The Pilgrim's Progress Summary

 He's only gone a little farther, however, before he sees a "foul fiend" (P273). This is
Apollyon, and Christian decides to duke it out with him.

 The narrator describes Apollyon: he's scaled like a fish and winged like a dragon, with a
lion's mouth, bear's feet, and spewing fire all the time. Yeah, he sounds awesome, but
he's actually terrible.

 Apollyon approaches Christian and questions him. He argues that the City of
Destruction, where Christian comes from, is under his rule, which means that Christian
is as well. Christian defies this, saying that he's left for the city of the Lord.

 Apollyon pretends to be merciful in order to get Christian back and then reminds him of
the danger that people get into by following the Lord. Christian isn't falling for this: he
argues that these troubles are only a test to try peoples' love.

 Finally, Apollyon brings up all the ways in which Christian has failed so far—falling into
the Slough of Despond, losing the scroll while asleep, being afraid of the lions. He's
going for the low blows here.

 Christian, who is still not having any of this Apollyon naysaying nonsense, replies that
there are even more ways he knows he's come up short, but that he Lord is merciful and
will give him pardon for repenting.

 Apollyon flies into rage at this last reply, and the two battle for half a day. Christian
receives wounds to the head, hand, and foot, but continues to fight. "Eye of The Tiger"
is playing this entire time.

 Just as Apollyon is about to finish Christian off, our guy reaches for his sword and strikes
deep, crying, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy! when I fall I shall arise!" and,
when Apollyon reels back, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us" (P294).

 Not only is this guy talking while engaged in intense physical activity—and wounded, to
boot—he is also talking eloquently.

 The narrator stops to account for the terror of the battle, how fierce Apollyon was, and
how Christian gives thanks for deliverance when the battle is over.

 Christian is healed by leaves from the Tree of Life (that's handy—where did that come
from?!) and stops to eat and rest before continuing.
 Summary of the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales begin in April, as the narrator (Chaucer) begins a pilgrimage from the
Tabard Inn at Southwerk to the famed Canterbury, where Sir Thomas a Becket, a martyr for
Christianity, is supposedly buried. The General Prologue is a basic descriptive list of the twenty-
nine people who become pilgrims to journey to Canterbury, each telling a story along the way.
The narrator describes and lists the pilgrims skillfully, according to their rank and status.

The first pilgrim mentioned in the prologue is properly the Knight, a worthy man who has
fought in the crusades. A Squire accompanies the Knight as his son and is a young bachelor of
twenty years with an eye for women. The Knight also brings along his Yeoman, or his second
servant. A shy, polite Prioress who is well mannered and proper wears a fine broach with
inscriptions about love, her secretary, also known as the Second Nun, and a Monk also join the
pilgrims to see the martyr. The Monk loves to hunt and is robust and masculine, while the friar,
Friar Hubert, is an overtly immoral man who cares more about money and profit than truly
helping men stay away from sin.

Next in the prologue is the Merchant from Flanders who is pompous and verbose on
economics. He continually talks about increasing his profits in several ways. Although simply
concerned about money, the narrator comments that he is truly a good man, nonetheless. The
Clerk is an unemployed Oxford student making the pilgrimage perhaps to help him find money
and a job. He is dressed in rags, alluding to his impoverished status. The Man of Law is a
revered soul who believes he is owed respect, for he is knowledgeable of the law and appears
to be much busier than he is in actuality. The Franklin accompanies the Man of Law on the
pilgrimage and is simply concerned with the pleasures in life - namely food. His desires lie far
from those of academia and worship.

The narrator then gives a list of five guildsmen of little importance on this trip. They are the
Weaver, the Dyer, the Carpenter, the Tapestry-Maker, and the Haberdasher. There is also a
Cook and a Shipman (or Sailor) from the port of Dartsmouth, and a Physician. The strong-willed
Wife of Bath also makes the journey to Canterbury, wears bright, ostentatious clothing for the
ride and tells of her five marriages and multiple youthful partners in bed, striking intrigue and
curiosity amongst the pilgrims on the journey.

The next pilgrim is the Parson, a man of honor and kindness who remains true to Christ and his
congregation. His brother, a Plowman, is also on the journey and is described with equally
benevolent words by Chaucer. The last few pilgrims who are mentioned briefly are a physically
large Miller, an intellectual and academic Manciple from a lawyer's college, a slender, fiery-
tempered Reeve, a Summoner, and a Pardoner. The Summoner is immoral and unfair in his
position of summoning people to church for their crimes, for he picks and chooses those whom
he likes and dislikes, while the poor Pardoner is simply weak and effeminate.

