The Use of Physiognomy in Chaucer

A detailed Summary of The Use of Physiognomy in Chaucer

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is rich with literary devices that allow a reader to draw conclusions about its pilgrims and their characters. Physical descriptions were very important to the portrayal of a character which can be seen in Chaucer's extensive use of the science of physiognomy. Physiognomy was a kind of science that allowed the reader to judge moral character and temperament of a person based upon his outward appearance or anatomy. Chaucer uses physiognomy most frequently in the General Prologue to his Canterbury Tales when introducing the pilgrims in the group. The most exaggerated descriptions are those of the peasant's or lower class pilgrims, namely the Miller. Although the Chaucer uses physiognomy most prevalently with the Miller, this science is found in nearly every description of every character.

The Miller's portrait is relatively short but the majority of it is devoted to describing his physical features. An excellent example of Chaucer's use of physiognomy begins at line 554 of the General Prologue.

His beerd as any sowe or fox was reed,

And therto brood, as though it were a spade;

Upon the cop right of his nose he hade

In the Pardoner, Chaucer portrays a sort of evil and deceiving clerk of the church. The Pardoner has "heer as yelow as wex," as it says in line 677 of the General Prologue that "by ounces heenge his lockes that he hadde" (PardT 679). This physical description shows the Pardoner as greasy, unclean, and almost weasel-like. Later on, when the Pardoner tells his tale of avarice and immorality, we learn that the Pardoner is just that.

In lines 556-558, Chaucer focuses on the Miller's nose, which is not a very pretty sight. Right on the tip of his nose is a big old wart, and to make matters worse, it is covered in bright red hair. Warts were seen as a revolting negative reflection upon anyone's character. The Miller cannot hide this wart as he cannot hide his sinful and gluttonous existence. The Miller, as illustrated in lines 662-663 "was a janglere and a Goliardais....of sinne and harlotries," or a teller of immoral or wicked stories. The hugeness of his nostrils and of the nose itself, along with the presence of a hairy wart makes a mockery of his face and his muscular build.

Lastly in line 561, the Miller's mouth is depicted "as greet was as a greet furnais." Basically, the Miller has a big mouth with which to tell his immoral tales. Because his mouth is described as being large and opened wide, one might conclude that the he is greedy in character. Such a prominent mouth also portrays the Miller as having a bold and possibly even overwhelming temperament. I think it is safe to say that everything Chaucer says about the Miller's phy

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Approximate Word count = 1053
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English