Garmentology in the Canterbury Tales Essay - 1101 Words

The narrator of The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer spends a good amount of the General Prologue discussing the dress of the people upon the pilgrimage to the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas Becket. One can learn a lot about a person by what they wear. By describing and discussing the pilgrims clothing, the reader can base their portraits on objective facts as well as the narrators own opinions. The Garmentology of the Knight, the Squire, the Yeoman, the Prioress, the Monk, and the Wife of Bath will be discussed. The first pilgrim mentioned in the Canterbury Tales is the noble Knight. The Knight wears a tunic made of course cloth, and his coat of mail is rust-stained. Of fustian he wered a gipoun/ Al bismothered with†¦show more content†¦Embrouded was he, as it were a mede/ Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and rede (ll.89-90). The flowers possibly signify romance and love. While the Knight is looking to boost his pride and reputation from battle, the young Squire is hoping to win his ladys affection. The Squire tends to his appearance more than the Knight does, so that he can attract a mate. The narrator sees the Squire as A lovyere, and a lusty bachelor (ll. 80), a beautiful young man who is infatuated with romance. The Yeoman, the Knights servant, wears green from head to toe and carries an enormous bow and beautifully feathered arrows as well as a sword and small shield. And he was clad in cote and hood of grene/ A sheef of pecok-arwes brighte and kene/ Under his belt he bar ful thriftily/ Wel coude he dresse his takel yemanly: / His arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe, / And in his hand he bar a mighty bowe (ll. 103-108). The color green is an earthy color representing vegetation and new life (www.colorgenics.co.uk/); perhaps signifying that he is a woodsman and enjoys the outdoors. The arrows that the Yeoman carries are decorated with peacock feathers (most likely male peacock feathers since they are the ones that are brightly colored). Peacocks, according to the NZ Birds Gallery (NZBirdsgallery.com/peacock.html), symbolize wealth and power along with masculinity. The narrator