Class in Canterbury Tales

In regards to the Prologue of the Canterbury Tales, I would like to comment on the structure that Geoffrey Chaucer uses when describing these characters. The way he composes the prologue, we can get a great perspective on what different occupations were like at the time of Chaucer. We can also see where certain occupations rank in society. It seems as if Chaucer organizes his characters starting from the high class to the low class. He starts out with the knight. Other than the king or the queen, the knight ranks in the highest order on the social ladder. The squire, who is a knight in training, ranks right below the knight. Chaucer then describes the clergy men. The clergy men are not chivalrous, but they are connected with God. They are also very wealthy because churchmen recieved alot of money from the public. Next it seems that Chaucer describes ascending business men. Now in this day and age these men along with physicians, would rank among the social elite. I would like to comment on the physician. The physician ranks, according to Chaucer's listing and introduction of characters, among the border line lower class. They are almost peasentry in class. Today, it is widely known that doctors make the most money with regards to occupations. They require the most schooling, and therefore in the United States, make the most money. In other countries, especially in third world countries, or countrys with social medicine, doctors make less money than teachers for example. Chaucer also ranks these people, I believe on intensions of their quest. The men and women who are sincere in their pilgrimiage, rank among the elite according to Chaucer. However, the people who are simply on this journey to prey on people and make a quick buck, are on the bottom of Chaucer's social ladder. I think it is interesting to see how Chaucer lists these people. They are not simply listed in random order in Chaucer's prologue.