Chaucer's Prologue to The Canterbury Tales

NET/SLET/TRB Study Guide
Subject: English, Date: 10th March 2018

The Canterbury Tales, in fact, Chaucer's magnum opus is written mostly in verse in late middle English between 1387 and 1400.  A group of 30 pilgrims including Chaucer walking from London to shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury decides to tell two stories onwards and two on return with a compliment of free supper for the best story teller at Tabard Inn in the Southwark.  Thus, it seems, Chaucer planned for 120 tales but the work is incomplete -only 23 pilgrims tell 24 tales in total running into 17000 lines.  Character’s work is modelled on Boccaccio's “Decameron” written in 1358 consisting of 100 tales by seven young women and the young men staying outside Florence to escape the black death.  This most celebrated work by Chaucer is rich with unparalleled realistic character sketches and satirical presentation of contemporary society covering all most all walks of life, popularizing the vernacular language rather than Latin and French which were common in his time.

General Prologue to Canterbury Tales:
The prologue, extending to 858 lines aims at introducing the pilgrims one by one and throwing a good deal of light on their character, array, rank, virtues and vices, interests, with irony, satire and sense of humour.

Character's beginning of the prologue, praising April as the pleasant month is identical with the first part of T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" titled 'the burial of the dead' in which Eliot condemns April as the cruelest one:
"Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,"  -(Chaucer)

"April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain."  -(T.S.Eliot)

  Chaucer begins his description with Knight(1) who loved chivalry, truth, honour, freedom and courtesy.  He was wearing a closely fitting sleeveless jacket over his colourless armour. His male horses were  good but he was not joyful in look. He has been placed and honored above among other knights and had won fifteen battles. He was dignified and wise and yet looked as mild as a maid.

Next comes the son of Knight, a youthful squire (2) who was twenty years old, a bachelor, with average height and well cut curled locks of hair, wearing a short gown with long sleeves, adjusted dress, ornamented with white and red flowers. He took part in many a horse fights just to win the heart of his lady. He was as fresh as the month of May, so romantic and active, being interested in singing, dancing and drawing.

This squire had an yeoman(3), generally a servant ranked between a squire and page. He was looking like a forester, with shortly cut head and green hood, a mighty bow in one hand and sheaf of peacock arrows under his belt, with a sword and shield on the one side and a dagger on the other side, with a silver horn on the chest and a brace in arm. 

Chaucer launches his attack on clergy people starting with a prioress(4) known as Madam Eglantine.   What kind of description it is! Unlike a nun, She was so modest and shy. She had a fair forehead, blue eyes, fine nose and red lips. This is the impression she makes when looked at, being far away from the appearance of the nun, being simple, divine kind and spiritual.  She is not at all concerned with courtly life but has fine table manners – gently taking the food, not dipping her fingers in sauce, wiping her lips with cloth, etc. She is not kind and caring for the sick and poor but for mouse and dogs. She pities for trapped mouse and sick or dead dogs. A golden brooch hanging from a string of beads that she carries has the message “Love conquers all.” Which love it implies is apparent in her expression.  She is also accompanied by three priests(5,6,7) and a Chaplain(8) of whom Chaucer describes nothing.

The prologue is known for Chaucer’s sarcasm on ecclesiastical characters.  The days of Augustine and Benedict Arroyo are gone. Who said that a monk should always be in the monastery? Here is a Monk(9) who is always found outside the monastery, busy with hunting the hare and horse riding.  He never cares the text that says"hunters are unholy men" and a monk outside monastery is like a fish out of water.  With shining bald head and face as of rubbed with oil, with bulging rolling eyes, he was a plump. The gold pin used to fasten his hood, with expensive cloak and the rare squirrel fur used in sleeves made him a revolutionary monk.

Chaucer's attack on the next character the Friar(10), named Hubert is so explicit and apparent.  The Friar is so money minded : people beg for pardon from him for their sins and he begs for such licence from authorities to grant pardon to  pardon sinners because the gifts he receives are more than his regular income.  He also demands for every ballad he sings.  Is the Friar a womanizer? He knows well the women of the town and the innkeeper and maids in the bar much better than the sick, the poor and lepers.  He arranges for the marriage of young women at his own cost, raising doubts whether he had seduced them earlier, as critics have perceived.  A good friar generally values the repentance, weeping and prayer to be essential for purification of sins but this friar replaces them with gifts for the Friar. He lived by pickings and ,with his neck, as white as Lilly (only neck, not heart),  looked like a champion, not a friar.

