Friday, July 19, 2019

My favourite and least favourite characters from The Canterbury Tales :: English Literature

My favourite and least favourite characters from The Canterbury Tales My favourite character from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is the Reeve. The Reeve comes across as a 'shady' or 'dark' character who's intentions are not fully recognised even when his prologue is finished. We don't get too much about his background but a lot on his appearance and the way he works. We already know that he is the farm bailiff. His appearance already gave a gripping edge to his personality, "His berd was shave as ny as ever he kan; "His beard was shaved as close as could His heer was by his eris ful round shorn; His hair was cut round his ears His top was dokked lyk a preest biforn. The top of his head was like a priest Ful longe wre his legges and ful lene," He had very long and skinny legs" His appearance gives the impression of an almost 'evil' looking character, with skinny, no calf legs and the phrase.. "His berd was shave as ny as ever he kan" gave the impression that he had a 'rugged' look to his face, a rough look which gives the impression that the others on the pilgramge might have looked up to him not in a role model way but rather a respectful and weary one. But then again he is given a holy like look as the top of his head is cut short like a priest giving the Reeve a holy look, which gives a clash of two worlds, the holy and the dark rugged side of life, but from examples from "The Summoner" and "The Monk", the chuchmen of the time were not see as very respectful men either and some could say the dark world was the world of the holy. This rugged, dark and ominous look is one of the things that makes me admire the Reeve, it is as if he is hiding his own real feelings, opinions on life within himself and that his face, this rough face is a mask hiding those feelings inside of him. It is as if you need to crack him to find more from him and his face gives no answers aiding to that. He also has a very clever and cunning nature which I admire in The Reeve. "Wel koude he kepe a gerner and a binne; Ther was noon auditour koude on him winne." "He could keep a granary and a cornbin well; No auditor could catch him out." This shows that the reeve had a cunning edge, clever at his job and also very stable in his job and with money as no accountant could ever

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