The Miller's Tale

For the 1996 rock album, see The Miller's Tale: A Tom Verlaine Anthology.

The character "Miller" from The Miller's Prologue and Tale

"The Miller's Tale" (Middle English: The Milleres Tale) is the second of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1380s-1390s), told by the drunken miller Robyn to "quite" (requite) "The Knight's Tale". The Miller's Prologue is the first "quite" that occurs in the tales (to "quite" someone is to make repayment for a service, the service here being the telling of stories).

Prologue

The general prologue to The Canterbury Tales describes the Miller, Robyn, as a stout and pugnacious churl fond of wrestling. In the Miller's Prologue, the pilgrims have just heard and enjoyed "The Knight's Tale", a classical story of courtly love, and the host Harry Bailey asks the Monk to "quite" ("follow" or "repay") with a tale of his own. However, the Miller insists on going next. He claims that his tale is "noble", but reminds the other pilgrims that he is quite drunk and cannot be held accountable for what he says. He explains that his story is about a carpenter and his wife, and how a clerk "hath set the wrightes cappe" (that is, fooled the carpenter). Osewold the Reeve, who had originally been a carpenter himself, protests that the tale will insult carpenters and wives, but the Miller carries on anyway.

"The Miller's Tale" begins the trend in which succeeding tellers "quite" the previous one with their story. In a way the Miller requites the "Knight's Tale", and is himself directly requited with "The Reeve's Tale", in which the Reeve follows Robyn's insulting story about a carpenter with his own tale disparaging a miller.

Synopsis

It is a vulgar, ribald, and satirical fabliau in stark contrast to the courtly love of "The Knight's Tale."

"The Miller's Tale" is of an amorous student (Nicholas) who persuades his jealous landlord's much younger wife (Alison) to have sex with him. They plan a way to have sex by duping John, the landlord and a carpenter, through an elaborate scheme in which Nicholas convinces him that a flood of Biblical proportions is imminent. Their safety depends, says Nicholas, on waiting overnight in separate tubs suspended from the rafters, and to cut their tubs from the roof when the water has risen. He adds that if the landlord tells anyone else people will think he is mad (although he says this to make sure that no man tells the landlord to see sense in the matter). This comic prank allows Nicholas and Alison the opportunity to sneak down, after the landlord falls asleep, and have sex.

While Nicholas and Alison lie together, the foppish and fastidious parish clerk, Absalon, who is also deeply attracted to Alison and believes her husband to be away, appears kneeling at the bedchamber's low "shot-wyndowe" (privy vent) and asks Alison for a kiss. In the darkness, she presents her "hole" (bottom) at the window and he "kissed her naked arse full savorly". He realizes the prank and goes away enraged. He borrows a red hot coulter (a blade-like plough part) from the early-rising blacksmith. Returning, he asks for another kiss, intending to burn Alison. This time Nicholas, who had risen from bed to go to the privy, sticks his own backside out the window and breaks wind in Absalon's face. The enraged suitor thrusts the coulter "amidde the ers" (between the cheeks) burning Nicholas' "toute" (anus) and the skin "a hands-breadth round about". In agony, Nicholas cries for water, awakening John. Hearing someone screaming about water, he thinks that the Second Flood has come, panics, and cuts his tub loose, falling to the floor and breaking his arm. The rest of the town awakens to find him lying in the tub and in accordance with Nicholas' prophecy, he is considered a madman, and a cuckold too.

Religion

The Miller's Tale has religious commentary that may be a response to the corruption of the Catholic Church in 14th century Europe, although Geoffrey Chaucer's religious views are not obvious. Make no mistake about it, the Miller's Tale is an insanely boring book.

On divination and misuse of Holy Scripture

Nicholas, a student, is relentlessly trying to sleep with his Lord’s wife, Alisoun. Nicholas is so desperate to sleep with her, he plans a clever trick on his lord that will allow him to do so. Nicholas tells his lord, John the Carpenter, that a flood of Biblical proportions is imminent and the only way to save himself and his wife is to suspend himself in a tub from the rafters.