Next comes a short, simple and direct description of a merchant(11) who had a forked beard and a beaver furred hat.  He appeared elegantly and talked solemnly, all concerning the profits. He knows how to deal with foreign currencies and his business affairs of buying and selling.

Another good character to come out of Chaucer's pen is the CLERK, an Oxford scholar(12), done with study of logic.  He was a bookworm and a great philosopher and yet he had a strongbox with little gold. This extremely lean scholar in torn coat looked as if he was in diet and spent all his money and time on books.  He would like to have twenty  books of Aristotle at his bed rather than rich clothes and fiddle like others. He was moralistic but brief and direct in his speech and never said a word more.

Among with these people was the SERGEANT OF LAW (13), known as a high ranking attorney. He was busy but so judicious and dignified. He maintained a Year Book consisting of all cases and decisions ever since king Williams and he had all laws at his finger tips.  He was also a wise buyer of land. He was found riding in his justice coat tied with belt of silk with stripes.

The next interesting character portrayed by Chaucer is FRANKLIN (14), the landlord who was also a member of parliament, a sheriff and an auditor of taxes.  He was Epicurus' son, dominated by the humor “blood" and for him life meant “eat, drink and be happy.”  He loved to dip a loaf of bread in wine and nowhere we can find a man than he who stocked in abundance food, wine, partridges and fish at home.  His table should always be ready for dining in dainties, with food hot and spicy with sharp aroma, otherwise his cooks will be in woe.  His beard was as white as daisy and he had a dagger and a silk purse in his belt. In his own village, he was however known as Saint Julian, a patron of hospitality.

Then Chaucer proceeds to describe a group of crafts men – HABERDASHER (15) -a dealer in sewing goods, CARPENTER(16), WEAVER(17), DYER(18) and TAPESTRY-MAKER(19). They all uniformly were in one uniform and had their equipment, tools, silver knives, belts and purses neatly and well, making solid citizens.   They had the knowledge and skill required for their profession and had sustainable income, otherwise their wives might blame and wish for calling “madame”, attending holiday feasts in an evening and their gown with a train to be borne royally.

These pilgrims had with them a COOK(20), especially to cook chickens with flavor of spices.  None but he alone can rightly judge the London beer. He knows how to boil, broil, roast and fry. Nobody can surpass him in making sausage or pie.

There was also a SHIPMAN (21) from Dartmouth dressed in a woollen gown to his knee and having dagger hanging on a cord. He had stolen a great deal of wine from the merchant during his sleep. As for his skill, he knew to read  well all tides, perils of the ocean, and the position of moon and the harbours.  No shipman can be better than him because as Chaucer says, “With many a tempest hadde his berd been shake.” and his ship was called Maudelayne.

In those days, doctors were astronomers too and the best example is Chaucer's DOCTOR OF MEDICINE(22) who treated his patients in their astronomically favourable hours.  By reading their horoscope, he was able to know the cause and sources of their disease. Chaucer's DOCTOR, just like today's doctor,  had a close tie up with medicine sellers and both were profited by each other. He had studied well the books of great physicians of the past such as Hippocrates and Constantine. He still preserved gold that he had earned at the time of plague.

Next comes the beautiful and ironical description of WOMAN OF BATH (23), a typical housewife of medieval Europe.  She is so angry if anybody comes before her to the church but it is a million dollar question whether she follows morality and charity taught in the bible.  She is out of charity for her neighbours. She has married as many as five husbands and the companions of her youth are also more. She knows old dance of tricks and remedies for love though she had undertaken many pilgrimages including three times visit to Jerusalem. Being fair and bold (for what?) and with broad hat on head, new shoes on foot and overskirt worn around her large hips, she made the impression of a distinct gorgeous housewife.

Quite contrary to the bad examples of unholy Friar and Prioress, Chaucer now presents a good example of PARSON(24) who was poor in finance but rich in holy thought and service.  He did not excommunicate his parishioners for non-payment but spent his own money for them.  Being a good shepherd, he first practised before teaching the gospels of Christ and his twelve apostles, because, as Chaucer says, “That if gold ruste, what shal iren do?”  He was so devoted, diligent, impartial and gracious that he visited his folk whether they are of high rank or low, farther or near, in rain or thunder and in sickness or in trouble.

The person had a brother with him, a PLOWMAN(25), dressed in sleeveless jacket, riding upon a female horse  who surpassed others in his sincere love towards God and neighbours, and in his sincerity in work.  He was sincere in dragging the cartload of dung, in threshing and in digging ditches.  The housewife woman of Bath who had no love for neighbours is contrasted here with plowman, a good example, who never failed in his love for neighbours. 

