The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales

1
The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales

• The Summoner
• The Pardoner
• The Narrator
• The Host

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The Summoner
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The Summoner

• Characterization
• Diction
• His face on fire, like a cherubim, For he had
  carbuncles. His eyes were narrow, He was
  as hot and lecherous as a sparrow. Black,
  scabby brows he had, and a thin
  beard. Children were afraid when he
  appeared. (628-632)

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The Summoner

• Unattractive man
• Cherubim
• An angel
• In medieval art, angels faces were painted red

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The Summoner

• Carbuncles
• a painful local purulent inflammation of the skin
  and deeper tissues with multiple openings for the
  discharge of pus and usually necrosis and
  sloughing of dead tissue

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The Summoner

• Garlic he loved, and onions too, and leeks, And
  drinking strong red wine till all was hazy. Then
  he would shout and jabber as if crazy, And
  wouldnt speak a word except in Latin When he was
  drunk, such tags as he was pat in He only
  had a few, say two or three, That he mugged up
  out of some decree No wonder, for he heard them
  every day. And, as you know, a man can teach a
  jay To call out Walter better than the
  Pope. (638-647)

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The Summoner

• Glutton
• Food caused him to smell
• Drink intoxicated him
• Gets obnoxious and annoying

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The Summoner

• Stupid
• Just repeats words
• like a talking parrot

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The Summoner

• He was a noble varlet and a kind one, Youd meet
  none better if you went to find one. Why,
  hed allow-just for a quart of wine- Any good lad
  to keep a concubine A twelvemonth and dispense
  him altogether! And he had finches of his
  own to feather (651-656)

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The Summoner

• Sarcasm/Irony
• Varlet
• scoundrel, knave
• noble varlet and a kind one
• does not use the adjectives we would expect when
  referencing a scoundrel

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The Summoner

• Concubine
• a woman with whom a man cohabits without being
  married
• The Summoner can be bribed (for a quart of wine)
• For in his purse the punishment should be (661)
• finches of his own to feather
• guilty of the same sins

12
The Summoner

• Thus, as he pleased, the man could bring
  duress On any young fellow in the diocese. He
  knew their secrets, they did what he
  said. (667-669)
• The Summoner can do whatever he wants because he
  knows the secrets of the men

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The Summoner

• Purpose of the Diction
• The Summoner is not a good person
• Unattractive physical appearance matches his
  unattractive and intimidating personality

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The Summoner

• Our Reaction to the Summoner
• We do not like him
• We do not trust him

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The Pardoner
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The Pardoner

• Characterization
• Diction
• He and a gentle Pardoner rode together, A bird
  from Charing Cross of the same feather, Just
  back from the Court of Rome. He loudly sang
  Come hither, love, come home! The Summoner
  sang deep seconds to this song, No trumpet
  ever sounded half so strong. (675-680)

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The Pardoner

• Demonstrates a strong relationship with the
  Summoner
• Immediately, we do not trust the Pardoner

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The Pardoner

• This Pardoner had hair as yellow as
  wax, Hanging down smoothly like a hand of
  flax. In driblets fell his locks behind
  his head Down to his shoulder which they
  overspread Thinly they fell, like
  rat-tails, one by one. (681-685)

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The Pardoner

• Effeminate imagery
• Mocks the Pardoner
• Animal imagery
• Rat-tails
• Again, not complimentary
• Rat suggests an untrustworthy personality

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The Pardoner

• His wallet lay before him on his lap (692)
• Desires money

21
The Pardoner

• I judge he was a gelding, or a mare. (697)
• Gelding
• a castrated animal specifically a castrated
  male horse
• Mare
• a female horse or other equine animal

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The Pardoner

• For in his trunk he had a pillowcase Which he
  asserted was Our Ladys Veil. He said he had a
  gobbet of the sail St. Peter had the time when
  he made bold To walk the waves, till Jesu Christ
  took hold. He had a cross of metal set with
  stones And, in a glass, a rubble of pigs
  bones. And with these relics, any time he
  found Some poor up-country parson to
  astound, On one short day, in money down he
  drew, More than the parson in a month or
  two, And by his flatteries and
  prevarication Made monkeys of the priest and
  congregation. (700-712)

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The Pardoner

• Sells fake relics
• Sells the fake relics to poor farmers
• Taking advantage of the poor makes the Pardoner
  look even worse
• Embarrasses everyone involved with the Church

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The Pardoner

• Purpose of the Diction
• Allows the Pardoner to parallel the Summoner
• Forces us to distrust the Pardoner
• Forces us to dislike the Pardoner

25
The Pardoner

• Our Reaction to the Pardoner
• We REALLY dislike him

26
The Narrator
27
The Narrator

• Purpose of Chaucer including this section
• Describes how he will structure the tales
• Begs for forgiveness for his bawdiness

28
The Host

• Purpose
• Proposes the idea that everyone will tell two
  tales on the way to Canterbury and two on the way
  back home
• Award for the best story will be a free supper
• Pilgrims draw straws to see who will tell the
  first story

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Wrap Up Information

• It is generally accepted that Chaucer intended to
  portray 29 pilgrims, but descriptions of only 21
  are given
• The Knights Tale most commonly follows the
  Prologue