Canterbury Prologue

  1. When do people go on pilgrimages, and why?
    In spring, when April's rains have watered the plants and Zephyrus, the west wind, has helped flowers grow. Aries is in the sky, and birds sing
  2. Where did the pilgrims stay?
    Tabard Inn, Southwark, Eng.
  3. How many pilgrims, not including the narrator?
    29
  4. Who was the first character discussed by the narrator?
    The Knight
  5. Personality traits of the Knight
    Chivalrous, honest, and just - never boorish
  6. Places the Knight fought
    Alexandria in 1365, Lithuania, Russia, Algeciras (Grenada, Sp.), N. Africa, E. Europe, Holy Land.
  7. The Knight's win-loss record for battles
    15-0 (3-0 against Algerian heathens)
  8. The Knight's attire
    Nice horse, but simple cotton shirt
  9. Son of the Knight
    Squire
  10. Attributes of the Squire
    Nice, happy, 20 yrs old, on way to become a knight, curly hair, average height
  11. Places the Squire served
    Holland and France - he earned honors 
  12. Why did the Squire want to win battles?
    Impress his girlfriend
  13. The Squire's attire
    Red/white "flowery" shirt; he played the flute and made music/dance
  14. The Knight's servant
    Yeoman
  15. The Yeoman's attire
    Master's horse, green jacket, bow, sword, shield, and peacock-fletched arrows (forester)
  16. Yeoman's personality
    Meticulous woodworker
  17. Whose medal did the Yeoman wear?
    St. Christopher
  18. Who ran a convent?
    The Prioress, Madame Englantine
  19. Personality of the Prioress
    Friendly, sang songs nasally, very prim and proper; she cared much for every living creature, even a trapped mouse
  20. Who was the only person the Prioress swore to?
    Saint Loy
  21. What animals accompanied the Prioress?
    Her beloved dogs
  22. What part of the Prioress was larger than normal?
    Forehead
  23. What did the Prioress wear around her arm?
    A rosary with a gold brooch, "Love conquers all."
  24. Who accompanied the Prioress?
    3 priests and her assistant, a nun
  25. Who inspected the monastery's lands?
    The Monk
  26. What did the Monk enjoy doing?
    Hunting swans and horseback riding
  27. What did the Monk hate?
    Old things (i.e. Benedict's and Augustine's monastic rules)
  28. How did the narrator feel about the Monk's views?
    He agreed.
  29. What did the Monk wear?
    Fine gray furs and a love knot gold pin
  30. What was the Monk's general appearance?
    Well-groomed - a good churchman
  31. Who represents gluttony?
    Friar Hubert
  32. What was the Friar's personality?
    Playful and jovial; best beggar ever
  33. What did the Friar wear?
    Thick, luxurious, almost papal robes
  34. What did the Friar do, other than beg?
    Resolve legal disputes
  35. How did the Friar sound more dignified?
    Faked a lisp
  36. What was special about the Friar as a confessor?
    If he was paid well, he would tell anyone they were penitent.
  37. Accd. to the Friar, what are bribes easier than?
    Remorse
  38. Who did the Friar know well, and why was it strange?
    The bartenders and barmaids - he never associated with the inferior poor
  39. Who wore jester's clothes?
    Merchant
  40. What else did the Merchant wear?
    Beaver hat from Holland
  41. How did the Merchant speak?
    Seriously. He wanted people to know how smart he was.
  42. What did the Merchant talk about most?
    The Navy guarding the North Sea betw. Eng. and Holl.
  43. What is somewhat ironic about the Merchant?
    He was heavily in debt
  44. What did the narrator never learn about the Merchant? 
    His name
  45. Who studied philosophy?
    The Clerk from Oxford
  46. Why were the Clerk and his horse thin?
    He spent his money on books.
  47. Why didn't the Clerk have a job?
    He didn't want one.
  48. Who did the Clerk pray for?
    His friends, who gave him money to but books.
  49. How/what did the Clerk speak?
    Softly, short, and politely. Talked about morality. 
