Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Unknown

The Canterbury Tales have no single antagonist. There's really no one who's trying to prevent the pilgrims from getting to Canterbury. However, as different characters have their time in the spotlight, they also pick up antagonists: the Miller's unflattering story about carpenters causes the Reeve to be angry with him, making the Reeve his antagonist, and the same thing happens between the Friar and the Summoner. At one point, the Pardoner and the Host become antagonists when the Host takes offense at the Pardoner's attempt to sell fake relics to the pilgrims. As the spotlight shifts from one character to another, though, these antagonisms fade from view.