Term
|
Definition
| By focusing on fleecing the wealthy people in his parish, the Friar demonstrates he is guilty of the sin of avarice. |
|
|
Term
hard-hearted,
insensitive |
|
Definition
| The Friar proved his callousness by turning his back on the sick and poor parishioners he was supposed to serve for the church. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Parishioners who sinned were victims of the guile the Pardoner practiced on them to make himself rich. |
|
|
Term
lenient--especially
toward oneself |
|
Definition
| It seems that the medieval church system was very indulgent towards all sorts of misbehavior by its monks, friars, nuns, summoners, and pardoners. |
|
|
Term
a part of a sacred
person to be revered |
|
Definition
| The Pardoner carries a bag of what he tells people are holy relics, but they are actually pigs bones and cloth from sailboats. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Other than when the Oxford Clerk told his tale, he preferred to remain taciturn because he simply wasn't interested in talking with the other pilgrims. |
|
|
Term
unprincipled,
lacking a moral code |
|
Definition
| The behaviors of many of the pilgrims--avarice, callousness, gluttony, and indulgence--showed that they were clearly unscrupulous. |
|
|
Term
to differentiate between
two different things |
|
Definition
| If you read Chaucer carefully, you'll be able to discern that he uses satire to describe how many church members are bad people. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The fact that the Prioress has a message of romantic love on her rosary makes her commitment to her vows seem a bit dubious. |
|
|
Term
lacking in seriousness
or importance |
|
Definition
| The Prioress demonstrates some rather frivolous behavior--she wears jewels, speaks a fake sort of French, and makes quite a fuss over her table manners and pets. |
|
|
Term
greedy for food and drink |
|
Definition
| The Franklin's insistence that large quantities and types of the finest food are constantly available to him indicates that he is guilty of the sin of gluttony. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
The pilgrims in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales provides a microcosm of the members of medieval society. |
|
|
Term
showing or feeling regret for wrongdoing |
|
Definition
It seems as though the Knight and the Parson may be the only penitent pilgrims in the group; they seem to be good Christians seeking forgiveness for their sins. |
|
|
Term
rightness of principal
or conduct |
|
Definition
The only member of the church who demonstrates moral rectitude is the Parson. He truly cares for every member of his flock. |
|
|
Term
friendly, courteous,
amiable |
|
Definition
The Prioress was considered to be affable, because she seemed very friendly to others.
The Wife of Bath was very affable--she obviously enjoyed speaking with everyone. |
|
|
Term
extremely irritable
or easily angered
|
|
Definition
| The Wife of Bath would demonstrate a choleric response when other wives donated to causes before she had a chance--she always had to be the first. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The Prioress demonstrated a congenial demeanor during meals by socializing in such a friendly manner. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The Friar's face is usually florid because he runs around tricking people out of money so much that he probably breaks out into a sweat quite often. |
|
|
Term
wise and careful about practical matters |
|
Definition
| It would be prudent to read The Canterbury Tales carefully to recognize Chaucer's use of satire. He often says the opposite of what he means. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The Oxford Clerk is reticent by nature--he rarely speaks and then only when he wants to share what he's learned from his constant studies. |
|
|
