Which of chaucers character types

He talks about the dressing of The Prioress in these lines:. And also says about The Wife of the Bath in these lines:. WARD asserts:.

It also helps the audience in understanding, recognizing and differentiating the pilgrims. The Characters are not only representatives of their respective classes and professions but also at the same time they possess individual traits.

For example, The Friar is a typical representative of his class in the 14 th century ; he is corrupt, hypocritical, greedy and callous. The Knight stands for heroism and manliness that good knight would always show on the battlefield. But he has been individualized by his prudence, jerkin of fustian and all good horse:. His son, The Squire stands for the type of a merry youth, interested in singing and playing upon the flute.

He has also been individualized by his curly hair, his embroidered clothes and his short coat with long sleeves:. Short was his gowne, with sleves longe and wyde. The Prioress is the type of a woman who is an epicure but she is portrayed as an individual, with her meticulous care in eating and her courtly manners as well as care in eating and her courtly manners as well as her tenderness of heart.

The Monk is the type of Monks of those-times interested not in religion and the study of holy books, but in hunting:. The Oxford Clerk is the type of good scholars, not interested in worldly glory, but in the advancement of knowledge and learning. He depicts what he sees personally. He has the seeing eye, the memory, the judgment to select and the capacity to expound. His world of man is varied and wide. In the words of Dryden.

He had no model. So, he created his own style of character portrayal. His art of characterization is specially marked by three things namely realism, types and individuals and wit and humour. He is very realistic in the portrayal of his age as well as his characters.

In these works he gave a minute and comprehensive picture of the English society of the fourteenth century. The pilgrims, whom Chaucer describes in the Prologue, are the living characters in the great drama of the social life of the period. In this way he realistically describes the social and religious condition of his age.

Thus, Chaucer makes the Canterbury Tales a great human document, containing a clear and comprehensive picture of the age. He succeeds wonderfully in making the poem a living picture of his own country of his own time. Chaucer is the first great painter of character in English literature.

Infact, next to Shakespeare he is the greatest in this field. Except for royalty and aristocracy, on one hand and the robbers or out casts on the other, he has painted in brief practically the whole English nation. The twenty nine pilgrims, including the host, belong to the most varied professions. The Knight and the Squire presents the warlike element of the society. The Merchant and the Shipman stand for the higher commercial community while the Wife of Bath, an expert Cloth maker represents the traders and manufacturers.

Agriculture is represented by the Ploughman, the Miller and the Franklin. The upper servants like Maniple and the Reeve and the lower servant like Yeoman and the Cook represent the town and Country between them. The Monk from his monastery, the Prioress from her convent, her attendant priests, the village Parson, the roaming Friar, the Pardoner and theSummoner sufficiently cover the casual categories of the religious order in those days.

To preserve the distinctions among these typical characters, Chaucer hasindicated the differences in their clothes, manner of speech, habits andtendencies representing the common traits and the average characteristics ofeach profession.

These personages, therefore, are not mere phantasms of thebrain but real human begins. These characters represent various types of contemporary society. They are no longer mere dummies or types but owing to their various peculiarities, theirarguments and agreement and their likes and dislikes we recognize them as realliving beings, true to the mould in which all human nature is cast.

His world is almost freak-free and his characters are perfectly lifelike. Some ofthem are so modern that they seem to be living today. The old Knight is anexample of the chivalrous character which is found in every generation. Chanticleer is also a bit vain about his clear and accurate crowing voice, and he unwittingly allows a fox to flatter him out of his liberty.

She is his equal in looks, manners, and talent. When Chanticleer dreams of the fox, he awakens her in the middle of the night, begging for an interpretation, but Pertelote will have none of it, calling him foolish. When the fox takes him away, she mourns him in classical Greek fashion, burning herself and wailing.

The orange fox, interpreted by some as an allegorical figure for the devil, catches Chanticleer the rooster through flattery. Eventually, Chanticleer outwits the fox by encouraging him to boast of his deceit to his pursuers. When the fox opens his mouth, Chanticleer escapes. SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why are the characters in The Canterbury Tales going on a pilgrimage to Canterbury? What language is The Canterbury Tales written in?

Why do the characters tell stories in The Canterbury Tales? Who wins the storytelling contest? How are the stories organized? Characters Character List. The Pilgrims The Narrator The narrator makes it quite clear that he is also a character in his book. The Knight The first pilgrim Chaucer describes in the General Prologue, and the teller of the first tale. The Pardoner Pardoners granted papal indulgences—reprieves from penance in exchange for charitable donations to the Church. The Miller Stout and brawny, the Miller has a wart on his nose and a big mouth, both literally and figuratively.

The Prioress Described as modest and quiet, this Prioress a nun who is head of her convent aspires to have exquisite taste. The Summoner The Summoner brings persons accused of violating Church law to ecclesiastical court.

The Host The leader of the group, the Host is large, loud, and merry, although he possesses a quick temper. The Parson The only devout churchman in the company, the Parson lives in poverty, but is rich in holy thoughts and deeds. The Clerk The Clerk is a poor student of philosophy.

The Man of Law A successful lawyer commissioned by the king. The Manciple A manciple was in charge of getting provisions for a college or court. The Merchant The Merchant trades in furs and other cloths, mostly from Flanders.

The Shipman Brown-skinned from years of sailing, the Shipman has seen every bay and river in England, and exotic ports in Spain and Carthage as well. The Physician The Physician is one of the best in his profession, for he knows the cause of every malady and can cure most of them.

The Reeve A reeve was similar to a steward of a manor, and this reeve performs his job shrewdly—his lord never loses so much as a ram to the other employees, and the vassals under his command are kept in line. Rather it is a grand procession with all the life and movement, the colour and sound. His characters represent English society, morally and socially, in the real and recognizable types.

And still more representative of humanity in general. Chaucer is the first great painter of character in English literature. In fact, next to Shakespeare he is the greatest in this field. In The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales the thirty portraits traced by Chaucer give us an excellent idea of the society at that time.

Except for royalty and aristocracy, on one hand and the robbers or out casts on the other, he has painted in brief practically the whole English nation. The thirty pilgrims, including the host, belong to the most varied professions.

The Knight and the Squire presents the warlike element of the society. The Merchant and the Shipman stand for the higher commercial community while the Wife of Bath, an expert Cloth maker represents the traders and manufacturers. Agriculture is represented by the Ploughman, the Miller and the Franklin.