English 12 Honors

The Canterbury Tales: The Prologue

Study Guide

Background Knowledge

Key Ideas and Details:

  1. Who is Thomas a Becket?
  2. Why are the 30 pilgrims traveling to Canterbury? What is their ‘trip’ called? (technical term)
  3. Some literary claims suggest that Chaucer is the narrator. Find details within the text that support this argument.
  4. Deduce the purpose of “The Prologue.” Why do you think Chaucer chose to ‘frame’ the character tales with their individual introductions?
  5. What is (a.) Direct characterization? (b.) Indirect characterization? (c.) Allegory? (d.) Irony? (e.) Frame Story?

Critical Reading

Literary Analysis:

  1. Explain why the Knight MUST be a perfect knight. Use the text to support your answer.
  2. List three characteristics of the Monk. Inferwhat the narrator means by “[He] took the modern world’s more spacious way” (Line 180).
  3. Judging from the descriptions of the Friar and the Parson, what does narrator imply can cause a religious person to fail in his duty?
  4. Judging from his pilgrims, do you think Chaucer believes people are basically good, evil, or a mix of the two? Defend/support your answer.
  5. Using this piece (The Canterbury Tales) as a model, how does literature seem shape or reflect society?
  6. Identify an example in which the narrator uses mild sarcasm when describing a character.Explain your answer.

Key Ideas and Details:

For each of the following characters and descriptions, note whether the characterizations are direct or indirect.

  1. The Knyght (The Knight)

“He wore a fustian tunic stained and dark/With smudges where his armor had left mark” (Lines77-78).

  1. The Nonne (The Prioresse) [The Nun (Prioress)]

“And she spoke daintily in French, extremely” (Line 128).

  1. The Frere(The Friar)

“There was a Friar, a wanton one […], a very festive fellow” (Lines 212-213).

  1. The Wif of Bathe (The Wife of Bath)

“A worthy woman […] was with us, somewhat deaf, which was a pity” (Lines 455-456).

  1. The Reve (The Reeve)

“He was a carpenter of first-rate skill” (Line 632).

  1. The Pardoner**

“As to his trade, from Berwick down to Ware/There was no pardoner of equal grace” (Lines 712-713).

Compare and Contrast:

Compare and contrast the characters in Group A with their paired counterparts in Group B.

Group AGroup B

  1. Knight ------Squire
  2. Monk ------Oxford Cleric
  3. Friar ------Parson
  4. Nun ------Wife of Bath
  5. Sergeant at the Law ------Miller
  6. Cook ------The Craftsmen

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Use the chart below to ‘match’ the characters in the prologue with modern versions from today’s society.

  1. Franklin

  1. Doctor

  1. Wife of Bath

  1. Manciple

  1. Reeve

  1. Summoner

  1. Pardoner

Use the chart to reflect on the social commentary in the Prologue, answering the question: “What do the sketches of these characters suggest about medieval society?”

Character / Detail / Implication About Society
  1. Squire

  1. Yeoman

  1. Merchant

  1. Wife of Bath

  1. Pardoner