Fragment I
The General Prologue:As April comes, the narrator begins a pilgrimage to Canterbury from the Tabard Inn at Southwerk. Twenty-nine people make the pilgrimage toward Canterbury and the narrator describes them in turn. The pilgrims are listed in relative order of status, thus the first character is the Knight. Chaucer describes the knight as a worthy man who had fought in the Crusades. With him is a Squire, the son of the Knight and a 'lusty bachelor' of twenty. The Knight has a second servant, a Yeoman. There is also a Prioress, shy and polite. She is prim and proper, sympathetic and well-mannered. The Prioress wears a broach with the inscription "All things are subject unto love." With the Prioress is her secretary (the Second Nun) and a Monk. The monk is a robust and masculine man who loves to hunt. The Friar, Hubert, is an immoral man more concerned with making profit than converting men from sin. The Merchant from Flanders is a pompous man who speaks endlessly on how profits may be increased. He seems grave, yet there is no better man, according to the narrator. The Clerk follows the Merchant. As an Oxford student without employment, he is impoverished and wears threadbare clothes. The Man of Law is a man who deserves to be held in awe. He knows the law to the letter and gives the impression that he is far busier than he actually is. A Franklin travels with him. He is a man who lives in comfort and is interested simply in pleasure, particularly culinary delight. There are also five guildsmen: a Weaver, a Dyer, a Carpenter, a Tapestry-maker and a Haberdasher. With them they bring a Cook. A Shipman is the next traveler, who comes from the port of Dartmouth, and with him a Physician. The Wife of Bath is next; she is a weaver who wears bright red clothing. She has been married five times (and had several companions as a youth). The Parson is an honorable, decent man who cares for his congregation and adheres to the teachings of Christ. With him is his brother, a Plowman, who is equally kind. The final travelers are a Miller, a Manciple, a Reeve, a Summoner and a Pardoner. The Miller is a large man with an imposing physique. The Manciple is from a lawyers' college and knows every legal maneuver. The Reeve is a slender man with a fiery temper. The Summoner is quite unfair in his job (he is responsible for serving summons to court for church crimes). If he likes a scoundrel, he can ignore the man's sins. The Pardoner is an effeminate man. Each of these travelers finds themselves in the Tabard Inn, where the Host, a bold and merry man, suggests that on their way to Canterbury each traveler tell two tales, and on the way back each traveler tell two more. They draw lots to decide who will tell the first tale, and it is the Knight who has the honor.
AnalysisIn the General Prologue, Chaucer sets up the general structure of the tales and introduces each of the characters who will tell the tales. The characters who tell each of the tales are as important as the characters in the tales that they tell; a significant portion of the action of the Canterbury Tales takes place within the prologues to each of the tales. The General Prologue in essence serves as a guide for the tales, giving some explanation for the motivation behind each of the tales each character tells.
The introductory imagery of the General Prologue mixes the spiritual with the secular and moves between each form with relative ease. The Canterbury Tales begins with the famous lines "Whanne that Aprill with his shoures soote / The droghte of March hath perced to the roote," setting up imagery of spring and regeneration. Yet he does not continue with the logical outcome of this springtime imagery. Instead of conforming to the cliché "in springtime a young man's fancy turns to love," Chaucer veers into more spiritual territory. In springtime these travelers make a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury. Yet Chaucer is equally uninterested in the religious details of this journey, and keeps the beginning passages of the General Prologue focused on nature and not on the human society with which the travelers will deal.
Chaucer gives relatively straightforward descriptions of the characters and has some inclination to show their best qualities. Chaucer describes virtually each pilgrimage as an exemplar a number of these pilgrims are described as 'perfect' in some way or another, most often in their craft. Furthermore, these pilgrims exist almost entirely in terms of their profession. Chaucer gives only a few of them character names, and these emerge only in terms of conversation between the characters during each tale's prologue, and not in Chaucer's description in the General Prologue.
Yet even within these descriptions he allows for subtle criticism and sly wit. The description of the Prioress in particular, is overtly flattering yet masquerades a sharp criticism of her foolish sentimentality and oppressive attention to manners. Although she strives to be polite and refined, she spoke French "after the school of Stratford-at-Bow," the vulgar rural pronunciation compared to elite Parisian French. Furthermore, she weeps at the mere sight of a dead mouse, a gross overreaction to a small tragedy.
The descriptions of the upper members of the clergy deserve special note in context of the tales. Each of the clergymen defy traditional expectations; the Monk is a rough laborer, while the Friar is resolutely immoral. Chaucer lists the various sins of the Friar: he sells pardon from sin for a price, seduces women who ask for pardons, and spends more time in bars than he does aiding the poor. His concern for profit is a stark contrast with that of the Merchant. While the Merchant merely dispenses advice on how to attain profit, it is the Friar who applies his entire existence to its pursuit. The Friar further contrasts with the later description of the Parson, a man who performs his duties honorably and cares for his congregation. In his description of the Parson, Chaucer lists the various admirable qualities, none of which are held by the Friar.
The description of the Merchant is also notable, for it shows the disparity between how the narrator overtly appraises a character and what he describes. After listing a number of unflattering qualities in the Merchant, the narrator still judges him to be a fine man; in these descriptions, the details and anecdotes are far more important in defining character than the final stated opinion of the narrator.
