Canterbury Tales: The Pilgrims

1. Canterbury Tales:The Pilgrims Samantha Corsaro, Nick Girardo, Lauren Luzier, Sean Cummings & Brandon Keen

2. Miller Lauren Luzier

3. Physical Qualities • Weighed 224 pounds • Stout, big in brawn and bone • Broad, knotty, short-shouldered • Had a broad red beard • Wart at tip of his nose had red hairs growing on it • Wide, black nostrils • Mouth “like a furnace door” • Had a sword and buckler • Wore a white coat and blue hood

4. Mental Qualities • Like to tell filthy stories • A wrangler and buffoon • A cheat and conman

5. Spiritual Qualities • The Miller’s religious affiliations are not mentioned in the text.

6. Professional Qualities • Feudal Group • The Millers job was to grind grain into flour • Had a reputation for always trying to cheat their customers

7. Reasons for Pilgrimage • Can’t be sure exactly why the Miller would be on the pilgrimage. • Possibly for business

8. Additional Information • One of the most individualized portraits • The Miller’s physical appearance reflects his inner qualities • Miller rides first in the cavalcade of pilgrims as they ride to Canterbury • Played the bagpipes • Married

9. Narrators thoughts • Chaucer’s portrait of the Miller is one of his most individualized • The Narrator uses the Miller’s grotesque outer qualities to describe his inner qualities.

10. KEY LINES • “The miller was a stout churl, be it known, / Hardy and big of brawn and big of bone” (545-546) • Shows the Miller’s strong and stout physical appearance • “He'd heave a door from hinges if he willed, Or break it through, by running, with his head.” (550-551) • Shows the Miller’s brute, “frat boy” mentality • “He could steal corn and full thrice charge his fees; And yet he had a thumb of gold, begad.” • Shows he was a cheat in his work

11. MODERN DAY EQUIVALENT • The Miller can be compared to any modern day salesman who overcharges his customers. (i.e. – a used car salesman like Danny DeVito in Matilda)

12. The Miller’s Tale Lauren Luzier

13. Prologue Summary • After the Knight finishes telling his story, the Host moves to the Monk • The Miller being drunk interrupts • The Miller starts to tell a tale about how a clerk made a fool out of a carpenter and his wife • The Reeve interrupts and tries to make him stop talking • The Reeve says stories should not be told about adulterous wives • The narrator warns the readers that they can turn the page to the next tale if they do not wish to read about immorality told by the Miller

14. Who is involved? • The Miller • He is drunk and wants to tell his story next • The Reeve • Does not get along with the Miller and does not want to hear Miller’s story • The Host • Wants the Monk to tell the second tale, so that the story telling processed according to social rank

15. What is being taught / Satirized? • We notice tension between social classes for the first time • The Host clearly wants the Monk to tell the next tale, so that the storytelling proceeds according to social rank • The Miller butting in upsets the Host’s plan

16. Characters • Nicholas • Oxford student • Astrology • Landlord is John • John • Wealthy • Ignorant • Old carpenter • Jealous of his wife

17. CHARACTERS, CONT. • Alison • Pretty • Eighteen years old • Married to John • Absalom • Parish Clerk • Attracted to Alison

18. Summary • Nicholas persuades his landlord’s wife, Alison, to have sex with him • They come up with a plan • Nicholas tells John that he had a vision from God and there is going to be a large flood soon • Nicholas tells John they must have three tubs, suspended from the rafters so they can cut them off when the flood comes

19. SUMMARY, Cont. • If the landlord tells anyone they will just think he is crazy • This prank allows Nicholas and Alison to sneak down from the rafters and have sex • When laying next to each other they run into Absalom, who wants a kiss from Alison but Alison says she loves another but Absalom will not leave her alone

20. Summary Cont. • Absalom hurries back into town to the blacksmith and obtains a red-hot iron poker • Nicholas, getting angry, sticks his backside out the window and breaks wind in Absalom's face • Absalom brands his butt with the poker • Nicholas screams for water and wakens John • Hearing someone screaming about water, John thinks that the flood has come, and cuts his tub loose, falling to the floor and breaking his arm • The rest of the town awakens to find John lying in the tub • He tells the story of the predicted flood but Nicholas and Alison tell everyone John is mad

21. Genre • A fabliau: A comic, written in France. They are generally characterized by an excessiveness of sexual obscenity • The Miller’s tale was about a student trying to seduce his landlords wife to have sex with him

22. Questions • Who/what is being satirized? How does the tale achieve this purpose? • The Miller’s Tale satirizes the courtly love of the Knight’s Tale by showing a contrary side to love, adultery • What point is the author making about society/the world in which we live in?  • The point the author is trying to make is people do cheat and not everyone is perfect. • What does the tale reveal about the pilgrim? • The tale reveals that the Miller is a jerk. He does not mind being loud and inappropriate in front of a large group of people.