Next comes the MILLER(26) and Chaucer's description his appearance and character is impressive and unique.  The miller is very stout and largely built. Being a man of strong muscles and bones, he always won the first prize in wrestling. His beard was as broad as a spade and as red as a female pig or Fox.  His mouth was as large as a furnace. He wore a white coat and blue hood and had a sword and a shield by his side.  In talk, he was a loudmouth and in behaviour, he was a buffoon, sinner and a cheat. Why should he heave off every door from its hinges or break it with his head unnecessarily wherever he goes? Is he not a thief when he steals corn from his customer coming to his mill? The only positive aspect with him is that he was an unbeatable wrestler and a good player of bag-pipe.

Next common man described by Chaucer is the MANCIPLE(27), a man in charge of buying food and grains in a court of law.  Chaucer talks nothing of his appearance but briefly sketches his character. The manciple was skilled in buying food stuff and proved a good example for others. As for his wit and wisdom, it was more than three times of ten matters in the court of law and he could even fool a sheriff.  Another significant aspect in his character is that he lived economically with what he earned -in honour and without debt.

Another unfaithful and disloyal servant portrayed by Chaucer is the REEVE(28), a local staff in charge of granary, livestock and poultry. As for appearance, this reeve has closely shaved beard and front head, with hair cropping by his ear side. He wore a dark blue coat and had a rusty sword by his side.  He is very lean -his legs are as thin as a stick with no calf to be seen. What draws our attention more is his trickery and treachery equipped with his skill. Nobody but he knows the yield of his stock by drought or rain.  What he gives of his stock is the record and even his master cannot find the truth hidden.  He sometimes pleases his lord by giving or lending the provisions of his own lord and gets a coat and hood as a reward. All were afraid of his subtle trickery as they were afraid of plague. He was but a good craftsman and a carpenter too.

The next distinct character is SUMMONER(29).  With pimpled face, knobs on his cheeks, with swollen eyelids and incurable pustules, beard with fallen out hair, he made an ugly and horrifying appearance that children were afraid of seeing him.  Not only his face but also his soul was ugly and corrupt. He was so hot and lecherous. He was an addict to wine that just for a quarter of wine he would even allow any fellow to have his concubine for twelve months. If the sinners have a big purse, they need not be afraid of excommunication and this summoner can arrange for pardon but, as he says, only the client’s purse takes him to archdeacon's hell, not he. It's so funny to see that with little knowledge of two or three legal terms, he managed to strike the people with a cry – “the question is, what point of the law applies?”

The last pilgrim described by Chaucer is the PARDONER(30) who rode on a horse stylistically being bare-headed except his cap with Veronica (the image of Jesus Christ), with hair as yellow as wax spread over the shoulder and with glaring eyes of the hare and closely shaved face. He is money-minded that  he used to sing his favourite song “Come hither, love, to me" and the Christian anthem offertory to win silver from his audience.  He was basically a eunuch or homosexual. He was a man of flattery and tricks that he carried a knapsack with full of order of pardons for the sinners and convicted criminals; his pouch had a pillowcase that he called “Our Lady’s veil”, a piece of sail that he called St.Peter’s, a cross with stones and a glass container with pig’s bones.  He can sell these relics to any poor parson in any village and make money in a day what the parson would earn in two months. Thus he strongly resembles the summoner in cheating the religious people.

The last part of the prologue gives a short description of the host and details how all pilgrims came to tabard inn at the previous night of their journey, had the delicious dinner and agreed to the story telling contest suggested by the host. The host was wise, bold, impressive and well mannered. He agreed to accompany the pilgrims being a guide and judge of their tales.  But he made a condition that whoever disagreed with his judgement should pay all that is spent during the journey. All consented unanimously.  The next day early morning, the host Harry Bailey awakened them like the rooster and they started their pilgrimage to Canterbury. As already planned, through “ draw the straw” method, they selected the first person to start his story, that was the Knight.

It's so certain that his characters are so diverse, distinct and universal -every Chaucer's reader will find himself at least in any one of the characters.  The world is whole, just with all positive and negative, both good and evils and Chaucer's characters are so, both positive and negative, a mixture of Good and evil, for example, with merciful Parson on the one side and money minded Friar on the other side. His characters are not unreal and exaggerated but typical human beings alive filled with their own whims and fancies, dignity and grandeur on one side and  follies and frailties on the other side. No novelist in English Literature can portray a character better than Chaucer. Though the prologue presents full cross-section of fourteen century English middle class ranging from the Knight to Plowman, the main focus is on ecclesiastical characters, revealing both virtues and vices in true colours.  We are to agree with Dryden when he says "Here is God's plenty.
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