Canterbury Tales Essay

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”, many characters suffer from Dante’s “Seven Deadly Sins”. I have chosen to write about The Skipper, for his avariciousness and wrath; The Miller for his pride and avariciousness; and also The Franklin for his gluttony, avariciousness and slothfulness. I have found examples for these in “The Prologue” by Chaucer.

The Skipper is avaricious and also suffers from wrath. He is avaricious because he would gain someone’s trust so they would do business with him and then he would steal from them and cheat them. In “The Prologue”(pg. 103 lines 407-408), it reads, “He’d drawn at Bordeaux, while the trader snored. The nicer rules of conscience he ignored”. He also suffered from wrath, anytime he had extra people on his ship, he would make them walk the plank. In “The Prologue”(pg.103 lines 409-410), it says, “If, when he fought, the enemy vessel sank, he sent the prisoners home: they walked the plank”.

The Miller was inflicted by pride and avariciousness. He was very prideful. He would boast about anything that he could do well. In “The Prologue”(pg. 107 lines 557-558), it says, “Broad, knotty and short-shouldered, he would boast, He could heave any door off hinge and post”. He was an avaricious man. He would steal grain for himself. In “The Prologue”, it says, “His was a master-hand at stealing grain. He felt it with his thumb and thus he knew its quality and took three times his due”. (Pg. 107 lines 570-572)

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