The Knight and the Miller Portrayed by Chaucer Essay -- Knight Miller

The Knight and the Miller Portrayed by Chaucer society. The Knight would be an educated member of society, whereas the Miller would be nearer the bottom of the social spectrum. The type of education each would have had is reflected in the language Chaucer uses in each portrait. In the Knights prologue Chaucer uses longer words and longer sentences. Chaucer lists all the battles the Knights has been in, and the long sentences used help to show the reader that the Knight is educated. In the Millers prologue shorter sentences and shorter words are used which infers that the Miller is uneducated. ‘A swerd and bokeler bar he by his side’ The two characters are defined by their role in society in the 14th century. The Knight and the Miller are complete opposites, not only in social status but also in terms of morals and values. The description of the Knight focuses on his deeds rather than his personality or physical appearance. This reflects the Knights character, that he is not bothered by how he looks to go on the pilgrimage ‘All besmotered with his habergeon, for he was late y-come from his voyage.’ This shows that the Knight is modest and doesn’t mind how he looks when he’s on the pilgrimage. The Miller on the other hand wears bold colours and seems like he has dressed up for going on the pilgrimage. Everything about him is big, both physically ‘Ful big he was of brawn, and eek of bones.’ and personality-wise. The words Chaucer uses to describe each character are very different. The Knights portrait includes words such as ‘worthynes’, ‘trouthe’ and ‘honour.’ These words show admiration for the Knight. The words used to describe the Miller on the other hand are very simple words. Chaucer compares him ... ...of the pilgrims have weapons but each for different reasons. The Knight has come from a battle and has used his weapon for fighting in the Crusades and for his faith, ‘For he was late y-come from his voyage, and wente for to do his pilgrimage.’ The Miller has his sword for show and bravado and it seems he only uses it for mindless violence. The references to the Millers strength show his severe lack of restraint, intelligence and social status. Chaucer has presented the two portraits to introduce the two characters before they tell their tales. They are each very different both in social status and in personality, which is a reason why Chaucer put the tales next to eachother in the ‘Canterbury Tales,’ as it creates a contrast and variation in the story. The two portraits lay the foundations for both the Miller and the Knight to tell the tales they tell.