| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Narrator | Geoffrey Chaucer, the author, although he is never named |
| Knight | father of the squire; lord of the Yeoman (minor nobility) |
| Squire | young man of 20, son of the knight (minor nobility) |
| Prioress | superior of a monastery of nuns; attended by the Nun, the Monk, the Friar, and the Priest (clergy |
| Yeoman | a forester; servant of the Knight (peasant class) |
| Monk | manages the estates of the Prioress and the monastery (clergy) |
| Friar | a religious who has taken a vow of poverty and is licensed to beg (clergy) |
| Nun | chaplain to the Prioress (clergy) |
| Priest | with the Prioress; not described (clergy) |
| Merchant | wealthy and pompous (middle class) |
| Cleric | a religious who is a scholar at Oxford (clergy) |
| Man of Law | a lawyer, shrewd and wealthy (middle class) |
| Franklin | landowner; wealthy (middle class; possibly minor nobility) |
| Haberdasher | hat and clothing maker; guildsman (middle class) |
| Carpenter | guildsman (middle class) |
| Weaver | makes fabric; guildsman (middle class) |
| Dyer | dyes fabric and leather; guildsman (middle class) |
| Tapestry Maker | makes large, intricate woven pictures which are decorative and expensive; guildsman (middle class) |
| Cook | works for the five guildsmen (peasant class) |
| Shipman | a sailor, commander of a merchant ship (middle class) |
| Physician | well-educated; a lover of gold (middle class) |
| Wife of Bath | has survived five husbands; prosperous, gregarious, experienced (middle class) |
| Parson | poor because he is good; a true pastor (clergy) |
| Plowman | brother of the Parish Priest; an honest, decent farmer (peasant) |
| Miller | owns a mill; grinds grain into meal and flour (middle class) |
| Manciple | a buyer for 30 lawyers who are administrators of London courts (middle class) |
| Reeve | manager of a nobleman's estate; prosperous (middle class) |
| Summoner | an agent of the Church courts who summons sinners to answer charges before the court (clergy) |
| Pardoner | traded on the gullibility of the populace; sold relics and indulgences (which are pardons from the punishment due to sin (clergy) |
| Host | owner of the Tabard Inn where all the pilgrims meet; self-appointed leader; tour guide for the pilgrims (middle clalss) |
| Canon | a clergyman, generally in charge of a cathedral (clergy) |
| Canon's Yeoman | servant to the Canon |
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