1. A Deeper Look at Chaucer’s General
Prologue to The Canterbury Tales
Lauren Zizwarek
By PresenterMedia.com

3. •The Franklin
“A fourteenth-century health-food addict”? (Cooper 46)
Lines 333-336
•Chaucer’s speaker mentions that
A Frankelain was in his compaignye: Franklin is in “compaignye” with
the Sergeant.
•Franklin is a feudal “landowner of
the gentry class” (Chaucer 333)).
•His beard is as white as a daisy.
Whit was his beerd as is the dayesye; Simile: Appearance sets him apart
from the others.
•“The sanguinity indicates an open
and generous temperament with a
Of his complexion he was sanguin. good stomach and digestion”
(Cooper 45).
•Gourmet eating to dip his bread in
wine
Wel loved he by the morwe a sop in win. •Cultural Value: Preparing fancy
foods indicated a well-kept home
in the Middle Ages.

4. •The Franklin
•Epicurus is a Greek
To liven in delit was evere his wone, philosopher who taught that
happiness is the goal of life
(Norton 178, f. 6).
For he was Epicurus owene sone,
•Chaucer’s “voice refuses to
be assimilated in any simple
That heeld opinion that plein delit way to that of the moralist”
(Cooper 46).
Was verray felicitee parfit. •Franklin may not have the
same opinion as Epicurus.
•Compare: Franklin to St.
An housholdere and that a greet was he: Julian (patron saint of
hospitality)
•Chivalry: hospitable to all
Saint Julian he was in his contree.
company

5. •The Franklin
“One of the world’s social climbers in the person of the Franklin, who is out to
impress as much as he is easily impressed himself” (Williams 45).
 Envined: wine-stocked (Norton 179)
His breed, his ale, was always after oon;
 Tone: pleasant A bettre envined man was nevere noon.
 His house “snowed” of food and drink. Funny!  The Withouten bake mete was nevere his hous,
Of fissh and flessh, and that so plentevous
best was always expected. It snewed in his hous of mete and drinke,
 Chaucer’s speaker is using food and language to show Of alle daintees that men coude thinke.
that Franklin “appears lordly in his way of life” (Williams
43); however, he will never reach aristocratic status.
 The Franklin changes his diet depending on the
After the sondry sesons of the yeer
season. So chaunged he his mete and his soper.
Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in mewe,
 Poignant and sharp spices to go along with the
And many a breem, and many a luce in stewe.
food, “hot and dry elements balancing the cold and Wo was his cook but if his sauce were
Poinant and sharp, and redy all his gere.
moist—reflect medieval beliefs about wholesome
eating” (Cooper 46).

6. •The Franklin’s Social Standing
Social standing in the Middle Ages is characterized by one’s background, estate, array,
and values.
ANALYSIS
LINES
• Chaucer’s Ironic Tone:
• He cannot reach true nobility even if
His table dormant in his halle alway he’s “consuming the same foods
Stood redy covered all the longe day. that sustain the aristocrat” (Williams
43).
At sessions ther was he lord and sire. • Had been a sheriff and an auditor.
Ful ofte time he was Knight of the Shire. • Detail:
An anlaas and a gipser al of silk • Franklin’s table is never taken down;
Heeng at his girdel, whit as morne milk. always ready for guests
• Expresses Chaucer’s opinion of
A shirreve hadde he been, and countour.
Franklin as a social climber
Was nowhere swich a worthy vavasour. • Chaucer’s speaker views Franklin as “a
worthy vavasour”
*The Franklin serves as a “county representative • “Anlaas”: two-edged dagger
in Parliament”, sessions refers to “sessions of • “Gipser”: purse (Norton 179)
the justices of the peace” (Norton 179, f. 2). Still • Simile
remains in broad middle class.* • Array-respectable character
• Does Chaucer view Franklin as truly
worthy if he comes from middle
class (Reiss 28)?

7. Haberdasher- “dealer
in hats or small wares”
(Chaucer 363) Webbe-“weaver” (Chaucer
364)
Tapicer-“weaver of
tapestries” (Chaucer 364)
An Haberdasshere and a Carpenter,
A Webbe, a Dyere, and a Tapicer—
And they were clothed alle in oo liveree
of a solempne and greet fraternitee.

