Chaucer's "yong Squier"

In the General Prologue of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, he provides a concise portrait of each of the traveller’s on the way to Canterbury. The second character described is the “yong Squier,” the son of the ideally noble knight portrayed just before (l. 79). In contrast to the knight, the squier is depicted to be less serious and devoted to following through with his duty as the knight is.The fist description of him given is “a lovere and lusty bacheler,” implying that his sexual role is the one that most defines him (l. 80). The next line shows him as with “lokkes crulle as they were laid in presse,” this depicts him as vain, after all, how many warriors can afford the time to curl their hair? He is not, however, illustrated as completely irresponsible; he was “of greet strenghte / And hadde been som time in chavchye” (l. 83-84). So, he is admired for his strength, and he also has spenta considerable amount of time fighting in wars between the English and French. However, Chaucer goes on to write that the fighting had “born him wel of so litel space, / In hope to stonden in his lady’s grace;” because these two lines are placed side-by-side in the text, there is an implication that he the little time he has spent in service has only been for the purpose of being held high in his lady’s esteem (l.87-88). Chaucer continues to illustrate the squier as vain when he writes that he was “Embrouded... al ful of fresshe flowers, white and rede,” not many beginning crusaders probably wore embroidered clothing (l.89-90). “Singing he was, or floiting al the day: /... He coulde songes make, and wel endite, / Juste and eek daunce, and wel portraye and write,” he appears to be considerably less serious and dutiful than his father  and far-more lighthearted (l. 91-96). “He slept namore than dooth a nightingale,” so he spends his nights carousing and enjoying himself, and presumably his ladies (l.98). However Chaucer makes a point of ending his portrait with the fact that the Squier was “curteis... lowely, and servisable / And carf bifron his fader at the table, “ demonstrating that all things considered, he was still committed to doing his duty and doing it well when the time comes (l 99-100). Overall, he symbolizes, not the ideal aristocrat, but certainly not a depraved one. (398)