  50. What was the Clerk eager to do?
    Learn and teach
  51. Who was wise, yet suspicious of most things?
    The Sergeant of Law
  52. Where did the Sergeant meet with clients?
    In London, outside St. Paul's
  53. Why was the Sergeant famous?
    He was wise in criminal law, chose words carefully, and memorized all legal decisions in England for the last 300 yrs
  54. Who looked busier than he really was?
    The Sergeant
  55. Who did the Judge travel with?
    Franklin
  56. What was the Franklin's personality?
    Epicurean
  57. What did the Franklin do other than eat?
    Former member of Parliament and former sheriff.
  58. Was there a more worthy landowner than the Franklin?
    No
  59. Who were in the same guild?
    The Haberdasher, Carpenter, weaver, dyer, and tapestry maker
  60. How did the craftsmen dress?
    Elegantly - purses, belts, and silver knives
  61. Who traveled with the craftsmen?
    A cook
  62. What was wrong with the cook physically?
    Ulcerous sore on his leg
  63. What did the cook make particularly well?
    Chicken stews
  64. Where did the Shipman come from?
    West, perhaps Dartmouth
  65. How did the Shipman dress?
    Cheap shirt, shabby horse
  66. Who did the Shipman bring over, and what was the ship?
    Bordeaux wine merchant; the Magdalen
  67. What was the Shipman able to do well?
    Navigate by the stars and evade storms.
  68. The Shipman's personality?
    Wise and measured.
  69. When did the doctor treat his patients?
    When it was "astrologically safe."
  70. What did the doctor eat?
    Simple foods.
  71. What did the doctor wear?
    Red/blue silk clothes
  72. What did the doctor love above all?
    Gold
  73. Whose face had a reddish tint?
    Wife of Bath
  74. What was wrong with the Wife of Bath physically?
    Gap in teeth and somewhat deaf
  75. What did the Wife of Bath wear?
    Red stockings, new shoes, nice cloak, and ornate hankerchiefs. 
  76. What did the Wife of Bath do, and who was she superior to?
    Weave better than the merchants of Ghent or Ypres
  77. What seems almost paradoxical about the Wife?
    She was honorable, yet married 5 times
  78. Why did the Wife always want to be first at church?
    Make a donation first
  79. Where had the Wife been before?
    Jerusalem (3x), Rome, Bologna, St. James' shrine in Spain, and Cologne/
  80. What was the Wife's personality?
    Kind, joking, gossipy.
  81. What sort of stories did the Wife tell?
    Romance
  82. What was the Parson like?
    Poor, virtuous, gentle, and patient.
  83. How did the Parson help his parishoners?
    He gave them his money.
  84. What did the Parson scold people for?
    They were stubborn.
  85. Where did the Parson live?
    The vacant country.
  86. What was the Parson's "motto?"
    If gold rusts, what would iron do?
  87. Who led his sheep?
    The Parson
  88. What was the Parson not interested in?
    Power, money, ethics, or morality
  89. Where could the Parson have made more money?
    London
  90. What did the narrator think of the Parson?
    Finest priest in the world
  91. Who was the Parson's brother?
    Plowman
  92. Describe the Plowman.
    Lowly manual laborer, who kept God always in his thoughts.
  93. What did the Plowman willingly cart?
    Dung
  94. Who did the Plowman donate money to?
    The Church
  95. What did the Reeve do?
    Look after his master's property.
  96. Who made flour?
    The Miller
  97. Who liked to prove his strength by wrestling others?
    Miller
  98. What did the Miller wear?
    White coat, blue hood, sword, shield
  99. What did the Miller tell stories of?
    Sex and sin
  100. What did the Miller steal and resell at 3x its price?
    Corn
  101. What was distinctive of the Miller's face?
    His large, fox-red, spade-like beard
  102. What did the Miller do as they left town?
    Played bagpipes.
  103. What did the Manciple do?
    Bought food/provisions for London's Inner Temple court
  104. How did the Manciple do his job well?
    He was careful in what he spent and purchased - saved $$
  105. Who did the Manciple work for at the court?
    30 lawyers who managed lords' money and estates
  106. What was ironic about the Manciple?
    He was uneducated, yet more versed in finance than his lawyers
  107. What was the Manciple's success due to?
    God's grace
  108. What did the Reeve do?
    Look after his Master's land in Norfolk, Eng.
