The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a comedic poem written in fourteenth century Middle English, a language very different from the English that we speak today. For modern readers, Middle English poses many challenges: unfamiliar words, unusual spellings, and strange grammar often hinder appreciation of Chaucer’s poetry. When facing these challenges, a glossary is indispensable.
In the pages below you will find the text of the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales with an interactive glossary. When you don’t understand a word (or phrase), place your pointer over it and a definition will appear to the right. As you become comfortable reading Chaucer, you won’t need to look up every unfamiliar word; as you become comfortable reading the poetry, you will find that the meaning often reveals itself through sound and context.
The main source for this glossary is The Riverside Chaucer. Following passages, a single dagger † indicates a translation; a double dagger ‡ indicates a textual or grammatical note. For best results, view this glossary in Mozilla, Opera, Safari, or Firefox.
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1. Introduction 2. The Knight 3. The Squire 4. The Yeoman 5. The Prioress 6. The Monk 7. The Friar 8. The Merchant 9. The Clerk |
11. The Franklin 13. The Cook 14. The Shipman 16. The Wife of Bath 17. The Parson 18. The Plowman |
19. The Miller 20. The Manciple 21. The Reeve 22. The Summoner 23. The Pardoner 24. The Narrator 25. The Host 26. The Game |