Geoffrey Chaucer, the author who would “speak plainly and with no concealings and give account of all their words and dealings”, although he is never named

father of the squire; lord of the Yeoman; fights in crusades; loyal to his king and God and follows rules of chivalry (minor nobility)

young man of 20, son of the knight; writes songs/poems; a soldier yet a romantic (minor nobility)

superior of a monastery of nuns; attended by the Nun, the Monk, the Friar, and the Priest (clergy)

“attendant”; a forester; servant of the Knight; outdoorsman; skilled in archery and woodcraft (peasant class)

manages the estates of the Prioress and the monastery; outrider and hunter (clergy)

a religious who has taken a vow of poverty and is licensed to beg; arranges marriages; somewhat of a lady’s man; “Hubert”; helpful to others but with ulterior motives (clergy)

chaplain to the Prioress; larger woman who liked to appear mannerly (clergy)

one of three with the Prioress but not specifically described (clergy)

wealthy and pompous; secretly in debt (middle class)

a long-term student with an addiction to books; a religious scholar (clergy)

a shrewd and wealthy lawyer (middle class)

wealthy landowner; lover of food (middle class, possibly minor nobility)

hat and clothing maker; guildsman “of one impressive guild-fraternity” (middle class)

works with wood; guildsman “of one impressive guild-fraternity” (middle class)

makes fabric; guildsman “of one impressive guild-fraternity” (middle class)

dyes fabric and leather; guildsman “of one impressive guild-fraternity” (middle class)

makes large, intricate woven pictures which are decorative and expensive; guildsman “of one impressive guild-fraternity” (middle class)

works for the five guildsmen (peasant class)

a sailor/pirate, commander of a merchant ship (middle class)

well-educated; a lover of gold; prescribes medicine (middle class)

has survived five husbands; prosperous, gregarious, experienced; well-traveled; a bit arrogant (middle class)

clerk and priest; poor because he is good; a true shepherding pastor; taught what he knew (clergy)

brother of the Parish Priest; an honest, decent farmer (peasant)

owns a mill; grinds grain into meal and flour; foul; hot-tempered; dishonest; a buffoon (middle class)

a buyer for 30 lawyers who are administrators of London courts; illiterate but “street smart” (middle class)

manager of a nobleman’s estate; prosperous; feared by those beneath him (middle class)

an agent of the Church courts who summons sinners to answer charges before the court; hands out fines; drunken scoundrel; had “dirt” on many (clergy)

traded on the gullibility of the populace; sold relics and indulgences–“pardons from the punishment due to sin”; rat-tails for hair (clergy)

owner of the Tabard Inn where all the pilgrims meet; self-appointed leader/judge of pilgrims’ tales; tour guide/leader for the pilgrims (middle class)

in medieval Christianity, long annual trips to holy places to express religious devotion

a town 55 miles southeast of London; major destination of English pilgrims

murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170

original language of The Canterbury Tales

“misunderstood” by his knights who carried out murder; made first pilgrimage to Canterbury as atonement