Throughout The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue, Chaucer’s use of the characters’ clothing, to symbolize what lies beneath the surface of each personality is significant. Chaucer strongly uses the Knight, the Squire and the Prioress’s clothing to symbolize how their personalities are reflected through The Canterbury Tales.
The Knight’s true character is portrayed through his modest apparel. His character is displayed by the way he chooses to show himself in public, which is a noble knight, that is why he wears dirty clothes and chooses to come on the pilgrimage straight from battle. “A Knight there was and that a worthy man, that from time that he first began. To riden out, he loved chivalry. Truth and honour, freedom and courtesy,” (43-46). This quote shows how his humbleness is not warranted because he has the highest social standing out of the other members of the pilgrimage. It clearly demonstrates his morals which are truth, honour, freedom and courtesy. In the Prologue, humbled by his life experiences, the Knight dresses plainly. Garbed in a stained coarse cotton tunic, the Knight sits upon his horse. His armor left dark smudges on his tunic. Seen in a different setting, the Knight's attire would say little about his life as an honorable man. By humbling oneself, a true hero lends credence to the fact that flash is not always needed. Humbling experiences cause people to step back and analyze the fortune they have; they learn that they do not have to wear flashy clothes to have their achievements acknowledged. Sometimes people boast of their success through fine clothing unlike the Knight. “Ne never yet no villainy he said,” (70). This quote shows the Knight is not only humble but is also never rude to anyone. Another ex...
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...). This clearly exemplifies the Nuns personality, by showing how sensitive she wants everyone to think she is. The Prioress’s clothing can limit her expression of her true personality, however, discreet accessories that the Prioress adorns, shows how she wants the attention of those around her. Small subtle things can get the point across as well as the obvious, such as her many items of jewelry.
One's life expectations and desires are masqueraded though the clothing they wear. Often, clothing plays a pivotal role in first impressions. The Knight, the Yeoman and the Prioress all have their personal character traits exemplified through their attire. How people dress often give insight into the real person beneath without spoken words. One can judge a person by their outward appearance, but remember that other complex and interesting layers dwell beneath the surface.
The reader has to ask what is the point of making a “curvy” or describing her lips. The reader has to pay attention to the non-physical details of the nun which talk about she tries to make herself look like she is high class. She wants to impress people around her by using her poor French that was spoken with a Stratford ascent (Line 124-125). The nun would also use her looks to impress the men around her by showing off her forehead or her curves. Chaucer used the nun as his vessel to critique the members of the church on how vain they could be. This vainity was shown by the members of the church by the way they acted and how they tried to obtain objects like a “broche of gold” (Line 160) that made them looked wealthy in which as a member of the church they should not need because of the words Jesus said,” Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew
Clothing and personality are of importance because they go hand in hand by keeping an individual satisfied on an everyday basis. Everyone has their own attitude and sense of style, but regardless of the type of personality and clothing, they can affect the individual and those around them. Due to the denotation that society tends to tag along with divergent styles, affects an individual in the way that it can either construct a day memorable for affirmative or pessimistic reasons. Nicole Cooley emphasizes this idea in her article, “The Language of Clothes”, by relaying the experience of a little girl who found herself to be unattractive; consequently, composing dreadful days. There came a moment, though where this girl decided to wear her grandmother’s aged clothing, and through this she was able to see herself through her grandmother's eyes, now viewing someone beautiful and worthy of living (Cooley). Cooley expresses the fact that the clothing of one can affect their personality, explaining why so many people experience lousy days. A prime example being the little
In conclusion, clothing is used for multiple reasons in the novel. Hester uses it as a form of rebellion, it is her way to express her feelings through garments. In addition, it is her way of rebelling against Puritan society, by dressing Pearl in colors much not the norm to the society. In addition, clothing is also used to reflect character and situation in the novel. The clothes worn by Chillingworth and by the witch foreshadow their character. Colors of clothing are also important. The use of bright colors, such as crimson, and gold conveys how dissimilar Hester and Pearl are viewed by the Puritan society, which generally dresses in plain, emotionless colors.
