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The Skippers In The Canterbury Tales

Decent Essays

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in a collection of 24 stories while on a pilgrimage to visit the relics of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. The purpose behind this pilgrimage is for the pilgrims to visit the shrine to seek forgiveness for their sins. Due to the long trip, the host made a deal with everyone to tell two stories on the way and back from Canterbury and whoever tells the best one receives a paid for meal. Each character telling their stories gives away bits of information and a visual idea of who they really are. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses detail, point of view, and descriptive language to portray the Pardoner and Summoner to be worse than the Skipper.

The Skipper begins to tell his tale by bringing light to his past and the battles he has fought in using details. Chaucer wrote,“When he fought, the enemy vessel sank, he sent his prisoners home.” (409) to give a visual of the Skippers performance in battle. In this quote Chaucer portrays the skipper as a pirate but merciful to the people who has already defeated and and took from. He was confident throughout his battle, never letting up until he felt like the overall goal was met. Another example describes his demeanor and how he presents himself, “Hardy he was, prudent in undertaking.” (415) during the time of his battles. In this quote Chaucer uses detail to characterize the Skipper as confident and cautious about every move he made on and off the battlefield. It was

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