This character knew all the good taverns in town, better than he knew the lepers and the poor.
Who is the Friar?
The description of the Squire's tunic, "Embroidered like a meadow, as if it were / All full of fresh flowers," is an example of this figure of speech
What is a simile?
The contrast between the old ideal of chivalry and the new focus on courtly love and appearance.
Who are the Knight and the Squire?
This character and his father represent the nobility and the chivalric class.
Who is the Squire?
A hood that was decorated with a fancy "lover's knot" of gold.
Who is the Monk?
His horse was "as skinny as a rake," and his only possession was twenty books.
Who is the Oxford Cleric?
The narrator's enthusiastic agreement that the Monk should ignore the rule that he should stay in his cloister is an example of this.
What is verbal irony?
The contrast between the character who is threadbare because he spends all his money on books and the character who hides his wealth and is in debt.
Who are the Oxford Cleric and the Merchant?
The Guildsmen, the Merchant, and the Wife of Bath all belong to this rising social class that made money through trade, manufacturing, or specialized skill.
What is the middle class?
A blood-red cloak, cut short, with a fine dagger hanging from a lanyard around his neck.
Who is the Skipper?
He never took drugs or medicine unless he had first consulted with his apothecary.
Who is the Doctor?
The Nun's brooch with the inscription "Amor Vincit Omnia" is an example of this literary device.
What is allusion?
The character who demonstrates a contrast between a religious figure's expected devotion to God and an intense focus on fine clothes AND perfect courtly manners.
Who is the Nun?
This character is a member of the Clergy shows his lofty status in life by spending his time with the wealthy rather than lowly poor and sick of the land.
Who is the Friar?
She wore "stockings of the finest scarlet red and soft, new shoes" and whose "kerchiefs were of finely woven ground;/ I dared have sworn they weighed a good ten pound."
Who is the Wife/Woman of Bath?
This character wore a stained tunic and was traveling immediately after fighting in battles.
Who is the Knight?
The description of the Cook having an open, festering ulcer on his shin is a potent example of this, appealing to the senses.
What is imagery?
The contrast between a professional who is supposed to maintain order and tradition and his illegal side business in buying and selling land.
Who is the Sergeant at Law?
This character is technically a member of the Clergy, but represents the life of a poor learner rather than an ecclesiastical official.
Who is the Oxford Cleric?
A "motley" (multi-colored, mixed-patterned) gown, fastened with a belt of gold.
Who is the Merchant?
This group of five were prosperous and fit to be aldermen, traveling with their own Cook.
Who are the Guildsmen?
Calling the Monk a "prelate fit for mastery" when he clearly violates his monastic rule by hunting and feasting is an example of this, where the descriptive word is used to mean the opposite of the reality.
What is metaphor?
This character loves all of God's creations and demonstrates that love through his pursuit of them.
Who is the Monk?
This Middle Class woman was described as having a "Bold" face, that was "handsome, and red in hue."
Who is the Wife/Woman of Bath?
TA small brooch of gold, shining with the inscription "Amor Vincit Omnia."
Who is the Nun?