23. Literary devices   • Imagery: • The Miller's Tale is very specific about the tubs that John gets for Alison, Nicholas, and him to sleep in • Allegory: • Nicholas is a kind of godlike figure in the story • Absalom's confrontation with Nicholas is an allegory of the hate between God and Satan

24.  Theme  • In the game of cheating, everyone gets played • John did not know his wife was about to cheat on him • Absalom never received his kiss • Nicholas and Alison never had sex

25.  Contemporary Counterparts • In the Miller’s tale Alison was going to cheat on her husband with Nicholas • This is like how Jennifer Lopez is cheating on her husband with Bradley Cooper

26. Works Citied • ELF. (1996). The canterbury tales. Retrieved from http://canterburytales.org/canterbury_tales.html • GradeSaver LLC. (1999). The canterbury tales summary and analysis . Retrieved from http://www.gradesaver.com/the-canterbury-tales/study-guide/section3/

27. Wife of Bath Brandon Keen

28. Physical Qualities • Somewhat deaf • Bold, handsome, red face • Had gap-teeth, set widely (a sign of promiscuity) • Had large hips • Wore scarlet red stockings • Soft, new shoes

29. Mental Qualities • Hot-tempered • Like to laugh and talk • Expert in giving advice about marriage and love

30. Spiritual Qualities • No religious affiliation is mentioned, but we can guess that the Wife of Bath is not very religious because of her promiscuity and attachment to her worldly possessions.)

31. Reasons for Pilgrimage • Enjoys traveling and going to different places • Also, may be looking to be healed of possible STDs or other disease

32. Professional Qualities • City Group • Expert cloth maker with her own shop

33. Additional Information • Name was Alice • Goes by Alyson and Alys in the Prologue, but these are also names of her close friends • Dominant theme of her Prologue is sexuality and love • She lies to her husband • Married five times—five times a widow

34. Narrators Thoughts • The narrator see’s the Wife of Bath as “larger than life” • She is one of the most individualized portraits

35. KEY LINES • “Bold was her face, and fair, and red of hue.She'd been respectable throughout her life,With five churched husbands bringing joy and strife,Not counting other company in youth;” • Describes not only the Wife’s cheerfulness, but also her sexuality and promiscuity.

36. MODERN DAY EQUIVALENT • A modern day equivalent to the Wife of Bath would be an sexy, independent business woman like Kim Kardashian

37. The Squire Samantha Corsaro

38. Physical Qualities • Young, about 20 years of age • Very curly hair “as if it had been pressed” • A moderate height • Strong, agile, and athletic • Wore a bright dress with ornate flowers that was short with wide sleeves

39. Mental Qualities • Romanticand flirtatious • “A lover and cadet, a lad of fire” (82) • Courteous and serviceable • Vain, conceited • Willing to fight, but for women in stead of honor/God • Skilled in the arts, poetry, and music

40. Spiritual Qualities • As he is the son of the Knight (who fought in the Crusades), we can conclude that the Squire was also of the Christian religion. • However, the Squire is more interested in winning the hearts of women than his religion.

41. Professional Qualities • Feudal group • A young knight in training

42. REASON FOR PILGRIMAGE • Being an apprentice of his father, the Squire probably had little say in going on the pilgrimage • He was also probably tempted to go on the pilgrimage because of the women that would be present.

43. Additional Information • The Squire and his tale is a satire of young sexuality and vanity • He is a satire of vanity and young sexuality. • He is one of the only characters Chaucer shows somewhat of a neutrality towards.

44. NARRATOR’S THOUGHTS • The Narrator/Chaucer seems to like the young Squire, but pokes fun and satirizes his young sense of sexuality and vanity.

45. KEY LINES • “A lover and a lusty bachelor,With locks well curled, as if they'd laid in press.Some twenty years of age he was, I guess.” • Describes the Squire’s physical looks as well as his sexuality • “All full of fresh-cut flowers white and red.Singing he was, or fluting, all the day;He was as fresh as is the month of May.Short was his gown, with sleeves both long and wide.” • Shows the Squire was fashionable and more focused on courting girls than his duties as a Squire.

46. MODERN DAY EQUIVALENT • A modern day equivalent to the Squire would be a young swooner, like Justin Beiber.

47. The squire’s tale Samantha Corsaro

48. Prologue—Summary • Not much occurs in the Squire’s Tale prologue. The Host asks the squire to tell a tale of love, as he would know best. The squire disagrees, but says he will do his best and has only good intentions.

49. Prologue—What is being taught/satirized? • Being only 8 lines long, not much of anything is being taught in the Squire’s Tale prologue.

50. Prologue—who’s involved? • The Host • The Squire