Chaucer indulges in comic criticism in his portrait of the Clerk. This Oxford student, however educated, is not worldly enough for any normal employment. He has studied only impractical knowledge, and even carries among his few possessions several volumes of Aristotle.
Most of the travelers engaged in a profession receive little description; as the travelers move down the social scale Chaucer gives them less and less detailed descriptions. The Wife of Bath is the most significant of the travelers low on the social scale. Chaucer describes her as lewd and boisterous. Her clothing, all variations of bright red, is ostentatious, meant to attract attention from others. Chaucer even indicates that she is quite promiscuous she has been married five times and had an undetermined number of lovers. The other traveler who merits a lengthy description is the Pardoner. He has a very effeminate manner, with a high voice and soft features. Chaucer even compares him to a gelding (a castrated horse) or a mare, which may be a subtle comment on his sexuality.
The prologue sets up the general design of the Canterbury Tales. Each character will tell four tales during the journey, leading to a grand total of 116 tales. Chaucer never completed all of the tales, starting only about one fourth of the possible stories, not all of which remain in their entirety. Some of the stories that remain are only fragments which have either been lost or were never completed by the author.
When the travelers draw lots to decide who will tell the first story, it is the Knight who has the first choice. Although the order is supposedly random, the Knight draws the first lot and thus randomly receives the rank appropriate to his status, which indicates that the Host may have fixed the lots in order to curry favor with the Knight.
www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/section12.rhtmlSummary and Analysis of The Knight's Tale
The Knight's Tale, Part I:The Knight begins his tale with the story of a prince named Theseus who married Hippolyta, the queen of Scythia, and brought her and her sister, Emelye, back to Athens with him after conquering her kingdom of Amazons. When Theseus returned home victorious, he became aware that there was a company of women clad in black who knelt at the side of the highway, shrieking. The oldest of the women asked Theseus for pity. She told him that she was once the wife of King Cappaneus who was destroyed at Thebes, and that all of the other women with her lost their husbands. Creon, the lord of the town, simply tossed the dead bodies of the soldiers in a single pile and refused to burn or bury them. Theseus swore vengeance upon Creon, and immediately ordered his armies toward Thebes. Theseus vanquished Creon, and when the soldiers were disposing of the bodies they found two young knights, Arcite and Palamon, two royal cousins, not quite dead. Theseus ordered that they be imprisoned in Athens for life. They passed their time imprisoned in a tower in Athens until they saw Emelye in a nearby garden. Both fall immediately in love with her. Palamon compares her to Venus, and he prays for escape from the prison, while Arcite claims that he would rather be dead than not have Emelye. The two bicker over her, each calling the other a traitor. This happened on a day in which Pirithous, a prince and childhood friend of Theseus, came to Athens. Pirithous had known Arcite at Thebes, and on his request Theseus set Arcite free on the promise that Arcite would never be found in Theseus' kingdom. He now had his freedom, but not the ability to pursue Emelye, and lamented the cruelty of fate. Palamon, however, envied Arcite, since he could presumably raise an army against Theseus to conquer Athens. The Knight poses this question: which has the worse case: Arcite, who has his freedom but not access to Emelye, or Palamon, who can see Emelye but remains a prisoner?
AnalysisThe Knight tells a tale of courtship and chivalry, focused on the deeds of soldiers and princes, the social milieu in which the Knight travels. Even the structure of the tale obeys the structure and hierarchy within society. The Knight does not start with the main characters of the tale, Arcite and Palamon; instead, he begins at the apex of society, describing the exploits of Theseus of Athens, working downward until he reaches the less distinguished Theban soldiers.
The Knight's Tale adheres to traditional values of honor in which there are strict codes of behavior which one must follow. This code of chivalry is not necessarily polite and decent. In the morality of the tale, Theseus' sudden decision to ransack Thebes to right a wrong is perfectly acceptable as punishment for a transgression against the honor of the dead soldiers.
The dynamics of the Knight's tale are relatively simple. The tale is instructive, positing the question of which knight Arcite or Palamon has a superior situation. The situation and the moral questions that it poses thus become more important than the qualities of the individual characters. They exist to be moved by the events of the story: to be imprisoned and set free whenever the plot demands, or to fall in love at first sight when it is dramatically convenient. Even the characters acknowledge their lack of free will within the story. The two knights pray to Venus for a literal deus ex machine, for they are unable to control their own fate. The Knight's Tale even acknowledges the role of fate through the gods. Palamon leaves his fate to theology, blaming his fate on Venus, Juno and Saturn.
Arcite and Palamon are thus virtually indistinguishable from one another. There is no information on which a reader may base an opinion on their respective virtues, thus the focus shifts to their situations. Emelye is equally standard. The Knight describes her as a typical fairy-tale maiden the only inversion of the formula is that her suitors are the ones imprisoned. She is even first seen in a garden, a pastoral symbol that balances both purity and fertility.
