Chaucer Exam

• General Prologue


  • Setting: The Tabard Inn in Southwark, London, where the pilgrims gather before setting out on their journey to Canterbury
  • Themes: Introduction to each pilgrim, social commentary, satire, portrayal of medieval society
• The Knight's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Knight
  • Characters: Duke Theseus, Palamon, Arcite, Emelye
  • Setting: Ancient Athens and Thebes, reflecting a classical world of chivalry and noble competition
  • Themes: Courtly love, chivalry, fate, rivalry
• The Miller's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Miller
  • Characters: John the carpenter, Nicholas the clerk, Alison
  • Setting: Oxfordshire, England, in a small town, likely set in a domestic environment
  • Themes: Deception, infidelity, foolishness
• The Reeve's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Reeve
  • Characters: Symkyn the miller, Aleyn and John (students), Symkyn's wife, daughter
  • Setting: East Anglia, England, near a mill and a nearby university town, capturing rural and academic settings
  • Themes: Revenge, deception, wit
• The Cook's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Cook (uncompleted tale)
  • Characters: Perkyn Revelour
  • Setting: Unspecified due to the tale being incomplete, but likely set in a domestic or urban context
  • Themes: Indulgence, recklessness
• The Wife of Bath's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Wife of Bath
  • Characters: Wife of Bath (Alisoun), knight, old woman
  • Setting: King Arthur's mythical court and the surrounding countryside of medieval England, blending romance and realism
  • Themes: Marriage, sovereignty, power dynamics, gentleness
• The Friar's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Friar
  • Characters: Summoner, Yeoman, devil
  • Setting: Flanders, an area known for trade and religious orders, reflecting urban and mercantile life
  • Themes: Hypocrisy, corruption
• The Summoner's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Summoner
  • Characters: Friar, Thomas the old widow
  • Setting: Northern England, highlighting rural life
  • Themes: Corruption, punishment, hypocrisy
• The Clerk's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Clerk
  • Characters: Walter (marquis of Saluzzo), Griselda
  • Setting: Saluzzo, Italy, and its surrounding countryside, portraying a feudal society
  • Themes: Patience, obedience, marital fidelity
• The Merchant's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Merchant
  • Characters: January, May, Damian, Pluto, Proserpina
  • Setting: Lombardy, Italy, known for its commerce and culture, suggesting a wealthy and sophisticated environment
  • Themes: Marriage, old age, lust
• The Squire's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Squire
  • Characters: Cambyuskan, Canacee, knight
  • Setting: Fairyland and the court of the king of Tartary, blending romance and fantasy elements
  • Themes: Magic, adventure, courtly love
• The Franklin's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Franklin
  • Characters: Arveragus, Dorigen, Aurelius
  • Setting: Brittany, France, illustrating a world of courtly love and noble ideals
  • Themes: Love, generosity, trust, moral dilemma
• The Pardoner's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Pardoner
  • Characters: Three rioters
  • Setting: Flanders, Belgium, showcasing a world of taverns and revelry
  • Themes: Greed, death, moral hypocrisy
• The Nun's Priest's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Nun's Priest
  • Characters: Chanticleer (rooster), Pertelote, fox
  • Setting: A farmyard, typical of rural England, with a mix of human and animal characters
  • Themes: Pride, deception, flattery
• The Physician's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Physician
  • Characters: Virginius, Virginia, Apius
  • Setting: Rome, Italy, depicting themes of justice and virtue
  • Themes: Justice, tyranny, sacrifice
• The Prioress's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Prioress
  • Characters: Young boy (martyr), his mother
  • Setting: A religious and moral narrative set in an Asian city
  • Themes: Piety, innocence, anti-Semitism
• Chaucer's Tale of Sir Thopas


  • Narrator/Character: Geoffrey Chaucer (as himself)
  • Characters: Sir Thopas, various fantastical creatures
  • Setting: Fairyland, parodying chivalric romance
  • Themes: Parody, satire, humor
• The Monk's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Monk
  • Characters: Various tragic figures from history and mythology
  • Setting: Varied settings from classical and medieval history
  • Themes: Fate, downfall of greatness, moral lessons
• The Manciple's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Manciple
  • Characters: Phoebus (Apollo), his wife, crow
  • Setting: Ancient Greece
  • Themes: Jealousy, deception, punishment
• The Parson's Tale


  • Narrator/Character: The Parson
  • Themes: Moral and spiritual guidance, penance, repentance, virtue
• Chaucer's Retraction


  • Narrator/Character: Geoffrey Chaucer (as himself)
  • Themes: Reflection on sin, repentance, and the author's intentions