Preview: Section 6
Reading boundary
Start: Now have I told you shortly in a clause
Stop after: His tale anon, and said as ye shall hear.
With the portraits complete, attention returns to the Tabard and to the practical problem of keeping a large company entertained on the road. The narrator first defends his method of reporting other people’s speech; then the confident, sociable Host proposes a game for the pilgrimage.
Dialogue and group action now replace static description. Agreement, rules, expenses, authority, and chance all matter as the strangers become an organized traveling fellowship and prepare for someone to speak first.