The Knight's Tale, Part II:After two years in Thebes, one night Arcite dreamed that he saw Mercury stand before him, bidding him to be free of hope and care. He told Arcite to go to Athens to relieve his grief. Arcite thought that he might disguise his rank in Athens and pass unknown. He came to the court and offered his services, and fell into a post with Emelye's steward under the name of Philostratus. Arcite worked as a page in Emelye's house and was beloved, so Theseus made him soon squire of his chamber and furnished him from Thebes. Meanwhile Palamon had lived for seven years in his dungeon. It soon occurred that Palamon escaped from the tower and fled the city. He meant to hide himself and head toward Thebes. That morning Arcite went horseback riding. In the area outside of the city, he dismounted and began to speak to himself, lamenting his situation without Emelye. He did this around the area where Palamon was hiding, and he revealed himself to Arcite. Since neither has weapons, they vow to meet in the same place tomorrow and fight over Emelye. They returned the next day armed for battle. While they prepared, Theseus, Hippolyta and Emelye were hunting. They reached the area where Arcite and Palamon were fighting, and Theseus stopped the battle. Palamon admits to Theseus that Arcite is the man who was banished and returned, disguised as Philostratus, while he is the escaped prisoner. He also admits that both love Emelye. Theseus ordered the death of both, but the queen and Emelye took pity on the two men, and begged Theseus for mercy. He considers how much they loved Emelye to risk death by not escaping to Thebes. He asks them to swear that they will never make war against any realm of his. He decides that the two will wage war on each other, each with one hundred knights, in order to decide whom Emelye will marry.
Analysis:The escape of Palamon from prison soon after Arcite is released puts a quick finish to the question posed at the end of the first part of the tale. Both soon have the autonomy to pursue Emelye and relatively equal access to her, even if both are still forbidden in Athens. Yet the schematic structure still prevails. The tale thrives on improbable coincidences. When Palamon is hiding, not only does Arcite happen to be in the same area, but he also happens to talk to himself, indirectly revealing his identity to Palamon. A similar coincidence occurs when Arcite and Palamon stage their duel. Theseus, his wife and the knights' beloved, Emelye, happen to find themselves in the same forest at the same time that Arcite and Palamon are fighting, the first instance in which the two have direct contact with Emelye.
Emelye proves a problematic character in the scheme of the story. Arcite and Palamon are prepared to fight to the death for her love, despite the fact that neither have had significant contact with her and cannot be assured that she would love either man. Yet even Theseus accepts this code of conduct and offers the queen's sister as a prize for the two men, whom he previously had imprisoned and had threatened with death only moments before.
The Knight's Tale continues to establish rules of honor and chivalric conduct. Theseus condemns Arcite's and Palamon's actions not because they were fighting one another, but because they did not do so under the proper rules set for a duel, such as the requirement for a superior to judge fair conduct.
The Knight's Tale, Part III:Theseus commissioned the building of a theater for the duel between Arcite and Palamon that would be a mile in circumference. This stadium was opulent, featuring carvings and portraits as well as temples honoring Mars, Diana and Venus. When the day of the duel approached, Palamon brought Lycurgus, the king of Thrace, to fight with him, while Arcite brought Emetreus, the king of India. The night before the duel, Palamon prayed to Venus to solace his pains of love. He asks Venus, the goddess of love, to let Arcite murder him if Arcite will be the one to marry Emelye. The statue of Venus shook, an omen that the goddess was listening. Emelye prayed to the shrine to Diana, the goddess of chastity. She prays that she wishes to remain a maiden all her life and to not be a man's lover nor wife. She wishes for peace and friendship between Arcite and Palamon. But if it is her destiny to marry one against her will, she asks to have the one who wants her most. The statue of Diana shed tears of blood, another omen. Then Diana herself appeared to Emelye and told her that she will marry one of the two. Arcite prayed to Mars. He prayed for victory in battle, and the statue of Mars whispered the word 'victory' to him, the third omen. Mars and Venus thus warred upon one another, but aged Saturn found a means to satisfy both of them. He tells Venus that Palamon shall have his lady, but Mars shall help his servant.
Analysis:The battle between Arcite and Palamon assumes epic dimensions with the construction of a great arena where the two may wage war upon another under Theseus' guide. Yet the outcome of the tale of the two cousins is not in their individual hands. Both Palamon and Arcite place their respective destinies in the gods to whom they pray. It is here that the difference between the characters emerge. Palamon prays for success in love, while Arcite prays for success in war.
The role of Emelye in the battle between Palamon and Arcite finally becomes clear in this section of the tale. She does not wish to marry either of the knights, preferring a life of chastity to marriage. However, she acknowledges her role as a pawn in the situation. She accepts the destiny proscribed to her by the goddess Diana and the mortal king Theseus.
If Emelye takes a passive role in the plot of the Knight's Tale, the same must be said for Palamon and Arcite. The outcome of the battle will not be decided by the two knights, but rather by Saturn, who will affect the proceedings in order to placate both Venus and Mars. The actual situation among the mortals is not significant compared to the struggle between the two gods.
The Knight's Tale, Part IV:Theseus sets the rules of the battle between the two opposing factions. He orders that during the war between the two sides, nobody shall suffer a mortal blow. If an opponent is overcome, he shall leave the battle. The people raised their voices in exultation. The two armies were equal in prowess, age and nobility. Arcite pursued Palamon viciously, and Palamon returned with equal severity. But Emetreus seized Palamon and pierced him with his sword. In the attempt to rescue Palamon king Lycurgus was struck down, and then Emetreus himself was wounded. Theseus declared that Arcite had won. Venus was disappointed at the outcome, but Saturn told her that Mars was now appeased and she would receive a similar appeasement. Suddenly, as Arcite was proclaimed victorious, there was an earthquake sent by Pluto that frightened Arcite's horse, which swerved and fell, throwing off Arcite and mortally wounding him. Before he died, Arcite tells Emelye that she could have no more worthy husband than Palamon. His last word before he died was her name. Theseus orders Emelye to marry Palamon after a funeral ceremony honoring Arcite.
