Canterbury Tales: The Manciple's Tale Trivia Game | Literature

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "The Manciple's Tale" takes place near the end of the pilgrims' journey in "The Canterbury Tales". What is the name of the location, which, by now in the story, is only a short distance from Canterbury?

Answer: Bobbe-up-and-doun

All of the locations listed are places in "The Canterbury Tales". Bobbe-up-and-doun, is another name for Harbledown which is located in County Kent (south-east England). It is about two miles from Canterbury. It is located in the Blean Forest. The tale takes the Manciple all day - from morning to sunset - to tell his story to the rest of the pilgrims.

The city is also called "Bob-up-and-down."

2. We read about the manciple in "The Canterbury Tales" and his sly mannerisms, but what actually did a manciple do?

Answer: Purchaser and storing of provisions for a law court

The manciple in "The Canterbury Tales" works for a lawyers' institution. He is described as being shrewd, dishonest, and quite a clever buyer of goods and other supplies. He takes financial advantage of the 30 lawyers or so, who are paid to make sure the towns and cities they represent are handled in a manner most professional.

It was the drunken cook who was supposed to originally speak to the pilgrims, but the cook falls off his horse unable to fulfill his obligation, so the manciple takes charge.

The tale the manciple tells is originally from Ovid.

3. The quote, "When Phoebus once on earth was dwelling..." is the introductory passage from Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Manciple's Tale". If Phoebus is the Greek god of music, prophesy, light, and the sun, then who is the Roman god equivalent often compared with the same qualities?

Answer: Apollo

Phoebus comes from the Greek word meaning "bright". The name Phoebus is often used to describe Apollo as the sun god too. Initially, Apollo had many roles as a deity, leading the Romans over time to combine Helios (also known as a Roman sun god) creating "Phoebus Apollo". Basically, Phoebus is an primary epithet for Apollo. Phoibos is a Greek word meaning "radiant," "bright", or "pure".

4. Phoebus had many talents he could show-off while on Earth. He was known as the world's best archer. What is the name of the snake Phoebus killed while it lay resting in the sun?

Answer: Python

Python is a snake from Greek mythology who lived in the center of the Earth. Delphi is the name the Greeks called the center of the Earth. Phoebus/Apollo used his bow and arrow to kill Python as he lay basking in the sun. He had to be killed because it was believed Python was wanting to build a temple in Delphi.

5. Phoebus also was extremely gifted as a musician as well as a singer. In fact, he was twice the singer than Amphion, who was one of the twin sons of Zeus. Amphion played the lyre so well that stones rose up to form as protection around the city. What city was it protecting?

Answer: Thebes

In the poem, the manciple is still trying to build up the mighty Phoebus/Apollo as he leads his listeners to the sad finale. Not mentioned in the "Manciple's Tale" is the other brother of Amphion named Zethus. Apollo wanted both of them to help build the walls around the Cadmea, which was the citadel of Thebes, but only Amphion did. Phoebus played many instruments and was better than even Amphion with the lyre.

6. As gifted as Phoebus was, it was Amphion who was considered "the handsomest young man, that is or was since first the world began."

Answer: False

No, it was Phoebus who was so handsome, not Amphion. It is said that Phoebus was perfect in every worthiness. It was Phoebus, not Amphion, who was considered "the handsomest young man, that is or was since first the world began." Amphion was a demigod and Zeus' son, and not entirely human.

7. Phoebus also had within his house a type of bird that was snow white and could talk of all things. Which type of bird did he have?

Answer: Crow

The crow was as white as a snow white swan. He could copy (counterfeit) the speech of any man. The crow could also sing better than any nightingale. The crow doesn't have the best ending he wished for. More on the crow later. It is the crow who represents gossip and what can happen to those who gossip.

8. It was said that Phoebus was full of honor and of noble character. There was no one in the world that was so fair. He had all this on Earth, but was without a bride.

Answer: False

He did have a wife. He loved her more that he loved his own life. So much, that she was not to ever leave the house. Eventually, this was a big problem for her and for Phoebus. As virtuous as Phoebus was, his wife was not. She had an affair with a substitute that would come and see her from time to time. Plato is mentioned in the poem and says, "There is no smallest difference, truly, between a wife who is of high degree, if of her body she dishonest be."

Phoebus' crime is that he is sorely jealous.

9. The Manciple then explains that there is nothing man may do that can keep a thing restrained that nature has made innately given in any human creature. In this case it was desire. One day, after a long day working, Phoebus comes home, meets the crow, who says what to him?

Answer: "Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!"

The white crow starts out initially saying, "Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!", but then goes on a rant and explains to him everything that he has seen. The gossiping crow says his wife has the value of a gnat as compared to Phoebus. He tells Phoebus more and that she has a lover, which makes Phoebus even more angry.

10. As Phoebus' anger takes over he takes out his bow and arrow and without thinking, swiftly kills his wife. What does he then do with the gossiping crow?

Answer: He plucks the crow's white feathers out

Hence the story of why crows are black. Phoebus is said to have taken each white feather out one by one, but doesn't kill the crow. He tells the crow that all of his off-spring from now on is going to be black. Not only that they will never talk again. Phoebus, with all the good traits, let jealously and anger take over from real thinking.

The poem is about the trials and errors of gossip.

Source: Author BullsGold

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
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Canterbury Tales: The Manciple's Tale Quiz

"The Manciple's Tale" is the penultimate lesson of Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales". The manciple is a sly and devious one, but he sure can tell a good story! Hope you enjoy.

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