All of these travelers are in the Tabard Inn prepared to make their way to Canterbury. The host,
now described as a merry, bold, strong man, makes the recommendation that each person tell
two stories on the way to Canterbury and two stories on the way back. Everyone draws from a
bundle to select the first taletellers and the Knight is the fortunate soul who begins these tales
on the way to Canterbury.
 Canterbury Tales Prologue Pilgrim Descriptions

The Knight

Chaucer the Poet thinks he is essentially perfect; has fought for his country; never says anything
bad ever; may be a mercenary

The Squire

very agile, not large; employed by his own father (the Knight), which is rare; all of the feats he
has accomplished were all to impress girls!

The Yeoman

wears green = survivalist; peacock feathers are believed to fly true; not-heed (short hair),
brown visage (tan face); St. Christopher = saint of travelers; employed by the Knight

The Prioresse

head of a convent/monastery; madame eglantine = miss honeysuckle; has some secrets... she
doesn't use a biblical name and doesn't go by "sister"; sings in nasally voice (considered
beautiful); speaks "school-girl" french; her rosary says "love conquers all" in latin; brought
another nun and 3 priests

The Monk

overseer for the church lands; has nice horses, and is a good rider (wink wink); wearing lots of
things he shouldn't, in accordance with classist standards

The Friar

real name Hubert; purposefully lisps; pays lots of dowries for lots of young (pregnant) ladies;
absolves people...for money

The Merchant

literally and figuratively up on his high horse; pretends to have money; sells & buys currency

The Clerk

educated man yet not worldly enough to move up in class; skinny dude with a skinny horse;
acquires money from his friends for books, repays with prayers

The Sargent of the Law

The Franklin

owns so much land he can't oversee it all himself; red face, white beard (Santa? is that you?);
follows Epicurean philosophy

Gildsmen

group that includes a haberdasher, a carpenter, a webbe (weaver), a dyere (dyer of cloth), and
a tapicer (maker of tapestries)

The Cook

gaping sore on his shin (syphilis); drinks a lot; can cook anything

The Shipman

possibly from Dartmouth; crappy horse, crappy at riding; steals wine; murderer and thief, but
very good at his craft

The Doctor

astronomer (to help with timing of his treatments); very smart and knows the causes of all
kinds of ailments, yet all philosophers and medical theorists he cites had already been
discredited; nonreligious; loves gold (to, er, use in treatments, sure)

The Wife of Bath

talented cloth-maker; rather important; rosy cheeks, attractive, gap-toothed (lustful/sexual);

The Parson

first of the pilgrims that appears to be completely good; walks to visit citizens in his parish; "If
gold rusts, what should iron do?"; doesn't rent out his parish

The Plowman

the Parson's brother; loves God & thy neighbor; works for free if he can; the other possibly truly
good man

The Miller
big man known for knocking down doors; tells dirty stories; his profession has the credibility of
a used car salesman; red hair, possibly a Scotsman

The Manciple

rents houses to college students, but is much smarter than them and consequently cheats them

The Reeve

has been working for The Franklin for over 20 years, but he's really in charge; people fear him
like "the death (plague)"; probably Alison's real-life husband in The Miller's Tale

The Summoner

works for the ecclesiastical court; very ugly man that screams in Latin when drunk; rapist,
controls prostitutes in exchange for not turning them in to the courts; already drunk, even in
the Prologue

The Pardoner

The Summoner's friend; known for being corrupt (everything he sells is bull); long wispy stringy
hair, probably one of the Castroti (castrated--thin voice, no facial hair)

The Host

real name Harry Bailey; ill accompany the pilgrims on the trip; large man, joyful and not scary

The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale

The Host asks the Clerk to cheer up and tell a merry tale, and the Clerk agrees to tell a tale by the
Italian poet Petrarch. Griselde is a hardworking peasant who marries into the aristocracy. Her
husband tests her fortitude in several ways, including pretending to kill her children and
divorcing her. He punishes her one final time by forcing her to prepare for his wedding to a new
wife. She does all this dutifully, her husband tells her that she has always been and will always
be his wife (the divorce was a fraud), and they live happily ever after.