Blog #4: A Motley Crew

Before I highlight pilgrims individually, it's interesting to consider the motley crew they ultimately compose: a proper prioress rides alongside a shipman who "of nyce conscience took he no keep"(line 398). The diversity within this group certainly speaks to the influence of Thomas a Beckett and the mission to Canterbury.
The Summoner's portrait, striking and fearsome, was among the most memorable of the characters. His gruesome physical description and supposed drunken tendencies present him as quite an unpleasant companion. Further, the fact that his willingness to allow "a good felaw to have his concubyn"is apparently his best quality leaves plenty of room for personal improvement. A bearer of bad news by profession, it is also interesting that he rides along with his friend, the Pardoner.
The Pardoner serves as an ultimate foil to the Summoner. The description of his yellow hair and clear skin provide physical contrast, and his ability to sing beautifully compares with the Summoner's drunken Latin outcries. However, despite all these qualities, the narrator seems to hold the Pardoner in lower esteem than the brutish Summoner, ultimately concluding him to be a "a geldyng or a mare" (line 691). I'd like to know if the tales told by these characters show any insight towards the narrator's final opinion on them.
The Doctor of Medicine's emphasis on natural science rather than theology is noteworthy considering the purpose of the group's journey. However, his portrait is still painted as thoroughly admirable: he is friendly, brilliant, and a "verray, parfit praktisour" (line 422). The fact that he is not particularly knowledgable in scripture seems to be of little importance to Chaucer, who mentions it only in passing towards the end of the Doctor's portrait. This seems to be true for most of the portraits. Despite the fact that this journey is a religious pilgrimage, Chaucer is most interested in the individual character rather than one's religious devotion.
On that note, the host actually strikes me as the most interesting character. For him, the draw of the trip is not the destination, but the company he will share the journey with. His purpose in riding with the pilgrims is simply to hear what they have to say and judge who told it best. Further, he's quite transparent about his interest in the company and not the religious appeal of Canterbury. This provides an interesting foil to characters like the Friar, who lives an apparently religious lifestyle despite secretly sinful tendencies.