Canterbury Tales Clothing and Appearance Quotes

The sely housbonde, algate he moot paye,
He moot us clothe, and he moot us arraye,
Al for his owene worshipe richely,
In which array we daunce jolily.
And if that he noght may, par aventure,
Or ellis list no swich dispence endure,
But thynketh it is wasted and ylost,
Thanne moot another payen for oure cost,
Or lene us gold, and that is perilous.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Shipman’s Tale. Was the wealthy merchant foolish for taking on a beautiful wife who likes a good time? For he is finding that she is spends a lot of his money on clothes, entertaining and throwing and attending lavish balls, which is draining his income. Money is the merchant’s top priority and he views everthing as a transaction, including his marriage relationship.

But by that ilke Lord that for us bledde,
For his honour, myself for to arraye,
A Sonday next I moste nedes paye
An hundred frankes, or ellis I am lorn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Shipman’s Tale. The merchant’s wife reveals to the monk that she owes a debt of one hundred francs for clothes that she bought which her miserly husband denies her. The debt is due and if she does not pay and her husband finds out, she is lost, she tells him. The wife admits that she is a lover of fine clothes that do honor to her husband.

His heer, his berd was lyk saffroun,
That to his girdel raughte adoun;
His shoon of cordewane.
Of Brugges were his hosen broun,
His robe was of syklatoun,
That coste many a jane.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Tale of Sir Thopas. The tale is a satirical depiction of the chivalrous knight, focusing more on his looks, appearance and what he wears, than on his valor or prowess in battle. Here we are told about his saffron hair and beard, leather shoes, brown stockings from Bruges, and expensive silk robe woven with gold.

He dide next his white leere
Of cloth of lake fyn and cleere,
A breech and eek a sherte;
And next his sherte an aketoun,
And over that an haubergeoun
For percynge of his herte;
And over that a fyn hawberk,
Was al ywroght of Jewes werk,
Ful strong it was of plate;
And over that his cote-armour
As whit as is a lilye flour,
His sheeld was al of gold so reed,
And therinne was a bores heed.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Tale of Sir Thopas. In a delightful send-up of the popular English romances, Sir Thopas prepares himself for battle with the three-headed giant by putting on layer after layer of fine clothes and armor. He puts on linen trousers and shirt, quilted jacket, chain-mail shirt, fine plate jeweled armor, and white surcoat. And let’s not forget his gold shield. Sir Thopas getting ready for battle is a parody of the battle preparations in the Knight’s Tale.
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