Analysis:The final section of the Knight's Tale resolves all of the conflicts between both mortals and gods. Both Palamon and Arcite receive that for which they prayed before the battle: Arcite wins the battle, but Palamon wins the wife. Only Emelye does not receive that which she truly desired, for Theseus orders that she be married, despite her intent to remain a maiden. Saturn sets the situation right between the rival gods Venus and Mars, appeasing each in turn. Even in a more mortal dimension the conflicts are set right. Arcite and Palamon forgive one another for their long-standing quarrel before Arcite dies, each recognizing the other's worth. The section continues the symmetrical alignment that has marked the story. Even the two armies that battle each other are perfectly equal in rank, prowess, age and ability. The conflict therefore is not in the armies' hands, but rather Palamon's and Arcite's, and these two knights merely act as pawns for Venus and Mars.
The overall structure of the tale gives priority to certain values. Theseus, the arbiter in the conflict between Arcite and Palamon and thus the character in the tale who determines the moral significance of the characters' actions, places great emphasis on honorable codes of conduct; he sets specific rules for the battle meant to ensure justice, and even orders that no soldier shall die in the battle (which then descends from a contest among gladiators to a rough approximation of modern sports). Compounding these values is a tendency toward displays of wealth and power. Each of the final events in the story are punctuated by great pageantry. On the orders of Theseus, the simple duel between Arcite and Palamon transforms into a gala event requiring the construction of a massive coliseum for two armies to wage war on one another, even bringing in the kings of two foreign nations.
Summary and Analysis of The Miller's Tale
Prologue to the Miller's Tale:When the Knight had finished, everybody decided that he had told a noble story. The drunken Miller claims that he has a tale as noble as the one the Knight had told. The host tried to quiet the Miller, but he demanded to speak. He claims that he will tell the tale of a carpenter and his wife. His tale will be one of infidelity. The narrator attempts to apologize for the tale that will follow, admitting that the Miller is not well-bred and will therefore tell a bawdy tale.
AnalysisIt is in the prologues to the various tales that Chaucer comments on the tales that his characters have told. This serves as an internal critique of the tales that Chaucer has written. In this prologue, the Miller constructs the author's reaction to the Knight's Tale. The Miller mocks the noble messages of the Knight's Tale, and prepares to tell a tale that he finds equally uplifting. The tale that will follow is unreservedly bawdy and lowbrow, a necessary antidote to the oppressive sense of epic honor that permeates the stodgy Knight's tale.
The Canterbury Tales offer Chaucer an opportunity for experimentation, for he has created characters who create their own stories. Therefore the stories are not simply an extension of Geoffrey Chaucer's imagination. The story of Palamon and Arcite is a tale that a man such as the Knight might tell; the inflated pomposity of the tale is a deliberate move by Chaucer, purposely adhering to the Knight's personality even at some dramatic and narrative expense. This also affords Chaucer the opportunity to engage in forms of disreputable humor, as the Miller's Tale will demonstrate. Chaucer even separates himself from the tale that the Miller has told, claiming that it comes from the imagination of a vulgar and indecent man who is nevertheless entirely Chaucer's creation.
The Miller's Tale:There was once an old oaf living in Oxford who took in boarders. Now living with him was a poor student who studied astrology (astronomy) named Nicholas. He was sly, demure and well-versed in love. The carpenter had wed a much younger wife and Alison. She was fair and slim, good enough for any lord to have as a mistress or any yeoman to honestly wed. While John the carpenter was away, Nicholas made a pass at Alison, then proclaimed his love for her. She warned him that her husband was jealous, but swore that she would meet him when she could do so safely. One day Alison was heading to the parish when she met Absolon, a jolly man known for singing and playing guitar. That night he came to Alison's home to serenade her, for he had fallen in love. Alison could only laugh at Absolon's attempts to woo her, for she loved Nicholas. One Saturday when John had gone to Oseney, Nicholas and Alison agreed that he should use his wit to trick the carpenter. If their ruse worked, then Alison would be free to spend the entire night with Nicholas. Nicholas spent an entire day confined alone in his room, and the carpenter wondered what was wrong. He told John that he had been studying his astrology and found that there will be a downpour equal to Noah's flood, and in less than an hour the world shall drown. Nicholas tells John to get three kneading tubs that the three can use as boats. The tubs shall be placed on the roof so that they will remain unseen. When the rain comes, only Nicholas, John and Alison shall survive. John believed Nicholas and did as he instructed. The three went up on the roof that night, and when John fell asleep Nicholas and Alison left to have sex. The next morning right before dawn, Absolon went to serenade Alison. She tells Absolon to leave, but he persists. She agrees to one kiss, and tells him to close his eyes then she pulls down her pants and he kisses her rear end. Nicholas and Alison mock Absolon, who leaves embarrassed. He went to a nearby blacksmith and borrowed a hot forging iron. When he returned, he asked for another kiss. This time, Nicholas strips to have Absolon kiss him, and even intends to fart in his face but Absolon instead burns his behind with the forging iron. Nicholas cried for water, waking John, who thought that the flood had come and cut the rope holding the tub. John fell from the roof. The entire town came to see what had happened. They declared that John had gone mad and laughed over the proceedings. Each man got his punishment John was injured and declared insane, Absolon was humiliated, and Nicholas burned.
