Characterization in The Canterbury Tales (WHOLE UNIT)

Take a look at this modern English word. villain Which is the correct translation of the modern English word villain into Middle English?

vileinye

Read the excerpt from the General Prolgue to the Canterbury Tales. There was also a nun, a prioress,Whose smile was unaffected and demure;Her greatest oath was just, "By St. Eloi!"And she was known as Madame Eglantine.She sang the divine service prettily,And through the nose, becomingly intoned;And she spoke French well and elegantlyAs she'd been taught it at Stratford-at-Bow,For French of Paris was to her unknown.Good table manners she had learnt as well:She never let a crumb from her mouth fall;She never soiled her fingers, dipping deepInto the sauce; when lifting to her lipsSome morsel, she was careful not to spillSo much as one small drop upon her breast.Her greatest pleasure was in etiquette. Based on this description of the nun, what conclusion can be drawn about the narrator?

The narrator has great admiration for the nun.

But first I beg you, not to put it downTo my ill-breeding if my speech be plainWhen telling what they looked like . . . -The Canterbury Tales,Geoffrey Chaucer What detail in the passage suggests that the narrator may not be reliable?

The narrator implies that he is not a very good speaker.

Also I beg you to forgive it meIf I overlooked all standing and degreeAs regards the order in which people comeHere in this tally, as I set them down:My wits are none too bright, as you can see. -The Canterbury Tales,Geoffrey Chaucer In this passage, how does the narrator reveal that he is unreliable?

The narrator tells his audience that he is unintelligent and careless.

Read the excerpt from the General Prolgue to the Canterbury Tales. The pardon-seller's hair was yellow as wax,And sleekly hanging, like a hank of flax.In meagre clusters hung what hair he had;Over his shoulders a few strands were spread,But they lay thin, in rat's tails, one by one.As for a hood, for comfort he wore none,For it was stowed away in his knapsack.Save for a cap, he rode with head all bare,Hair loose; he thought it was the dernier cri.He had big bulging eyes, just like a hare.He'd sewn a veronica on his cap.His knapsack lay before him, on his lap,Chockful of pardons, all come hot from Rome.His voice was like a goat's, plaintive and thin. Which statement best describes the narrator's perception of the pardon-seller in this excerpt?

The unfavorable descriptions of the pardon-seller's physical appearance imply that the narrator thinks poorly of this character.

Take a look at this list of Middle English words. Aprille Engelond Trouthe hadde naciouns Take a look at the same words in modern English. April England truth had nations Which statement best compares the Middle English words to the modern English words?

Though the Middle English words look very different from the modern English words, they are pronounced the exact same way. (WRONG)

Read the excerpt from the General Prolgue to the Canterbury Tales. She was so full of charity and pityThat if she saw a mouse caught in a trap,And it was dead or bleeding, she would weep.She kept some little dogs, and these she fedOn roast meat, or on milk and fine white bread.But how she'd weep if one of them were dead,Or if somebody took a stick to it!She was all sensitivity and tender heart.Her veil was pleated most becomingly;Her nose well-shaped; eyes blue-grey, of great beauty;And her mouth tender, very small, and red.And there's no doubt she had a fine forehead,Almost a span in breadth, I'd swear it was,For certainly she was not undersized. How is the nun characterized in this excerpt?

as charitable and beautiful

But with these relics, when he came uponSome poor up-country priest or backwoods parson,In just one day he'd pick up far more moneyThan any parish priest was like to seeIn two whole months. With double-talk and tricksHe made the people and the priest his dupes.But to speak truth and do the fellow justice,In church he made a splendid ecclesiastic. -The Canterbury Tales,Geoffrey Chaucer How is the pardon-seller characterized in this passage?

as corrupt and self-serving

There was a business woman, from near Bath,But, more's the pity, she was a bit deaf;So skilled a clothmaker, that she outdistancedEven the weavers of Ypres and Ghent.In the whole parish there was not a womanWho dared precede her at the almsgiving,And if there did, so furious was she,That she was put out of all charity.Her headkerchiefs were of the finest weave,Ten pounds and more they weighed, I do believe,Those that she wore on Sundays on her head. -The Canterbury Tales,Geoffrey Chaucer How is the business woman characterized in the passage?

as jealous and vain

But, speaking of her sensibility, She was so full of charity and pity That if she saw a mouse caught in a trap, And it was dead or bleeding, she would weep. She kept some little dogs, and these she fed On roast meat, or on milk and fine white bread. But how she'd weep if one of them were dead, Or if somebody took a stick to it! -The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer How is the prioress most clearly characterized in this passage?

