Canterbury Tales JIGSAW – PROLOGUE CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
Your Task Today:
You will be assigned two character descriptions to read in a small group (one group has 3 because two are short).
Your group will read the sections from the text and discuss the meaning. Each person needs to participate in reading and discussion.
Then, you need to work together to complete character overviews for your two characters.
Each person in the group needs to write the group overview in their notebook.
Your group then needs to complete a mini-poster of each character to use when teaching the class about the section/character.
Character Overview Format
Character:
Style of dress:
Social class:
Appearance:
Attitude toward money:
Moral character:
Personality:
How does Chaucer use satire and/or irony in this section:
A “Sundry” Fellowship
Who are all these characters?
The Yeoman: they were originally the servants of knights. Later they became landowners and occupied a class under gentry.
The Prioress: a nun lives in a convent and takes a vow of poverty, obedience, and chastity. The prioress is in charge of a convent, she is “mother superior” and is under oath to not leave the nuns under her protection.
The Monk: a religious man who lives in a monastery or “cloister.”
The Friar: a religious man who hears people’s confessions and absolves or forgives their sins after imposing a penance or penalty (usually prayer). The Franciscan order of friars was founded by Saint Francis to minister to the poorest and least fortunate.
Who are all these characters?
The Merchant: a salesperson in medieval times. It was illegal to charge interest on a loan during this time, but it was done anyway. A merchant who was financially in debt would be charged a higher interest rate, so he was careful to hide his debt or leave home suddenly to escape a moneylender.
The Oxford Cleric: a student who attended the university at Oxford. Only those pledged to join the clergy could attend university during this time.
The Lawyer: A “Sergeant at the Law” in medieval England was a high-ranking judge who had practiced law with distinction for at least sixteen years.
Who are all these characters?
The Franklin: a well-to-do landowner who is not a member of the nobility.
The Guildsmen: Guilds were organizations made up of craftsmen and tradesmen. They passed their skills on through the generations by having apprentices. Like unions today, there was power in grouping together. The guilds in medieval times would control prices and quality of goods.
The Cook: this one was supposedly based on a cook Chaucer knew
The Skipper: a sailor – this one is from Dartmouth, known during this time for its piracy and brutality.
Who are all these characters?
The Doctor: different from today in that during medieval times, people believed health stemmed from the balance of four major “humours.” These were blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile.
The Wife of Bath: Women during medieval times were not allowed a lot of freedoms. This included travel, because wives who traveled were considered to be potetially unfaithful, and their husbands “cuckholds”
The Parson: He is a priest, but he doesn’t threaten to excommunicate parishioners who haven’t paid their “tithes.” The people during medieval times were required to pay one-tenth of their income to the Church.
Who are all these characters?
The Plowman: A worker who plows the fields.
The Miller: A worker who grinds grain. His fee was a percentage of the grain he ground, based on weight.
The Manciple: A minor employee who purchased provisions for a law firm or a college. He frequently bought food at the market stalls.
The Reeve: A serf who was the steward or manager of a manor. He made sure the work was done and that everything was accounted for.
Who are all these characters?
The Summoner: A low-ranking officer who summoned people to appear in Church court.
The Pardoner: A minor member of the church who bought and sold “pardons” for sinners.
![The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue [selections] Geoffrey Chaucer translated by Nevill Coghill. The Prologue](https://kipdf.com/img/300x300/the-canterbury-tales-the-general-prologue-selectio_5ac8e56f1723ddb7e6e6f8e2.jpg)