Analysis:The Miller's Tale takes the form of a fabliau, a familiar medieval literary genre that concerned the bourgeois and vulgar classes. The traditional form of a fabliau concerns a bourgeois husband who is duped into aiding a clever young man receive sexual favors from his wife. The young sexual intruder is typically a student or cleric and thus belongs to no definable class. These tales were not simply a middle- and lower- class diversion; elite audiences of Chaucer's time appreciated the tales for painting condescending and vulgar portraits of the lower orders. The tale even acknowledges these class differences. The Miller remarks that Alison would be acceptable as a yeoman's wife, but she could also be the lowly mistress of a lord. The elite viewpoint also is reinforced by the character of Nicholas. He is the one educated character, and it is his intelligence and scholarship that give him the advantage over the uneducated ruffian that is the carpenter.
The Miller's Tale takes the traditional form of the fabliau, but it also approximates the structure of the Knight's Tale. The Miller's Tale is a gross parody of the Knight's moralistic story, bringing the tale down to lower orders and stripping it of the honor and chivalry that marked the Knight's story. Like the story that preceded it, the Miller's Tale concerns a romantic struggle that ends with each of the parties receiving what they deserve. However, the romantic protagonists in the Miller's tale are a foolish young man, a cunning student, and a cuckolded husband, not the interchangeable and indistinguishable knights. Both tales also rely on convenient coincidences that drive the plot, such as the sudden appearance of Theseus in the Knight's Tale and the shout "water" that awakens the carpenter in the Miller's Tale.
Whereas the Knight's tale prizes morality and piety toward the gods, the Miller's Tale values different attributes. Courtly romantic love is mocked mercilessly; Absolon, the one suitor whose behavior would fit traditional romantic standards, is the victim of Alison's scorn and receives only one vulgar 'kiss' for his efforts. In the tale, Absolon's romantic affectations mark him as foolish and effeminate. The Miller sarcastically notes how Absolon combed his curly blond hair to prepare himself for Alison, a parody of courtly love and romance for which the Miller has no use. The steadfast devotion that John the carpenter holds for his wife is equally subject to derision. It is love for his wife that causes John to be tricked by Nicholas into taking tubs onto the roof. Only Nicholas does not suffer for his romantic pursuits. He does not court Alison rather, in his first encounter with her Nicholas grabs her crotch before even speaking. Nicholas only receives a form of punishment when he attempts to trick Absolon with a 'kiss' for the second time, and in this occasion Nicholas suffers not because he has broken any moral codes, but because he was foolish to try the same trick twice. Only Alison escapes any form of retribution, for she is the one who is consistently cunning and wily. She receives no punishment for her infidelity, while the characters who are the most overtly virtuous (John and Absolon) are the ones who suffer the most. The Miller's tale thus prizes the characters who are the most shrewd rather than those who hold more sentimental emotions or obey traditional standards of behavior.
Summary and Analysis of The Reeve's Tale
Prologue to the Reeve's Tale:The reactions of the crowd to the Miller's Tale were mixed, although many laughed. Only Oswald, the elderly Reeve was offended. He claims that with age the qualities of boasting, lying, anger and covetousness fade away. He vows to repay the Miller's Tale.
AnalysisThe prologue to the Reeve's Tale continues the pattern established with the prologue to the Miller's Tale. Just as the Miller told his tale as a reaction to the Knight's tale, the Reeve vows to tell a tale as a reaction to what the Miller has told, offended by his satiric description of aged carpenter in comparison to the younger characters of the Miller's Tale. He believes that the Miller's Tale was an attack on him, and will so tell a tale that is an attack on the Miller.
The Reeve's Tale:At Trumpington, near Cambridge, there is a brook where nearby stands a mill. There is a miller who lived there once who wore ostentatious clothing and could play the bagpipe, wrestle and fish. He always had a knife with him, and had a round face and flattened nose. His name was Simon, and nicknamed Symkyn. His wife came from a noble family; her father was the parson. Symkyn was a jealous man and his wife pretentious. They had a daughter who was now twenty and a toddler. The miller was dishonest in his business dealings. He cheated the college worst of all, and stole meal and corn from the dying steward of Cambridge. Two students, John and Aleyn, received permission from the provost to see the corn ground at the mill. Aleyn tells Symkyn that he is there to ground the corn and bring it back, since the sick steward cannot. While they ground the corn, Symkyn found the students' horse and set it loose. When the students finished, they rush after the horse, forgetting both the corn and the meal. While they were gone, the miller took part of their flour and told his wife to knead it into dough. The students returned to find their meal stolen. They begged the miller for help, and he offers them a place to stay for the night. The miller's daughter slept in the same room alone. The miller himself fell asleep and began to snore, annoying the students. Aleyn vows to seduce the daughter, Molly, as revenge for the stolen corn. John warns him that the miller is dangerous. Aleyn seduced her, while John felt humiliated that he was merely sleeping while Aleyn was having sex with the miller's daughter. John himself seduced the miller's wife. That morning, Molly told Aleyn where he could find the bread that she helped her father steal. Aleyn goes to tell John of his exploits, but Symkyn hears and grabs him by the neck. Aleyn punches him, and the two fight, until the miller tumbles backward on his wife, breaking her ribs. John sprang up quickly to find a staff. The miller's wife found one, and tried to hit Aleyn with it, but instead struck her husband. The students left him lying, got dressed and took their meal. So the proud miller got himself a beating, lost his labor, was cuckolded and had his daughter seduced. The proverb rings true: "Let him not look for good whose works are ill," for a trickster shall himself be tricked.
