The pilgrims described in the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales are divided into three broad classes, which include the nobles, clergy, and those with specific skills. The skilled can be subdivided into landowners, professionals, and laborers. In the portraits that we will see in the General Prologue, the Knight and Squire represent nobility. The Summoner, the Prioress, the Monk, the Friar, and the Parson represent the Clergy. The other characters, from the wealthy Franklin to …showed first 75 words of 969 total…

…showed last 75 words of 969 total…of Christian neighborliness. He paid his debts honestly and promptly. He wore a laborer’s smock and rode upon a mare, a humble horse. Without the descriptions provided by the General Prologue of the Canterbury Tales, the struggle to link all the tales would be difficult. The imagery, greed, love, and enjoyment of the tales would be lost without the balanced coverage of the travelers and their professions that paints a portrait for the tales.