Student Question
Can you provide character sketches for those introduced in the "Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales?
Quick answer:
The "Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales introduces diverse characters, such as the Wife of Bath, a skilled clothmaker from Bath, known for her bold personality and five marriages, suggesting a strong, experienced, and possibly lascivious nature. Her vivid red attire and gap-toothed smile accentuate her character. The Knight, on the other hand, embodies chivalry and nobility, defined by his military valor and integrity. His worn armor reflects his dedication to worthy causes, setting expectations for a noble tale.
One of my favourite characters that is introduced in the "General Prologue" is the Wife of Bath, referred to as a "business woman, from near Bath." She is clearly a talented woman, as the narrator describes her as more skilled in clothmaking than even the "weavers of Ypres and Ghent." However, her somewhat proud character is shown by the detail that she must be first at the almsgiving, or otherwise she would become incredibly angry and not give anything. What is most notable about her appearance is her penchant for the colour red:
Her stockings were of finest scarlet red,
Very tightly laced; shoes pliable and new.
Bold was her face, and handsome; florid, too.
The colour of her stockings combined with her "bold" face and being "gap-toothed," which was believed at that time to indicate a lascivious nature, points towards a very strong, dominant character who is potentially...
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looking for another husband, as she has been married five times. She is presented as something of an expert in love and a wise woman because of her travelling and experience of marriage, as she knows all the "cures for love," being a "past mistress" of that game. The narrator hints that she is therefore an incredibly sexually active woman, and has had other lovers outside of her five marriages. Her description in the "General Prologue," therefore, prepares the reader for her story, and her prologue to it, which uncovers more of her character.Â
Provide a character sketch of one character from the "General Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales.
The strength of the "General Prologue" is in the detailed character sketches that Chaucer gives of the various pilgrims and what this reveals about the identity of his fellow travellers. This sets up a lot of the conflict that exists between some of them, and also gives the reader an initial impression of them that is developed through the stories that each of them tell. Note, for example, how the introduction of the knight clearly prepares us for the kind of noble chivalrous tale that he tells. He is obviously presented as a man who lives his life by the chivalric code:
There was a knight, a reputable man,
Who from the moment that he first began
Campaigning, had cherished the profession
Of arms; he also prized trustworthiness,
Liberality, fame, and courteousness.
The list of positive adjectives seem to stress his chivalrous nature, and it is clear that his experience of armed conflict for worthy, religious causes, and the extent of his prestige proves him to be, as the narrator judges him, "The very pattern of a noble knight." As if to support this, the narrator says that his personal appearance indicates he has just returned from an expedition, as he is in armour that has obviously seen better days. Such a portrait details the characteristics of the knight, giving the reader expectations of the kind of tale he will tell but also indicating how he will operate with the other characters on the pilgrimage.