Analysis:The Reeve's Tale is a vulgar comic tale intended to humiliate the Miller. The Reeve pursues an obvious vendetta in his story, which he indicates in the story's prologue. Symkyn, the central character of the tale, is meant to represent the Miller, and consequently has no redeemable characteristics. Symkyn is a miller who has a sense of incredible vanity with regards to his high-born wife, he is violent and vulgar, and resorts to thievery. His pride in his wife is mere foolishness, for as the daughter of a parson, Symkyn's wife is, strictly speaking, illegitimate. Even his wife and daughter are subject to intense ridicule. The Reeve describes the daughter as 'thick' and 'round,' while the wife is an empty, passive character who freely submits herself to John. But even though the other characters exist only as targets for the Reeve's scorn, the force of the plot concerns heaping scorn on the Miller. The story exists primarily for the purpose of setting up and developing a situation in which Symkyn will be humiliated.
The Reeve's tale therefore lacks any degree of compassion toward any of its characters. The nominal heroes of the tale, Aleyn and John, are more sympathetic than Symkyn and his family only to the degree that they are more intelligent, yet even this distinction is minor. Although they are students, they come from the more rustic northern area of England and show little of the savvy that Nicholas displayed in the previous tale. They are cheated out of their corn and lose their horse through the miller's deception. When they seduce the miller's wife and daughter, they do so merely out of opportunity and jealousy, and their actions seem to be little better than rape. The two students even lack that measure of lust that is present in the Miller's Tale and which might make the characters more sympathetic. In the end, most of the characters suffer some physical injury, but most of all the miller. For deceiving the students he found himself cuckolded, his daughter deflowered, and himself robbed and severely wounded. Even the means by which he is wounded is comic his wife conks him on the head with his staff.
Summary and Analysis of The Cook's Tale
The Cook's Tale:Chaucer only completed fifty or so lines of this fragment. The tale begins by describing an apprentice who spent most of his life in
Summary and Analysis of The Reeve's Tale
Prologue to the Reeve's Tale:The reactions of the crowd to the Miller's Tale were mixed, although many laughed. Only Oswald, the elderly Reeve was offended. He claims that with age the qualities of boasting, lying, anger and covetousness fade away. He vows to repay the Miller's Tale.
AnalysisThe prologue to the Reeve's Tale continues the pattern established with the prologue to the Miller's Tale. Just as the Miller told his tale as a reaction to the Knight's tale, the Reeve vows to tell a tale as a reaction to what the Miller has told, offended by his satiric description of aged carpenter in comparison to the younger characters of the Miller's Tale. He believes that the Miller's Tale was an attack on him, and will so tell a tale that is an attack on the Miller.
The Reeve's Tale:At Trumpington, near Cambridge, there is a brook where nearby stands a mill. There is a miller who lived there once who wore ostentatious clothing and could play the bagpipe, wrestle and fish. He always had a knife with him, and had a round face and flattened nose. His name was Simon, and nicknamed Symkyn. His wife came from a noble family; her father was the parson. Symkyn was a jealous man and his wife pretentious. They had a daughter who was now twenty and a toddler. The miller was dishonest in his business dealings. He cheated the college worst of all, and stole meal and corn from the dying steward of Cambridge. Two students, John and Aleyn, received permission from the provost to see the corn ground at the mill. Aleyn tells Symkyn that he is there to ground the corn and bring it back, since the sick steward cannot. While they ground the corn, Symkyn found the students' horse and set it loose. When the students finished, they rush after the horse, forgetting both the corn and the meal. While they were gone, the miller took part of their flour and told his wife to knead it into dough. The students returned to find their meal stolen. They begged the miller for help, and he offers them a place to stay for the night. The miller's daughter slept in the same room alone. The miller himself fell asleep and began to snore, annoying the students. Aleyn vows to seduce the daughter, Molly, as revenge for the stolen corn. John warns him that the miller is dangerous. Aleyn seduced her, while John felt humiliated that he was merely sleeping while Aleyn was having sex with the miller's daughter. John himself seduced the miller's wife. That morning, Molly told Aleyn where he could find the bread that she helped her father steal. Aleyn goes to tell John of his exploits, but Symkyn hears and grabs him by the neck. Aleyn punches him, and the two fight, until the miller tumbles backward on his wife, breaking her ribs. John sprang up quickly to find a staff. The miller's wife found one, and tried to hit Aleyn with it, but instead struck her husband. The students left him lying, got dressed and took their meal. So the proud miller got himself a beating, lost his labor, was cuckolded and had his daughter seduced. The proverb rings true: "Let him not look for good whose works are ill," for a trickster shall himself be tricked.
Analysis:The Reeve's Tale is a vulgar comic tale intended to humiliate the Miller. The Reeve pursues an obvious vendetta in his story, which he indicates in the story's prologue. Symkyn, the central character of the tale, is meant to represent the Miller, and consequently has no redeemable characteristics. Symkyn is a miller who has a sense of incredible vanity with regards to his high-born wife, he is violent and vulgar, and resorts to thievery. His pride in his wife is mere foolishness, for as the daughter of a parson, Symkyn's wife is, strictly speaking, illegitimate. Even his wife and daughter are subject to intense ridicule. The Reeve describes the daughter as 'thick' and 'round,' while the wife is an empty, passive character who freely submits herself to John. But even though the other characters exist only as targets for the Reeve's scorn, the force of the plot concerns heaping scorn on the Miller. The story exists primarily for the purpose of setting up and developing a situation in which Symkyn will be humiliated.
