The Prologue

from  The Canterbury Tales

Guided Reading Questions

1. At what time of year do the pilgrims go on their journey? Why is this significant?
2. What qualities does the knight possess? How are these different from those you might expect in a veteran soldier who has been fighting for forty years?
3. What does the knight’s soiled clothing reveal about him?
4. How does the squire differ from the knight?
5. How might the yeoman fit into the hierarchy?
6. How are the Prioress’s language and mannerisms ironic?
7. How do the details of the Monk’s character suggest, without directly saying, that this monk is not serious about his vocation?
8. Because peasants in the Middle Ages did not always have enough to eat, obesity was a sign of success and affluence. Why is it ironic that the Monk is fat?
9. In what ways do Chaucer’s characterizations of the Friar seem to contradict your notion of what a friar should do?
10. What seems to be the poet’s attitude toward the corruption of the Church?
11. What secret does the Merchant keep hidden?
12. How is the Oxford Cleric portrayed? What contemporary stereotype does Chaucer play on?
13. Note the evidence that the narrator disapproves of the Sergeant at the Law.
14. What inferences can you draw about the Franklin?
15. What attitude does the poet have toward the guildsmen (Haberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver, and Carpet-maker) and especially their wives?
16. What understated fact does the narrator slip in about the Cook? What is its effect?
17. What does the Skipper do to his prisoners?
18. How does Chaucer’s characterization of the Doctor convey a negative attitude?
19. What is the Wife of Bath concerned about when she goes to church? What does this suggest about her?
20. What words could be used to describe the Wife of Bath?
21. What is the poet’s attitude of the Parson? How do you know?
22. What qualities do the Plowman, the Parson, and the Cleric seem to share?
23. What comparisons does Chaucer use to characterize the Miller? What do these comparisons suggest about the Miller?
24. What is the Manciple able to do to his masters?
25. How does the Reeve treat people?
26. In his portrayal of the Summoner, how does Chaucer appeal to the reader’s sense of sight?
27. How does the Summoner deal with people who keep a mistress?
28. In what ways does Chaucer use details of the Pardoner’s appearance to paint him as a less-than-savory character?
29. What plan does the Host offer for the pilgrims’ entertainment?
30. What bargain does the Host make with the pilgrims?