Accumulating debt was a sign of weakness and low morals. Here, the narrator is aware of the Merchant’s financial troubles behind his affluent appearance and pompous speech, indicating that the Merchant doesn’t hide his secrets as well as he thinks he does. In Chaucer’s time, merchants were often perceived as untrustworthy, hiding their true motives behind a confident and friendly exterior. As shown in the prologue, he is actually shallow and deceptive, hiding his unsuccessful dealings behind a confident exterior: “The estimable Merchant so had set/ His wits to work, no one knew he was in debts.” The Merchant also tries to impose his influence on others, telling the other pilgrims “his opinions and his pursuits.” However, his appearance misleads as he only talks about his business and reveals little of his true self.

The Merchant in “The Canterbury Tales” wears a “Flemish beaver hat,” a cloak of “motley,” and “daintily buckled boots.” Illustration by Arthur Szyk, 1946. His cosmopolitan sensibilities, such as knowing about the latest fashions, are meant to impress the other pilgrims. He is a salesman and trader, dealing with imports and exports of international goods. His clothes refer to his power and wealth, as well as his supposedly prosperous activity, trading in furs and clothes from Flanders. In the prologue, the narrator describes him as wearing a “Flemish beaver hat,” a cloak of “motley,” and “daintily buckled boots,” all of which were fashionable at the time. The Merchant is not always what he seems. Their rank was solely due to their commercial wealth and how they presented themselves, something Chaucer explored with his enigmatic yet intriguing character, the Merchant, in “The Canterbury Tales.” A Deceitful Appearance Merchants were among this social class and symbolized this new aspect of English society. Through a collection of 24 tales and a unique storytelling framework, the author paints the portrait of Medieval English culture, giving readers a fascinating insight into 14th- century English society.īack then, a new class was emerging: the middle class.

One of Geoffrey Chaucer’s most celebrated works, “The Canterbury Tales,” features characters from all walks of life.

Chaucer the canterbury tales prologue