The Squire is the Knight’s son, a young man of about twenty, who is training to follow in his father’s footsteps. Unlike the Knight, a dignified and sincere veteran of the crusades, the Squire is far more focused on courtly love and romance than war, likely because of his age and relative inexperience. He dresses lavishly, sings, and rides well, necessary traits for the Medieval bachelor. The Squire’s Tale, which is a Medieval romance of the sort very much in fashion in Chaucer’s time, echoes the Squire’s character. Like him, his tale follows Medieval trends, such as telling stories set in far-off lands, and it is focused on brave and romantic deeds. Scholars have also commented on the length of the Squire’s tale. Although the Squire has already begun a third part when the tale cuts off, the plot has barely gotten underway. Citing the Franklin’s interruption, some even suggest Chaucer intentionally left the Squire’s Tale unfinished to emphasize that despite the Squire’s enthusiasm for his subject, he takes too long to tell it, which is a youthful sort of blunder.

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