In the tale, The Knight’s Tale, Chaucer made sure not to deviate away from what he saw during his time because some qualities emerged as prominent figures. The Knight’s Tale made sure to exemplify the idea of courtly love and what it truly means to be a knight who follows the code of chivalry. Some of the qualities of being chivalrous is being generous, honest, courageous, and supporting the notion of justice, which the readers can see that Chaucer understood the significance of the noble behavior and how that affected people at that time. Furthermore, the article, “The Canterbury Tales for Poetry of Students” highlighted how the noble life of the chivalry was a momentous part of the tale since the tale was “a comment on the possibilities
The Canterbury Tales is more than an amusing assortment of stories; it is an illustration of the society in which Geoffrey Chaucer lived. It portrays the culture and class system of the medieval ages in microcosm. Every strata of human life at the time were represented by the many characters whose tales are told. Each character’s basic human nature also plays a role in their stories, and each one has within them the strengths and weaknesses that make up all of humanity. Each character exemplifies their life and reputation through the stories they tell. The Pardoner uses his tale as a ploy to garner money. His tale embodies each deadly sin, and every reader can relate to his story and feel the guilt of his characters. The Wife of Bath’s tale expresses her own ideals in the way her character is given a second chance after committing a crime. The Franklin’s tale, because of its straightforwardness and honesty is a direct representation of the Franklin’s simple and joyful life. Each character tells a tale that is a suitable match to their personality. These characters’ tales represent prevalent themes of the middle ages, including greed, corruption of religious clergymen, violence, revenge, and social status. In Chaucer’s society, the traditional feudal system was losing its importance and the middle class began to emerge. The middle class characters within the Canterbury Tales, with their personal lives and interactions with members of differing social classes, gave an understanding of the growth of society, especially the rising middle class, during medieval times.
uncovered the shoulders revealing lavish necklaces. The goal of women’s clothing was to be elegant and full of character at the same time (Middle Ages Ladies dresses).
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales became one of the first ever works that began to approach the standards of modern literature. It was probably one of the first books to offer the readers entertainment, and not just another set of boring morals. However, the morals, cleverly disguised, are present in almost every story. Besides, the book offers the descriptions of the most common aspects of the human nature. The books points out both the good and the bad qualities of the people, however, the most obvious descriptions are those of the sinful flaws of humans, such as greed and lust.
The Knight, Squire, Prioress, The Monk and the Friar are defined by their settings in Geoffrey Chaucer’s "Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales. 1. Portnoy says in his article in the Chaucer Review that "The General Prologue is like a mirror reflecting the individuals appearance which then defines the character of that person."(281) 2. Scanlon backs up Portnoy in his article from Speculum by saying "…Characters descriptions somehow emerge inevitably from the original intentions of Chaucer’s text or reflect its lasting value." (128) 3. Russell remarks in his book Chaucer & the Trivium: The Mindsong of the Canterbury Tales: There is something that seems natural and almost unavoidable in the structure of the individual portraits in the General Prologue: How else could you describe the characters without passing judgment on them? (62) KNIGHT The Knight is defined by his settings. 1. Andrew says in The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue: The Knight is described as having no name, no family seat, no manor house, and no lands. Furthermore, his obsession with foreign service indicates a lack of feudal ties and bears all the marks of a career of a landless knight, without family or possessions in England. (80) 2. Andrew says "The Knight is described as an aged veteran warrior, with whom the stern realities of life have sobered down much of his early romance." (43) 3.
