Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews October 5, 2023 September 28, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
While Medieval monks were supposed to stay cloistered and devote their lives to the study of scripture, the Monk in The Canterbury Tales proudly dismisses this dictate. A devoted outdoorsman and huntsman, he spends his money on hunting expeditions, equipment, and lavish clothing. In addition to such frivolous spending being against behavioral convention for monks, hunting itself was considered improper behavior for members of the clergy. The Monk has a strong physical presence, harkened by the loud bells on his horse’s bridle. These bells are apparently as loud as a chapel bell, which emphasizes the Monk’s skewed priorities. The Narrator describes him as a “manly man,” and in the Monk’s prologue the Host remarks that if the Monk had not joined the clergy he would have wooed many women. Nevertheless, the Monk tells a tale quite suited for his station, a dower cycle of tragedies from Classical, Biblical, and Historical sources that he claims to know hundreds of. As the Monk begins this tale after the Host’s comment that he doesn’t look like a Monk and shouldn’t have become one, we can read the Monk’s conventional tale as a rebuttal to the Host’s teasing.
Please wait while we process your payment