as sensitive and emotional

Read the excerpt from the General Prolgue to the Canterbury Tales. In church he made a splendid ecclesiastic.He'd read a lesson, or saint's history,But best of all he sang the offertory:For, knowing well that when that hymn was sung,He'd have to preach and polish smooth his tongueTo raise—as only he knew how—the wind,The louder and the merrier he would sing. How does the author characterize the pardon-seller in this excerpt?

by describing what he says and does

Read the excerpt from the General Prolgue to the Canterbury Tales. She used to wipe her upper lip so clean,No print of grease inside her cup was seen,Not the least speck, when she had drunk from it.Most daintily she'd reach for what she ate.No question, she possessed the greatest charm,Her demeanor was so pleasant, and so warm;Though at pains to ape the manners of the court,And be dignified, in order to be thoughtA person well deserving of esteem.But, speaking of her sensibility,She was so full of charity and pityThat if she saw a mouse caught in a trap,And it was dead or bleeding, she would weep. Which of the underlined words best help the reader understand what the nun is like? Select three options.

daintily greatest charm pleasant

Read the excerpt from the General Prolgue to the Canterbury Tales. But with these relics, when he came uponSome poor up-country priest or backwoods parson,In just one day he'd pick up far more moneyThan any parish priest was like to seeIn two whole months. With double-talk and tricksHe made the people and the priest his dupes.But to speak truth and do the fellow justice,In church he made a splendid ecclesiastic. Which underlined word best characterizes the pardon-seller as a swindler?

double-talk

"And now let's draw lots before going on. The one who draws the short straw must begin. Sir Knight, my lord and master," said our host, "Now let's draw lots, for such is my request. Come near," said he, "my lady Prioress, And, Mister Scholar, lay by bashfulness, Stop dreaming! Hands to drawing, everyone!" To cut the story short, the draw began, And, whether it was luck, or chance, or fate, The truth is this: the lot fell to the knight, Much to the content of the company. -The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer According to the frame narrative, which pilgrim tells the first tale?

the knight

Read the excerpt from the General Prolgue to the Canterbury Tales. Her headkerchiefs were of the finest weave,Ten pounds and more they weighed, I do believe,Those that she wore on Sundays on her head.Her stockings were of the finest scarlet red,Very tightly laced; shoes pliable and new.Bold was her face, and handsome; florid too. Which details suggest that the narrator may be unreliable?

"Bold was her face, and handsome; florid too" (WRONG)

MATCH: 1. those who pray 2. those who work 3. those who fight

1- priests, nuns, monks 2- farmers 3- knights

MATCH: 1. that hem hath holpen, whan that they were seke 2. and specially, from every shires ende 3. of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende 4. the holy blisful martir for to seke

1. who gave his help to them when they were sick 2. and most especially, from all the shires 3. of England, to Canterbury they come 4. the holy blessed martyr there to seek

QUIZ 80%

:))

Bold was her face, and handsome; florid too.She had been respectable all her life,And five times married, that's to say in church,Not counting other loves she'd had in youth,Of whom, just now, there is no need to speak. -The Canterbury Tales,Geoffrey Chaucer How does the narrator's description of the business woman suggest that he is an unreliable narrator?

He calls her "respectable" but then mentions her many "loves."

Though eminent, he was prudent and sage,And in his bearing mild as any maid.He'd never been foul-spoken in his lifeTo any kind of man; he was indeedThe very pattern of a noble knight. -The Canterbury Tales,Geoffrey Chaucer

How is the knight characterized in the passage?✔ as polite and honorable. What conclusion can be drawn about the narrator based on his description of the knight? ✔ The narrator respects the knight.

middle eng: And specially, from every shires endeOf Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,The holy blisful martir for to seke,That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seke. -The Canterbury Tales,Geoffrey Chaucer modern eng: And most especially, from all the shiresOf England, to Canterbury they come,The holy blessed martyr there to seek,Who gave his help to them when they were sick. -The Canterbury Tales,Geoffrey Chaucer Which statement best compares the Middle English and modern English versions of the text?

The modern version uses words that look similar to the Middle English words, but many Middle English words are spelled differently.

Read the excerpt from the General Prolgue to the Canterbury Tales. She had been respectable all her life,And five times married, that's to say in church,Not counting other loves she'd had in youth,Of whom, just now, there is no need to speak. In this excerpt, the narrator may be unreliable because

he is contradicting himself.