  109. What was the Reeve's temper?
    He angered easily.
  110. What was the Reeve's hair like?
    Short
  111. What were the Reeve's legs like?
    Sticks
  112. What was impressive about the Reeve?
    He knew exactly how much grain there was in the granary, and he could predict crop yields based solely on rain.
  113. Why were the Reeve's subordinates terrified of him?
    He knew when he was being cheated.
  114. How did the Reeve get so much money?
    He knew more about money. He also tricked the Master by lending him things he already owned, and pocketing the gifts.
  115. What was the Reeve's horse's name?
    Scot
  116. What did the Reeve wear?
    Blue coat, rusty sword.
  117. Who rode last?
    The Reeve
  118. Who looked like the Friar?
    The Reeve
  119. What did the Summoner do?
    Baliff in religious court
  120. What was distinctive of the Summoner's face?
    Red like a little angel's - lots of pimples
  121. Who scared kids because of his face and beard?
    Summoner
  122. What did the Summoner eat?
    Garlic, leeks, onions, and red wine
  123. What happened when the Summoner was drunk?
    Spoke Latin - "Questio quid juris?"
  124. What does "Questio quid juris" mean?
    How does the law apply in this situation?
  125. Who was most likely to loan his girlfriend over a bottle of wine?
    The Summoner - he had more.
  126. What did the Summoner do to men who cheated?
    They had to pay a bribe to not tell the Church.
  127. What did the narrator think of the Summoner?
    He lied - everyone should fear excommunication.
  128. What did the Summoner wear?
    A garland aroumd his head, and a cake as a shield.
  129. Who rode with the Summoner?
    The Pardoner
  130. Where did the Pardoner work?
    The hospital at Rouncivalle near London
  131. What did the Pardoner do?
    Sold official pardons to criminals who confessed their sins to God.
  132. Describe the Pardoner's face.
    Popping rabbit-like eyes, a bleating goat-like voice, and no beard.
  133. What was the Pardoner's hair like?
    Wax.
  134. What did the Pardoner wear on his head?
    A cap from Jerusalem showing he saw the shroud of St. Veronica.
  135. Where had the Pardoner just returned from?
    Rome, with official letters of pardon.
  136. Who sang "Come here my love" together?
    Pardoner and Summoner
  137. What did the narrator think about the pardoner?
    He was either a eunuch or gay.
  138. Why was the Pardoner the most interesting in England?
    He carried a bag of fake religious relics.
  139. What were some of the Pardoner's "relics?"
    Veil of Mary, canvas from Peter's boat, brass crucifix, and jar of pig bones
  140. Why did the narrator give the Pardoner credit?
    He took churchgoing seriously and could read lessons and stories from the Bible well. 
  141. Who sang loudest at Church, and why?
    The Pardoner, to get people's money during offetory.
  142. What did the narrator say about his story telling.
    He wanted to tell the facts, and not be considered vulgar.
  143. Who did the narrator liken his writing to?
    Plato and Jesus.
  144. What did the narrator say he was not?
    Clever
  145. How was the food at the Talbard Inn?
    Really good
  146. What did the narrator think of the innkeeper?
    He was a true man, with bulging eyes, who could've been a great butler.
  147. What was the Host's bearing?
    He was jolly, straightforward, and learned.
  148. What was the Host surprised about the pilgrims?
    They were happy.
  149. What did the Host swear to the pilgrims?
    That if they weren't entertained, on his head (and father's grave) be it.
  150. What did the Host ask the pilgrims to do?
    Hold up their hands and shut up.
  151. What did the Host propose?
    That each pilgrim tell 4 stories - 2 on the way there and 2 on the way back.
  152. What would the winner of the Host's bet get?
    A dinner, paid by him and the others.
  153. What would happen if someone questioned the Host's judgment?
    They would pay the cost for everyone.
  154. Where did the Pilgrims stop on the way?
    The stream.
  155. How did they decide who would tell the first story?
    Draw straws
  156. Who drew the first straw?
    Knight
  157. Who drew the shortest straw?
    Knight
  158. How did the person who drew the shortest straw react?
    He was good with it - said it was God's will.
Author
broach13
ID
168539
Card Set
Canterbury Prologue
Description
The main characters
Updated