The Reeve's tale therefore lacks any degree of compassion toward any of its characters. The nominal heroes of the tale, Aleyn and John, are more sympathetic than Symkyn and his family only to the degree that they are more intelligent, yet even this distinction is minor. Although they are students, they come from the more rustic northern area of England and show little of the savvy that Nicholas displayed in the previous tale. They are cheated out of their corn and lose their horse through the miller's deception. When they seduce the miller's wife and daughter, they do so merely out of opportunity and jealousy, and their actions seem to be little better than rape. The two students even lack that measure of lust that is present in the Miller's Tale and which might make the characters more sympathetic. In the end, most of the characters suffer some physical injury, but most of all the miller. For deceiving the students he found himself cuckolded, his daughter deflowered, and himself robbed and severely wounded. Even the means by which he is wounded is comic his wife conks him on the head with his staff.
Summary and Analysis of The Cook's Tale
The Cook's Tale:Chaucer only completed fifty or so lines of this fragment. The tale begins by describing an apprentice who spent most of his life in the pursuit of pleasures. He secured from his master leave for the night, which he spent in drunken revelry. The tale ends here. It is likely that the tale would continue the pattern of the previous tales in telling a comic tale, possibly in the fabliau mold.
Summary and Analysis of The Man of Law's Tale
Fragment IIThe Words of the Host to the Company and Prologue to the Man of Law's Tale:
The host speaks to the rest of the travelers, telling them that they can regain lost property but not lost time. The host suggests that the lawyer tell the next tale, and he agrees to do so, for he does not intend to break his promises. He says that we ought to keep the laws we give to others. He even refers to Chaucer, who works ignorantly and writes poorly, but at the very least does not write filthy tales of incest. The Man of Law tells the company that he will tell a tale by Chaucer called the tale of Cupid's Saints. The lawyer prepares for the tale he will tell about poverty, and does so in a pretentious and formal manner.
AnalysisIn the prologue to the Man of Law's Tale, Chaucer once again plays with the divergence between the actual author and the narrator of each tale with the lawyer's critical reference to Chaucer, as if he were not the actual architect of the tale's words. The lawyer's critique of Chaucer is playful, little more than a sarcastic jibe at Chaucer's own abilities and a critique of Chaucer's contemporaries not meant to be taken seriously. In fact, little that the lawyer says is momentous or significant. Chaucer portrays the lawyer as pompous and formal, addressing the motley crowd as if he were speaking to the court.
The Man of Law's Tale, Part 1:In Syria there dwelt a company of wealthy traders who made a journey to Rome. After a certain time there, they beheld Constance, the emperor's daughter, who was renowned equally for her goodness and beauty. When the merchants returned to Syria, they reported to the sultan what they had seen; he immediately was taken with lust and wonder for Constance. The sultan met with his advisors and told them of his intent, but they could conceive of no way that he could marry Constance, for no Christian emperor would allow his daughter to marry a Moslem. The sultan thus decided that he would convert to Christianity and that his baronets would follow him in his conversion. With this conversion the Roman emperor gave Constance away in marriage, but she was overcome with sorrow, for she did not wish to be sent to a foreign country. She accepts, however, thinking that women are made to be subject to men's governance. The mother of the sultan (the sultana), however, learned of his intentions to convert, and sent for her own council.
Analysis:The Man of Law's Tale exalts the sacrifice and honor of Constance, the daughter of the Roman emperor who will suffer a number of injustices during the years over which the story takes place. It is an overtly religious tale that does not even reach for the subtlety of allegory. Constance depends on her religious faith for her survival throughout a number of events in the story, while those characters who do not share her Christian faith are uniformly evil, whether pagan or Muslim. The tale takes a narrow view of humanity in which Christianity represents unadulterated purity and any other religious tradition is pure evil. Yet the Man of Law's Tale places a significant emphasis on fate;
Her virtue and honor stem from her devotion to Christian principles, while those who adhere to other religious beliefs are automatically suspect. This holds true for the Syrians and even their sultan. The Lawyer describes them as covetous and, in the case of the sultan, lustful. He wishes to marry Constance before he has even met her, desiring the power that comes from her status as Roman royalty. The sultan is only redeemed when he chooses to convert to Christianity, but even when this occurs Constance still faces dancer from the sultana, whose villainy is shown by her devotion to her faith and unwillingness to accept Christian principles.
The Man of Law's Tale, although the introduction claims it will be in prose form, actually is in rhyme royal.
