Characterization in Chaucer's 'Shipman's Tale'

Author / Editor
McGalliard, John C.

Title
Characterization in Chaucer's 'Shipman's Tale'

Published
Philological Quarterly 54 (1975): 1-18.

Description
Chaucer's characterization is sophisticated. The monk, merchant, and wife are complex personalities rather than flat stereotypes. The merchant is not duped or punished because of character flaws; he has none. The tale emphasizes the success of the "trick" rather than the suffering of its victim.

Alternative Title
From Chaucer to Gibbon: Essays in Memory of Curt A. Zimansky. [Special issue of Philological Quarterly]

Chaucer Subjects
Shipman and His Tale.