The Canterbury Tales characters

Also known as the narrator

Appears from the start

A pilgrim traveling from Southwark toward the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury. He presents himself as an observant but unassertive member of the company and records portraits of his fellow travelers before recounting their stories and disputes.

Also known as the Host

Appears from the start

The lively proprietor of the Tabard Inn, where the pilgrims assemble. He proposes that they entertain one another with tales on the road, offers a supper as the prize, appoints himself judge, and travels with the group to keep the contest moving.

Appears from the start

An experienced soldier who has campaigned widely in Christian armies. Despite his rank and record, he dresses plainly and behaves with courtesy and restraint. The other pilgrims readily accept his place at the head of the first round of storytelling.

Appears from the start

A powerful, broad laborer with a red beard and an appetite for drink, rough games, and bawdy stories. He plays the bagpipes as the company leaves town and insists on speaking after the Knight, despite the Host's effort to preserve social order.

Also known as Alisoun

Appears from the start

A prosperous cloth maker from near Bath who has traveled on many pilgrimages and has outlived five husbands. Confident, socially commanding, and experienced in marriage, she becomes one of the company's most distinctive speakers.

Appears from the start

A church official licensed to sell pardons who travels with a bag of documents and objects he presents as holy relics. He is an accomplished preacher and performer, using a smooth voice and carefully prepared displays to win an audience.

Also known as Madame Eglantine

Appears from the start

A nun of refined manners who calls herself Madame Eglantine. She speaks French, sings the church service, takes pains over table etiquette, and shows conspicuous tenderness toward small animals.

Appears from the start

An Oxford student devoted to philosophy and books. Thin, plainly dressed, and poor, he spends what money he can obtain on learning. He speaks sparingly but with care and is presented as both eager to learn and willing to teach.

Appears from the start

A fashionably dressed trader who speaks solemnly about commerce, exchange rates, and the risks of sea travel. He projects prosperity and business competence, though the narrator does not know his name.

First appears in chapter 23

A weary young servant who rides up to the company after his master, a Canon, abruptly leaves it. His stained clothing reflects long work around furnaces and metals. Once separated from the Canon, he begins explaining the costly deceptions practiced by false alchemists.

First appears in chapter 2

A Theban knight and cousin of Arcite. Imprisoned by Duke Theseus in Athens, he sees Emelye walking in a garden and falls instantly in love, turning his shared captivity into a rivalry.

First appears in chapter 2

Palamon's cousin and fellow Theban prisoner. He also falls in love with Emelye at first sight. His friendship with Palamon gives way to a dispute over who has the stronger claim to serve and love her.

First appears in chapter 3

A clever Oxford student lodging in the house of an older carpenter. He studies astrology, plays music, and begins a secret affair with the carpenter's young wife, Alisoun, devising an elaborate prediction to gain time alone with her.

First appears in chapter 3

The young wife of John the carpenter. Attractive, spirited, and much younger than her husband, she responds to the lodger Nicholas's courtship and joins his plan to deceive John.

First appears in chapter 6

A Christian princess from Rome whose life is repeatedly displaced by political marriages, sea voyages, and religious conflict. Her constancy and faith sustain her when she is separated from family and placed among hostile courts.

First appears in chapter 10

A poor young woman chosen as a bride by Walter, Marquis of Saluzzo. Gentle and dutiful, she accepts the sudden change in station and promises obedience to her new husband.