"Why the Devil Wears Green" by W.D. Robertson Jr.

Robertson Jr., W.D. “Why the Devil Wears Green.” Modern Language Notes, Vol. 69, No. 7. (Nov., 1954), pp. 470-472.

This article gives two explanations as to why the fact that the fiend in the Friar’s Tale is dressed in green should be a warning as to his true identity. Firstly, the color green is highly associated with the Celtic underworld, although this explanation presumes that Chaucer and his audience was aware of the connection. A second argument for the devil being dressed in green is based off of the work of a mid-fourteenth century humanist Pierre Bersuire, who wrote an entire chapter on the color green in his encyclopedia. This work suggests that the devil, a master hunter, dresses in green because beasts like the color and are attracted to it and he wishes to make himself appear pleasant and not forewarn those he wishes to trap. The fiend in the Friar’s tale wishes to attract his fellow worker, the summoner. Unlike the first explanation, where the color green is a direct warning to all characters involved, the second is only a warning to the reader rather than to those within the tale.

This article can be found on JSTOR.