The Canterbury Tales · Character

The Monk

A fat, bald hunter in fine gray fur who keeps greyhounds and swans, and tells a string of tragedies about great men brought low.

supporting

First appearance: The Prologue

As a supporting figure in The Canterbury Tales, The Monk is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Called upon by the Host to tell the next tale, but is preempted by the Miller.

In the storyThe PrologueOpen this moment free

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The Monk scorns the old rule that monks should stay in cloisters and work with their hands; his pleasure is riding, hunting the hare, and roasting a fat swan. His bridle jingles like a chapel bell, and his boots are supple, his horse sleek. He tells tale after tale of Lucifer, Adam, Samson, and Hercules falling from high estate, a grim catalogue that suits a man who has made his own comfortable fall from monastic discipline.

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See The Monk in The Prologue

Character Web

18 connections

A slice of how The Monk sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Moral exemplars and advisors
Diverse pilgrims and tale characters
Comic and authorial figures
Protagonist

+13 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the story's dramatic climax because it shifts the focus from the external, ritualistic acts…

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In the story

The Monk appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Prologue
Called upon by the Host to tell the next tale, but is preempted by the Miller.
The Shipman’s Tale
A monk who borrows money from the merchant and seduces the merchant's wife.
The Monk's Tale
The narrator of the tale, who recounts a series of tragedies about fallen figures.
The Prologue
The Monk is addressed by the Host, who comments on his fine appearance and suggests he would have been a prolific father if not a monk. The Monk responds patiently and offers to tell a tale.
The Prologue
Tells a tragic tale that displeases the company; declines to tell another tale.

Chapter companion notes

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See The Monk in The Prologue