The Canterbury Tales
Prologue Character Analysis
Directions: Complete the chart below for each character discussed in the Prologue to analyze appearance, attire, and actions.
Character/
Social Class
Knight
Squire
Yeoman
Nun
Monk
Actions
Appearance
Attire
Friar
Merchant
Oxford Cleric
Sergeant at
the Law
Franklin
Guildsmen
(Haberdasher,
Dyer,
Carpenter,
Weaver,
Carpetmaker)
Cook
Skipper
Doctor
Wife of Bath
Parson
Plowman
Miller
Manciple
Reeve
Summoner
Pardoner
Host
Middle Ages – Characteristics of Social Classes
Nobility
Bright colored clothing
Elaborate designs
High collars
Accessories: furs or jewelry; silk and fine leather
belts
Clothes made of wool, linen undergarments
Winter: clothes with fur, long fitted tunics
Spring/Summer: shorter tunics, fitted pants, pleated
skirts
Shoes: The length of the toe was said to indicate the
rank of the wearer
Job was to defend other social classes
Hereditary – born in only
Political, military, legal lords
Clergy
Clothing made of wool
White, brown, or black – not dyed
Simple in style, designed for comfort
Cloaks with hoods and habits
Rope belt with wooden beads for counting prayers
Different colors represented different Holy Order
Clergy at larger churches dressed more ornately than
those at smaller churches
No inheritance; performance was basis for
advancement
Younger sons who did not inherit father’s position
often entered clergy
Educated
Appeal for charity to the poor
Rejected temptations of material world
Merchant Class
Bright colors
Better quality material
Clothing adorned with silver or other metals
Tunics, jackets, hose (leggings), breeches
Felt hats
Decorative and practical items were hung from belts
Made goods for people in the nobility and aristocracy
and others from the merchant class
Could afford luxuries
Economic jobs in cities (banking, overseas trading,
buying & selling goods)
Owned land
Elected town officers
Legal skills
Guilds – labor unions
Peasants
Simple: straw hats that they made themselves
Linen undergarments that they made themselves
Leather flasks
Hose (leggings/pants)
Pewter badges or good luck charms
Shabby clothes, rarely taken off (skin ailments)
Leather boots could be found among the peasants, but
bare feet were common
Short cropped hair
Jack of all trades (farming, making own clothes &
shoes, fixing tools)
Specialized (blacksmiths, wheelwrights, carpenters,
bakers)
Women dressed similarly to men (skirts instead of
trousers)
Opportunities to escape farm life by moving to cities
(skilled craftsmen)
Women
Women were defined by their husband’s social class.
Older men often married very young women and the
women usually outlived her husband, she was usually
a young widow and her family often forced her to
marry again.
If a woman fell in love with someone her family
disapproved of, she was often sent away to become a
nun; therefore, not all nuns acted like nuns.