Characters in “Nun's Priest’s Tale”

The cock, Chanticleer

1. He is born with splendid gifts.
      a.  He sings very well.  No one is equal to his crowing; his voice is merrier than organ, and more
           accurate than a clock.  He has the best crow.  He is just so wonderful in music.  Ex. P.180 line30-38
      b.  He has a pleasing appearance.  Ex. P.180 line39-45

2. He is arrogant.
      Because he possesses those innate advantages, he becomes a man who is really
      vain, pride, and thinks highly of himself.  He looks as if he were a fierce lion
      and as a prince is in his palace.  He is regal like.  Ex. P.187 line 359-364

3. He is pedantic.
      In order to persuade his wife to stand for him, he told her so many stories from
      Bible, king of Egypt, king of Lydia, and so on.  But then he ends their conversation
      with the words- let's talk of happiness.  How can he be soheedless toward his dream?
      Undoubtedly he simply wants to display his knowledge.

4. He is a chauvinist for he has married seven wives.
      a. In his point of view, woman is merely man’s joy and all his bliss.  Here we
          can perceive that man has the sovereignty over woman.  Ex. P186 line 346
      b. He is good at pleasing his wife and saying sweet words.
         They disagree with each other in the beginning of their discourse, but they
          become reconciled after the cock pleases his wife with honey phrases. Ex. P186 line 338-342

5. He is easy to be flattered and heedless.
      He is so pleased by the fox's flattery that he nearly loses his life. Ex. P189-190
 

The hen, Pertelote

1. She is courteous, discreet, friendly, and fairly.
        Like the cock, she is good-looking.  Ex. P180 line 51-52

2. She is a woman who relies on her husband very much.
      She regards that a husband should be reliable for his wife.  It is bravery, wisdom, and
      generosity that she thinks a good husband should have.  She can't love a coward who is afraid of
      dreams.  Ex. P181 line 90-97

3. She believes in scientism.
      She says that dreams are born of gourmandizing, of gas, and of disorders.  And her husband's dream
      comes from the great superfluity of red bile.  Hence she asks him to take a laxative or herbs.
     Ex. P181 line 103-109

4. She is easy to be flattered by her husband.
      The couple got reconciled soon because of the cock’s sweet words.  He praises that her beauty causes        all his fear to die. Ex. P186 line 338-342
 

The fox

1. He is full of sly iniquity and wonderful flatterer.
      a. He is regarded as a murder and dissimulator in the tale.  Being deceitful and tricky, he not only
          glorifies the cock's joyous voice, but mentions about hisparents to close their relationship.  In this
          way, the cock's wariness vanished immediately. Ex. P.189 line 464-501
      b. He is so good at flattering that he deceives the cock to imitate his father, close his eyes to sing, so that         he can seize the cock easily.
2. He shares the same shortcomings with the cock that they are all heedless    and easy to be flattered.
     Ex.P192 line 588-596
 

     In Comparison to these three characters, they indeed share some features, but hold contrast ones on the other hand.  However there is one point worth being mentioned about is that all of them are easy to be flattered.  And this is exactly what Chaucer tries to reveal to his readers that everyone likes to listen to sweet words, but he will be cursed with his superficiality someday.  Flattery is the key to be in failure, and people should watch it out.  Represented with the characters' personality, Chaucer's message is successfully conveyed for all of characters stand for one role in human society.  And human foibles then are shown vividly in the tale.  Those characters are indeed the wonderful portraits!