignores rules of conscience. For instance, if he sinks an enemy, he has the prisoners walk the plank.

17. The Physician is skillful, and always keeps gold with him because gold stimulates the heart (453-455). Name: English 11 Canterbury Tales Prologue Study Guide 18. "A worthy woman . . . from near the city / of Bath," better known as the Wife of Bath, comes from basically the same social group as the Guildsmen. She is an experienced traveler and has had five husbands. Notice her stockings, her teeth, and her hat.

19. The Parson is a truly holy man (489) who believes that before he teaches (or preaches) he should follow (demonstrate with his behavior) his beliefs. How does his attitude toward rich sinners compare with that of the Friar?

20. His "brother" (perhaps his sibling, but more likely his "brother in Christ") is the Plowman, a poor man who ranks low in the medieval social scale but loves God and loves his neighbor as himself. As is the case with the Parson, the Plowman's Christianity shows in his actions. The list ends with five “rascals” who are rather more sinister than the pilgrims described before them. Oddly, our narrator “Chaucer” lists himself along with them.

21. The strong, tough, stout Miller, who cheats his customers, has a bright red beard and a wart on his nose. He leads the pilgrims out of town playing his bagpipes.

22. The Manciple is the purchasing agent for one of the Inns of Court (a law school and organization of lawyers). Although his employers are qualified to manage huge estates, he manages to outpace them all.

23. The Reeve described as slender and old and choleric was a carpenter when he was younger. He rides at the hindmost (back) of the group.

24. The Summoner (an official of the church courts, which enforced church, or canon, law with fines and punishments) is an ugly fellow whose face is covered with carbuncles (big pimples) and who can be lecherous (goes after women) (644).

25. The Pardoner’s pardons for sins and saints' relics are fake but he is good at reading lessons or telling a story (730).