Kavalec 1 Ben Kavalec Mr. Mckenna Honors Junior English, 7th

Kavalec 1 Ben Kavalec Mr. McKenna Honors Junior English, 7th Period 18 November 2008 The Clerk’s Description of Himself In order to learn about the characterizations in The Canterbury Tales, we must first discover the clever writing Geoffrey Chaucer incorporates into his collection of tales. Chaucer illustrates images of characters so vividly that readers can easily visualize each individual because of his/her distinctive traits. He accomplishes this in a variety of manners; however, mostly through the words of “The Prologue”. By drawing a connection between “The Prologue” and “The Clerk’s Tale”, Chaucer foretells a subtle characterization of the Clerk, using Griselda as the main channel of comparison. Throughout “The Clerk’s Tale”, Chaucer heightens interest by relating the human qualities of the Clerk to those of Griselda. In “The Prologue”, Chaucer describes the Clerk as patient, virtuous, and simple; three qualities that Griselda shares in his tale. The Clerk receives a blatant “compliment” in “The Prologue” from Chaucer concerning his poise: “A tone of moral virtue filled his speech” (Chaucer 14). In comparison, Chaucer explicitly mentions Griselda’s wholesome qualities during the course of her narrative. For instance, Griselda remains patient throughout her trials, during which Chaucer hails her as being “among the loveliest [woman] man could ask” (326). Griselda’s fictional virtue of patience corresponds to the real life patience of the Clerk, further establishing a connection between the ideas of the Clerk’s studying to Griselda’s faith in her husband.

Kavalec 2 In addition, each character exhibits pragmatic qualities; the Clerk’s only desire knowledge and Griselda’s only desire happiness. The outcome of his tale defines precisely the Clerk’s goals and ambitions he hopes to achieve in his life. At the conclusion of “The Clerk’s Tale”, Griselda lives a life abundant with happiness in the aftermath of her cunning husband, Walter, performing a series of tests on her. By expressing Griselda’s remaining years as “many a year in high prosperity these two lived on in concord to the close,” the Clerk effectively reveals his true dream. (353) He hopes to achieve happiness from wealth, an immediate result from his diligent studies. Similarly, Griselda’s final outcome is the product of patience while dealing with her deceptive husband. Aside from this, each character pursues a life free from restraints: the Clerk wants to live life free from difficulties, while still maintaining a highly admirable position in society, and Griselda wishes to establish a life in which she is not at the risk of Walter abandoning her. The Clerk distinctly climaxes Griselda’s endeavors by recounting her ability “to take in patience for all that God may do” (354). The Clerk, who must strive for perfection in his studies, requires Griselda’s trait of patience for any hopes of achieving perfect happiness. By connecting “The Prologue” with each of the Pilgrim’s tales, Chaucer effectively provides the reader a better understanding of The Canterbury Tales. In doing so, he delivers the reader an insight of the character he hopes to create. Most notably, “The Prologue” is tremendously significant to the plot of “The Clerk’s Tale”, because it foretells the traits of the characters by describing the Clerk’s characteristics. Moreover, “The Prologue” allows the reader to better understand the reason why the Clerk is sharing

Kavalec 3 this particular fable with his fellow pilgrims. As a result, Chaucer efficiently creates interest and fascination so that readers may enjoy the tale more fully.

Works Cited: Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Trans. Nevill Coghill. London: Penguin Books, 2003.