The Canterbury Tales Pilgrim Chart

Vocabulary flashcards covering the characters, physical traits, negative qualities, virtues, and key terms from The Canterbury Tales Prologue chart.

Chaucer (narrator)

The narrator of the pilgrimage who rides a horse; characterized as humorous, direct, observant, matter-of-fact, and sarcastic in a funny way, providing details that reveal other pilgrims' character traits.

Knight

A brave, noble, and chivalrous Christian warrior riding fine horses and dressed in modest stained tunic clothing; he battles in religious wars, is widely traveled, revered, and well received in foreign courts.

Squire (knight's son)

A 20-year-old knight in training with curly hair who wears a short gown with long sleeves and fresh red and white flowers; agile, lusty, egotistical, stays up all night, sings, plays the flute, and writes poetry.

Yeoman

A forester, outdoorsman, and attendant in a royal household who wears green clothing, a St. Christopher's Medal, and is "brown like a nut"; an expert woodsman whose arrows are made from peacock feathers.

Nun (Prioress)

A delicate, overly dramatic nun second in rank to an abbot; wears neat clothing and a gold brooch inscribed "amor vincit omino", speaks French, prioritizes appearance and courtly manners, and swears "by St Loy".

The Monk

A fat, bald monk with big sparkly eyeballs and a greasy face who rides a brown palfrey and owns fast greyhounds; breaks his vow of poverty by pursuing worldly pleasures such as hunting, fine fur-trimmed clothes, and roasted swan.

The Friar (Hubert)

A cunning, money-hungry "limiter" who lisps, plays the harp and hurdy gurdy, and dresses like a doctor or pope; takes money for penance, frequents bars instead of almshouses, and helps pregnant girls he impregnated find husbands.

Merchant

A member of the wealthy middle class with a forking beard, motley dress, beaver hat, and solemn voice; respected in business as a knowledgeable bargainer, though ironically in debt due to poor money management.

Oxford Cleric

A thin, hollow-looking, studious student who rides a very thin horse and wears a threadbare overcoat; unemployed in church or secular fields, he spends all his money on books, learning, and philosophy.

Sergeant of Law

An attorney in a garish parti-colored coat and silken pin-stripe belt; distinguished and well-spoken with an incredible memory for court cases since King William's time, though lacking original thought or insight.

The Franklin

A wealthy non-noble landowner with a white beard, red complexion, dagger, and white silk purse; known as "Epicurus' son" for loving sensual pleasures, fine food, wine, and hosting generous parties.

The Guildsman

A group consisting of a haberdasher, carpenter, dyer, weaver, and carpet maker; well-dressed tradesmen with silver-adorned knives whose materialistic wives enjoyed being seen at church like court royalty.

Cook

A skilled cook who bakes, fries, boils, roasts, simmers, and stews while distinguishing beer by location; noted for questionable hygiene and an oozing knee ulcer matching the color and consistency of "blancmange" milk pudding.

Skipper (the shipman)

An excellent, hardy sailor who owns the barge Maudelayne and knows navigation, stars, and sea currents; wears a woolen knee-length gown and dagger, rides an uncomfortable borrowed farmer's horse, and steals wine.

The Doctor (of physic)

A skilled, well-educated physician dressed in bright red clothes; miserly and not well-versed in the Bible, he works in cahoots with apothecaries to profit from medicine and loves gold.

The Wife of Bathe

A somewhat deaf, vain seamstress dressed in fancy red stockings and a large hat, with widely spaced teeth; married 5 times, well-traveled (Jerusalem 3x, Rome), and talented in remedies for love.

The Parson

The ideal, poor parish priest who practices what he preaches; well-educated, devout, diligent, serious, generous, humble, unpretentious, and hardworking without fancy clothing.

The Plowman

An honest, hardworking farmer who rides an old mare and wears a tabard smock tunic; lives in peace with God and nature, pays tithes on time, and loves God with all his heart.

The Miller (Robin)

A big, brawny, red-bearded man with a bristled nose wart who wears a blue and white hooded coat and plays bagpipes; a dishonest braggart who steals grain and tells dirty tavern stories.

The Manciple

An illiterate yet shrewd steward in charge of buying food for over 30 lawyers at a law school; an extraordinary, frugal caterer who monitors the market to get the best deals while stashing away money.

The Reeve

A skinny, old, bad-tempered estate manager and master carpenter with short hair, thin legs, and a blue overcoat; hated and intimidating, yet capable of predicting crop yields through weather observation.

The Summoner

A church court official with narrow eyes, scabby eyebrows, pimples, and a garland who loves garlic, onions, and strong wine; frightens children, speaks limited Latin, and uses blackmail and bribery.

The Pardoner

A corrupt seller of fake relics with long yellow greasy hair, bulging eyeballs, and no beard; carries a pillowcase of relics, takes advantage of poor country people, and sings loudly at offerings.

Harry Bailey (the host)

The handsome, bold, and tactful host of the inn who serves the pilgrims excellent food and wine; proposes the storytelling game during the pilgrimage with a free dinner for the best story.

Limiter

A friar, such as Hubert, who is restricted to begging within a specific designated geographical area.

Palfrey

A saddle horse owned and ridden by the Monk on the pilgrimage.

Tabard smock

A short, heavy, coarse tunic worn as clothing by the Plowman.

Blancmange

A milk pudding whose color and consistency resemble the oozing ulcer on the Cook's knee.

Maudelayne

The name of the barge owned by Skipper (the shipman).