8. •Lines 363-370
Clothing is the same.
An Haberdasshere and a Carpenter, • Chaucer’s speaker puts 5
A Webbe, a Dyere, and a Tapicer— men together
• Single character
And they were clothed alle in oo liveree • Chaucer’s goal:
Of a solempne and greet fraternitee. • He “provides us with a
Ful fresshe and newe hir gere apiked was; gallery of universally
recognizable characters”
Hir knives were chaped nought with bras, (Williams 42)
But al with silver; wrought ful clene and weel • “parish guild: an
organization in which the
Hir girdles and hir pouches everydeel. members associated for
acts of piety and mutual
welfare” (Cooper 47)
“Nought with bras” emphasizes significance of 1) St. Thomas of Canterbury
silver knives, which are illegal. Their uniforms 2) Craft guilds receive
are very detailed. political power
Guilds referred to as “fraternities” have more successful, powerful
members than other guilds of the time (Olson 149).

9. •Lines 371-374 •Cultural Value:
Being an established
Wel seemed eech of hem a fair burgeis citizen shows loyalty
To sitten in a yeldehalle on a dais. and commitment to
Everich, for the wisdom that he can, king.
Was shaply for to been an alderman.
• Burgeis-burgher (Norton 179)
• Yeldehalle-guildhall (Norton 179)
• Chaucer’s speaker:
• Guildsmen are “suitable for advancement” (Cooper
47).
• Prosperity
• Gain city official status from speaker
• Chaucer:
• Wisdom=key to being good alderman
• Foreboding tone: key element restraining guildsmen
from being socially successful and in estate of large
mass of commoners.

10. •The Guildsmen and their Wives…
Lines 375-380
• Chaucer’s speaker-voice for • Previous mention of wisdom
• Wives think they are
the guildsmen; emphasizes and high status of guildsmen
their “superiority” over
are “dropped when their royal because of their
wives’ motives are
other townsmen (Cooper introduced” (Cooper 47). husbands, but, indeed,
47) by commenting on • Chaucer expresses his they are not.
having property and income. negative view of women by
saying that they are at fault.
• For catel hadde they • And elles certain • And goon to vigilies all
ynough and rente, were they to blame: bifore,
• Catel-“property” • “I.e., at the head of the
(Chaucer 375) • It is ful fair to been procession. ‘Vigiles’: feasts
• Rente-“income” held on the eve of saints’
ycleped “Madame,” days” (Norton 179 ,f. 8).
(Chaucer 375)
• Ycleped-“called”
(Chaucer 378)
• And eek hir wives
• And have a mantel
wolde it wel assente—
royalliche ybore.
• “Royally carried” (Norton
179, f. 9).

12. •The Cook
Lines 381-386
“For the occasion” (N). A Cook they hadde with hem for the nones,
“‘Powdre-marchant’ and To boile the chiknes with the marybones,
‘galingale’ are flavoring materials”
(N). And powdre-marchant tart and galingale.
1) The Cook’s description can be
read “like the index of a Wel coude he knowe a draughte of London ale.
cookery book” (Cooper 48). He coude roste, and seethe, and broile, and frye,
1) Tasting, roasting, boiling,
Maken mortreux, and wel bake a pie.
broiling, frying, baking
2) The Cook works for the 5
Guildsmen. 1) He is “the only pilgrim to be…identified as a
1) Chaucer’s speaker
Londoner” (Wallace 390).
devotes 7 lines to
describing his 1) Familiarity with London ale
occupation; only 2 lines
(couplet) are personal
(Wallace 398).

13. •The Cook
But greet harm was it, as it thoughte me,
Lines 387-389
• Chaucer voices his opinion by shifting his tone from jolly
to serious. He does not express any sympathy for the
Cook.
Mormal-“ulcer” (Chaucer)
Blankmanger-“a white stew or
mousse” (Chaucer)
That on his shine a mormal hadde he,
•Chaucer
makes a social • Only detail of Cook’s appearance
comment regarding gluttony • The ulcer juxtaposes the cook’s delicious pies and
•Too much of one thing mousses.
can be bad
•The ulcer is the Cook’s
For blankmanger, that made he with the
“symptom in medieval beste.
diagnosis of self-
• Chaucer’s speaker thinks that his amazing
indulgence” (Cooper 48). cooking skills are more important than his
ulcer. This “defect…has not been emphasized
in the behavior of the pilgrim himself” in the
General Prologue (Olson 151).

14. Bonnart, Jean Baptiste. The Haberdasher. N.d. 1st-Art-Gallery.
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