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Year 8

Creating convincing characters using ‘The Canterbury Tales’ as stimulus

I can write a description of a character who is convincing and intriguing, inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer's character descriptions in 'The Canterbury Tales'.

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Year 8

Creating convincing characters using ‘The Canterbury Tales’ as stimulus

I can write a description of a character who is convincing and intriguing, inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer's character descriptions in 'The Canterbury Tales'.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Chaucer creates 30 convincing characters in the opening section of his poem, 'The Canterbury Tales'.
  2. To create each character, Chaucer describes how they look, how they speak, how they act and how others respond to them.
  3. Chaucer also includes intriguing details so that we are curious to know more about each character.
  4. These methods of characterisation are employed by many writers and can be used in your own writing.

Keywords

  • Intrigued - the emotion someone feels if something is strange or mysterious and they want to know more about it

  • Invariably - always, or almost always

  • Furtively - secretly

  • Vacuous - empty, shallow

  • Audacious - bold, brave, outrageous

Common misconception

You have to include each aspect of characterisation in the same paragraph, and always in the same order.

Chaucer has a particular way of introducing and describing his characters. However, this is one way to do it, amongst many. You will see lots of different writers use the same methods of characterisation, but in different orders and structures.

Consider how you would like to use the model from Andeep in Learning Cycle 2. You might want to walk through it with your pupils, or you could consider asking them to pick it apart themselves.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who wrote 'The Canterbury Tales' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')?
William Shakespeare
Correct answer: Geoffrey Chaucer
William Carlos Williams
WH Auden
Pieter Bruegel
Q2.
In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we read sections of 'The Canterbury Tales'. What type of text is 'The Canterbury Tales'?
an ekphrastic poem
a play
an enjambed poem
a novel
Correct answer: a long poem
Q3.
What do we learn about the character of the Miller when he is first introduced in 'The Canterbury Tales'? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct answer: He has a red beard.
He works hard.
He cheats in wrestling matches.
He is very thin.
Correct answer: He plays the bagpipes.
Q4.
Match the subheadings to what we learn about the Miller in 'The Canterbury Tales' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct Answer:how the Miller looks ,large, muscular, red beard, sword and shield by his side

large, muscular, red beard, sword and shield by his side

Correct Answer:how the Miller acts ,enjoys wrestling, steals corn, breaks down doors

enjoys wrestling, steals corn, breaks down doors

Correct Answer:how others respond to him ,accuse him of being drunk and ask him not to tell a rude story

accuse him of being drunk and ask him not to tell a rude story

Correct Answer:how the Miller speaks ,loudly, and tells rude jokes

loudly, and tells rude jokes

Q5.
In 'The Canterbury Tales' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire') a large number of characters are introduced in the first section of the poem. What are the characters all doing?
having a meal together
Correct answer: going on pilgrimage
moving city
returning from pilgrimage
at a wedding
Q6.
Chaucer wrote 'The Canterbury Tales' Shakespeare wrote his plays and sonnets ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct Answer: before

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each word to its definition ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct Answer:invariably,always, or almost always

always, or almost always

Correct Answer:furtively,secretly

secretly

Correct Answer:vacuous,empty, shallow

empty, shallow

Correct Answer:audacious,bold, brave, outrageous

bold, brave, outrageous

Q2.
Match each character from Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire') to what we find out about them.
Correct Answer:the Miller ,loud, violent, strong, sneaky

loud, violent, strong, sneaky

Correct Answer:the Knight ,polite, gentle, tattered clothes, successful warrior

polite, gentle, tattered clothes, successful warrior

Correct Answer:the university student ,tattered clothes, very silent, extremely thin

tattered clothes, very silent, extremely thin

Correct Answer:the Cook ,good judge of beer, open wound on shin

good judge of beer, open wound on shin

Q3.
Which of the characters from 'The Canterbury Tales' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire') might we best describe as audacious?
the Knight
Correct answer: the Miller
the university student
the Cook
Q4.
Which of these sentences, all inspired by 'The Canterbury Tales', uses the word 'invariably' (or a form of it) correctly? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
The Knight was invariable in all his battles, never losing.
The Cook's meals were invariable, despite the wound on his leg.
Correct answer: The university student invariably went to bed hungry, hence his skinniness.
Correct answer: The Miller invariably won his wrestling matches.
Q5.
Which of these sentences, all inspired by 'The Canterbury Tales', uses the word 'furtively' (or a form of it) correctly? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
There was something furtive about the Knight – he was always open and honest.
Correct answer: The Miller furtively stole corn, and over-charged people.
Correct answer: The Cook tried to be furtive about his wound, but it was just too obvious.
The university student was furtively thin.
Q6.
Which of these sentences, all inspired by 'The Canterbury Tales', uses the word 'vacuous' correctly? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct answer: The Miller was the loudest, but much of what he said was vacuous.
The Knight's story was so vacuous that everyone praised it.
The university student was incredibly vacuous as he never had anything to eat.
The Cook's wound was not too serious, it was mainly a vacuous injury.