The Man of Law's Tale, Part 2:The sultana and her confidants agreed never to renounce the Islamic faith, and she compared Constance to Eve, tempting her son to sinful action. The mother of the sultan and her advisors will pretend to accept Christianity and host a feast for the sultan and his new wife. During this feast, the sultana had her followers massacre all of the attendants. Only Constance survived; they placed her on a rudderless boat heading back to Italy, with enough food to survive but no means of navigating to Rome. On this ship Constance remained for years. It was only through her prayer that she remained safe. The ship finally crashed on the shores of Northumberland. The warden of a nearby castle found Constance and gave her shelter, but she refused to reveal her identity. He and his wife, Dame Hermengild, were pagans, but Constance soon secretly converted the wife to Christianity in this heathen land. Christians could only practice their faith privately and secretly. While walking on the beach, Constance, Hermengild and her husband came upon a blind Christian, who identified her. Although Hermengild feared that her husband would reproach her for the conversion, he too became a Christian. The warden was not the lord of the castle. Instead, it was Alla, the king of Northumberland, who was at war against the Scots. A young knight, influenced by Satan, fell in love with Constance, but she would not return her favors. In an attempt to exact revenge upon her, he broke into the bedchamber where Constance and Dame Hermengild slept, slit Hermengeld's throat and placed the knife beside Constance. Soon after the warden came home with Alla and found his wife murdered. The knight blamed Constance for the crime, but everyone supported Constance, unable to believe that she would murder Hermengild. Still, with the knight's accusation Constance was to be put to death. She prayed for a miracle and, moved by her pleas, Alla decided to make the knight swear on the Bible that Constance was the murderer. When he did so, the knight was struck down and his eyes burst. Upon witnessing this miracle, Alla converted to Christianity himself and sentenced the knight to death. Alla took Constance as his wife, but Lady Donegild, his mother, was distressed at the development. After their marriage, when King Alla was in Scotland, Constance gave birth to a child named Mauritius. She sent letters to him, but Donegild intercepted them and replaced them with a different letter, claiming that the new child was foul and wicked. Alla, however, wrote back that he vowed to love the child. She intercepted the new letter, and replaced it with one that banished Constance and her child on the same boat from which they came.
Analysis:Although the sultana compares Constance to Eve, this comparison is entirely wrong. In the context of the story, Constance does not tempt others to sin, but instead acts as the one bastion for moral behavior. If anything, she is incapable of tempting other characters; Constance is an unwavering, passive character who is moved by the plot and only in rare occasions is an active character. The sultana, however, is irredeemably wicked, ordering her son and his fiancée's murder. That Constance survives is a testament to her Christian faith. During the numerous times in which she faces fatal consequences, Constance relies in prayer for her survival and, without fail, this technique is successful. Therefore her survival during the massacre in Syria can be attributed in part to her Christianity; she is the only Christian among the group and the only survivor.
The Lawyer's tale is essentially one that glorifies Christianity and its values. The warden of the castle and Hermengild prove their worth through conversion, and the narrator makes clear that Christians in England are persecuted for their beliefs. Their adherence to the faith thus becomes a noble sacrifice, for they risk their own lives by becoming Christians. Yet without fail each of the pagan characters is ignoble. The narrator describes the knight who murders Hermengild and attempts to frame Constance as influenced by Satan, while Donegild, a pagan who refused to convert to Christianity, schemes to have her son's wife banished.
The scheming Donegild shares obvious similarities with the murderous sultana. Both design to prevent Constance from marrying their sons, fearful of the Christian influence that Constance brings to their respective nations. The two mothers fall into the same fairy-tale mold as a wicked stepmother, cardboard villainesses with no redeeming qualities. The defining characteristic of both women that mark them as evil is their paganism, which drives them to murderous action.
The Man of Law's Tale, Part 3:When Alla returned home, he learned what had happened and murdered his mother for her cruelty. But Constance had already set sail, and ended up in another foreign kingdom, where she happened to find the warden's steward, who came to her ship and attempted to rape her. Fortunately, he suddenly fell overboard and was drowned. The story returns to the tale of the sultana. The emperor of Rome sent an army to Syria in response to the massacre of the Christians. On their way home, the senator who led the army in Syria met Constance. They brought her back to Rome, but nobody remembered her, not even the senator's wife, who was Constance's aunt. Meanwhile, King Alla made a pilgrimage to Rome to make penance for what had happened with his mother and his wife. The senator went to feast with King Alla, who saw young Mauritius and vaguely recognized him. He was thus reunited with his wife and son. Constance is also reunited with her father, who did not recognize her after so many years. Alla and Constance returned to England, while Mauritius (Maurice) later became emperor of Rome.
Analysis:An unwavering devotion to Christian belief saves Constance once more, when she fends off an attack by a (pagan) rapist through divine intervention. Fate and coincidence play a defining role in the story, exposing the knight as a ruthless murderer and preventing the steward from raping Constance. These coincidences always occur in a religious context; the knight suffers divine harm when he swears on the Bible, while Constance's prayer is rewarded when the steward attacks her.
Yet despite her travails several murder plots against her, banishment and attempted rape Constance survives and remains devoted to her faith. She is thus comparable to biblical characters such as Jonah and Job. Her final reward for her steadfast faith comes when she reunites with both her father and her husband upon her final return to Rome. Even in the fate of Maurice is the influence of Christianity felt. He becomes emperor of Rome only when the pope gives his assent.
Epilogue to the Man of Law's Tale:The Host praised the Lawyer for his tale, and urged the Parish Priest to tell a tale. The Parson chides the Host for swearing, and he in turn mocks the Parson as a "Jankin" (a contemptuous name for a priest). The Shipman decides that he will tell a tale next. In the fragments that remain of the Canterbury Tales, however, the Shipman's Tale exists later in the manuscripts, in the seventh set of stories. The Wife of Bath's Tale follows instead.
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