The Skipper in the Canterbury Tales

The Skipper The appearance and behavior of a character are extremely important. Whether it is in a movie or in literature physical description can say a lot. In the Canterbury Tales, the skipper had brown tanned skin and was the stout, fearless type. He was not one to be fooled with. He, in fact, was a tough and smart sailor. To cast his role today, a great choice would be Johnny Depp. The Skipper’s physical traits are brief, but say a lot.

He wears a woolen gown that reaches his knees, has brown tanned skin, and most importantly has a dagger on a lanyard hanging from around his neck. The reason why the dagger is so important is because it shows that he is tough and fearless. It is almost like a symbol of power. The picture created is of a stout, strong, tough man. Johnny Depp is the first person to come to mind perhaps because of his history with the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series and his brown tanned skin.

Behavior speaks louder than appearance in most cases. The skipper’s behavior was unmerciful. He gave no mercy to the loser’s of fights and immediately made them walk the plank. In Chaucer’s words, he ignored the nicer rules of conscience. In spite of this, the skipper is very smart and a great navigator, which gives the reader the sense that he is also a leader. Johnny Depp has a history of playing roles that blend toughness, intelligence, and leadership which would make him ideal for this role.

The characteristics of appearance and behavior reveal many pros and cons about the skipper. Although he was unmerciful, he was smart. Despite being unkind, he was a good leader. I personally believe that he would have been a good mentor as long as one could get on his good side. In modern times he reminds me of the actor I chose to play him, Johnny Depp. I think Chaucer wanted us to know exactly what I just explained. The skipper was a tough, unkind man, but he was very smart and was a great leader.