Dressing a certain way can change the world’s perception. This idea of changing one’s appearance to change one’s self is a common occurrence in movies and on TV: Mulan, Mrs. Doubfire, Just one of the Guys, etc. For example, in the movie Coming to America, Eddie Murphy’s character pretends not to be rich in order to find a woman who likes him for more than just his money. In reality, the opposite of this is far truer. How often do we wear our most expensive clothes to a wedding, where we will be meeting many people for the first time? There are children who would rather walk home that be picked up in their families beat up car or who are ashamed that they have to take their lunch in a paper bag rather than a canvas one. A person never wants to be judged by what they don’t have. Someone who is proud of what they have may be more inclined to believe what Madame Merle does. But someone, possibly of a lower class, who doesn’t have much to be proud of, would much rather be judged on their character, like Isabel
One of Geoffrey's less believable main characters is the Knight, for reasons of chivalry. The knight displays many traits which make him seem almost too good to be true, and a true gentleman that rarely exists in reality. The narrator sums up the knights character by stating that "Though he were worthy, he was wys,/And of his port as meeke as is a mayde." (pg. 5, The Canterbury Tales) The knight holds four main admirable traits, making him the most liked traveler in "The Canterbury Tales," and also amplying the doubt of his realism. The reader is prepared to learn of each of his noble accomplishments and importance when the narrator remarks that" A knight ther was, and that a worthy man,/That fro the tyme that he first bigan/To ryden out, he loved chivalrye,/Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye." (pg. 4, The Canterbury Tales) From the characters impressive introduction, it is clear that this man is the most valued and honorable traveler among the group. This perfect gentleman holds a love of ideals that are often not displayed by people. First and foremost, he believes in the ideals of chivalry, and always stays true to its principles. He also feels that one should be honest, truthful and faithful, which many people are not all of these ideals. The knight thinks one should only do what is right, and what will gain him honor and reputation. This character also believes in freedom and generosity towards all, and displays this ideal repeatedly throughout the novel. And lastly, the knight also strongly feels that any proper person should display courtesy and elegance at all times. Another aspect of this character's life which makes him seem too prestigious to be truthful is his impressive military career. He fought in the holy war, known as the Crusades and was involved in 15 "mortal battles." In the prologue, the narrator informs the reader that "Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,/And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,/As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,/And ever honoured for his worthinesse.
The characters introduced in the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales each represent a stereotype of a kind of person that Chaucer would have been familiar with in 14th Century England. Each character is unique, yet embodies many physical and behavioral traits that would have been common for someone in their profession. In preparing the reader for the tales, Chaucer first sets the mood by providing an overall idea of the type of character who is telling the tale, then allows that character to introduce themselves through a personal prologue and finally, the pilgrim tells their tale. Through providing the reader with insight about the physical and personal traits of the pilgrim and then allowing that person to come to life and tell an animated story, the reader is more prepared for the story as well as able to relate the physical description to the telling of the story. The physical and personal descriptions of the Miller, the Wife of Bath and the Merchant all aid in the telling of their tales. Chaucer was able to create tales that were perfectly suited for the characters that are presenting them. In having each tale told by someone who has a personal reason or motivation for telling that specific tale, Chaucer creates more of a reaction from the reader as well as provides the entire work with structure.
Ever since their invention many centuries ago, clothes have been used as a way of communicating. The message communicated relies on a number of factors including the social background of both the communicator and the receiver, and the context in which the message is communicated. Although at times the exact message or symbolism one is trying to portray may not be clear, it is evident that clothing has long been embraced as one of the best ways to project one’s desired personal image to those around them.
In the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales, the narrator, Geoffrey Chaucer, meets twenty nine pilgrims at the Southwark at the Tabard Inn. They are all going to Canterbury Cathedral to visit the shrine of Sir Thomas Becket. Chaucer decides to tag along, taking some time to describe each pilgrim. The author uses many metaphors, personal histories, and examples of how they would act in certain situations to fully describe the characters in the story. However, some of the pilgrims are given only a few lines of direct description in a very straightforward, visual manner. One of the characters in the tales is Squire, who gets only twenty lines of details, focusing on his appearance, his abilities, and his sexuality.
In The Canterbury Tales, author Geoffrey Chaucer writes of the journey several pilgrims make from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. Many of the pilgrims are discussed at great length, from their physical appearance to their personality traits. Many of these pilgrims represent a paradigm of their role in the 14th century when this set of tales was written. For example, the knight represents chivalry and honor to the highest degree, while the pardoner embodies Chaucer’s view on several negative aspects of the religious system at the time. These characters are the opposite extremes of Chaucer’s totem pole of morality, but most characters reside somewhere in the middle. Two of these characters are the Sergeant of Law
The first character Chaucer would add on his pilgrimage from the twenty-first-century would be a teacher or professor of some sort. They are very important to our society today and are supposed to be people that others can model themselves after. Just like all of the Characters in the “Canterbury Tales” teachers are supposed to set a good example for the people around them and they are supposed to have morals and stand by their words. However, not all are that professional. Depending on the gender of the teacher would determine what the attire would be. Back in Chaucer’s day, women did not have as much right to an occupation as they do now.