The Prologue (Merchant...)

The Prologue (Merchant...)

Poll

How difficult did you think the quiz was?

• difficult

• not too difficult

• easy

• what quiz?

The Merchant

There was a Merchant with a forking beard

And motley dress; high on his horse he sat,

Upon his head a Flemish beaver hat

And on his feet daintily buckled boots.

He told of his opinions and pursuits

In solemn tones, he harped on his increase

Of capital; there should be sea-police

(He thought) upon the Harwich-Holland ranges;

Multiple Choice

Based on the clothes the merchant wears, does he appear to be wealthy?

• Yes, he wears expensive clothes.

• No, his clothes make it clear that he is poor.

Multiple Choice

The merchant sits high on his horse. What does this tell us about him?

• he is proper and wants respect

• he is lower class

• he is not used to riding horses

The Merchant

There was a Merchant with a forking beard

And motley dress; high on his horse he sat,

Upon his head a Flemish beaver hat

And on his feet daintily buckled boots.

He told of his opinions and pursuits

In solemn tones, he harped on his increase

Of capital; there should be sea-police

(He thought) upon the Harwich-Holland ranges;

Multiple Select

What does the merchant blab on and on about?

• his own opinions

• issues related to his work

• religious ideas

• anarchist views

The Merchant (cont'd)

He was expert at dabbling in exchanges.

This estimable Merchant so had set

His wits to work, none knew he was in debt,

He was so stately in administration,

In loans and bargains and negotiation.

He was an excellent fellow all the same;

To tell the truth I do not know his name.

Open Ended

Chaucer says the merchant "dabbled" in exchanges/trades. What does this word choice imply about the merchant's trade activity?

Multiple Choice

The merchant used his wits to do what?

• to quickly regain his wealth

• to hide the fact that he was in debt

• to entertain people

The Merchant (cont'd)

He was expert at dabbling in exchanges.

This estimable Merchant so had set

His wits to work, none knew he was in debt,

He was so stately in administration,

In loans and bargains and negotiation.

He was an excellent fellow all the same;

To tell the truth I do not know his name.

Multiple Choice

What is Chaucer's focus in the description of the merchant?

• appearance vs reality

• right vs wrong

• the importance of skill

Open Ended

What does the final line imply?

An Oxford Cleric

An Oxford Cleric, still a student though,

One who had taken logic long ago,

Was there; his horse was thinner than a rake,

And he was not too fat, I undertake,

But had a hollow look, a sober stare;

The thread upon his overcoat was bare.

He had found no preferment in the church

And he was too unworldly to make search

For secular employment. By his bed

He preferred having twenty books in red

And black, of Aristotle’s philosophy,

Than costly clothes, fiddle or psaltery.

An Oxford Cleric

An Oxford Cleric, still a student though,

One who had taken logic long ago,

Was there; his horse was thinner than a rake,

And he was not too fat, I undertake,

But had a hollow look, a sober stare;

The thread upon his overcoat was bare.

He had found no preferment in the church

And he was too unworldly to make search

For secular employment. By his bed

He preferred having twenty books in red

And black, of Aristotle’s philosophy,

Than costly clothes, fiddle or psaltery.

Multiple Choice

Chaucer implies that the cleric is ___.

• uneducated

• a permanent student

• a fraud

An Oxford Cleric

An Oxford Cleric, still a student though,

One who had taken logic long ago,

Was there; his horse was thinner than a rake,

And he was not too fat, I undertake,

But had a hollow look, a sober stare;

The thread upon his overcoat was bare.

He had found no preferment in the church

And he was too unworldly to make search

For secular employment. By his bed

He preferred having twenty books in red

And black, of Aristotle’s philosophy,

Than costly clothes, fiddle or psaltery.

Open Ended

What is Chaucer implying in those lines: And he was too unworldly to make search For secular employment.

An Oxford Cleric

Though a philosopher, as I have told,

He had not found the stone for making gold.

Whatever money from his friends he took

He spent on learning or another book

And prayed for them most earnestly, returning

Thanks to them thus for paying for his learning.

His only care was study, and indeed

He never spoke a word more than was need,

Formal at that, respectful in the extreme,

Short, to the point, and lofty in his theme.

A tone of moral virtue filled his speech

And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.