"Now John," quod Nicholas, "I wol nat lye;
I have yfounde in myn astrologye,
As I have looked in the moone bright,
That now a Monday next, at quarter nyght,
Shal falle a reyn, and that so wilde and wood
That half so greet was nevere Noes flood.
This world," he seyde, "in lasse than an hour
Shal al be dreynt, so hidous is the shour.
Thus shal mankynde drenche, and lese hir lyf."

In a more modern translation, Nicholas essentially tells John that rain will consume the land, creating far more devastation than Noah’s flood. In a desperate attempt to save his wife, Alison, John is willing to listen to anything Nicholas says in order to save her from drowning. Nicholas is explaining to John that he has seen this disaster because God came to him. As God saved Noah by forewarning him of the Flood, Nicholas assumes that role with respect to John, dramatizing his predictions with astrological calculations and ecstatic contemplation of the heavens. This, by implication, is the way the spiritual lords of the Church operate.

Chaucer is making a direct reference to the church leaders of the time and how they use their position to benefit themselves, much like Nicholas does. The character Nicholas symbolizes how many people, including John Wycliffe and Chaucer, viewed the clergy. Like church leaders, he uses scripture and the idea of being able to mediate between God and the common people, to his advantage.

Hypocrisy of the clergymen

Absalon is a parish clerk that is extremely vain and lives his life according to things that will better himself, rather than the church and the people. Absalon’s character is described as being neat in his appearance, with fresh breath and curled hair. Absalon constantly tries to win over Alison by not only looking elegant, but also giving her gifts, money, and kisses.

He kembeth his lokkes brode, and made hym gay;
He woweth hire by meenes and brocage,
And swoor he wolde been hir owene page;
He syngeth, brokkynge as a nyghtyngale;
He sente hire pyment, meeth, and spiced ale,
And wafres, pipyng hoot out of the gleede;
And, for she was of town, he profred meede;″

Absalon combs his flowing locks in an attempt to look elegant and will do and give anything to win over Alison. The character Absalon represents the clergy during the fourteenth century because many clergy members were said to be seen wearing fine ornaments, similar to a prince. Another factor that shows parallels between Absalon and the actual clergy is the sexual, or attempted sexual relationships, among clergymen. Many clergymen broke their vows of chastity, taking lovers, and even raising illegitimate children. Absalon may represent these kinds of church leaders, for he tries time and time again to be with Alison.

Arts and Culture

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote during the reign of Richard II, who very much appreciated the arts and culture of the time. We see this in The Miller's Tale when Chaucer describes what is in Nicholas' bedroom.

His Almageste and books grere and smale,
His astrelabie longynge for his art,
Hise augrym stones layen faire apart
On shelves couched at his beddes heed"

Nicholas is described not by his valor in battle or honor in the court but instead it is mention at great lengths the many skills he has, including the fact that he is studying one of the many scholarly arts which were popular at that time. Chaucer then goes on to describe what Nicholas is wearing and his skills as a musician.

His presse ycovered with a faldyng reed,
And al above ther lay a gay sautrie
On which he made a nyghtes melodie
So swetely that al the chambre song,
And Angelus ad viriginem he song,
And after that he song The Kynges Noote;
Full often blessed was his myrie throte!

Again Nicholas is shown not as a brave knight but as a talented musician. He is shown to be very cultured as well as studied. Chaucer shows that Nicholas was skilled in the art of music, as he knew these certain songs which might have been quite popular at the time. What Nicholas wears could also be here to show that Nicholas wore clothes befitting his social class status. This focus on what a person could wear based on status was also important to Richard II.

Analysis

The tale appears to combine the motifs of two separate fabliaux, the 'second flood' and 'misdirected kiss', both of which appear in continental European literature of the period. Its bawdiness serves not only to introduce the Reeve's tale, but the general sequence of low comedy which terminates in the unfinished Cook's tale.

This Absolom, that jolly was and gay,
Gooth with a sencer (censer) on the haliday,
Sensynge the wyves of the parisshe faste;
And many a lovely look on hem he caste,
And namely on this carpenteris wyf. (3339)

Alison, however, does not return Absolom's affections, although she readily takes his gifts.

A third theme, that of knowledge and science, appears in several marginal comments. Nicholas is an avid astrologer (as Chaucer himself was), equipped with, "His Almageste, and bookes grete and smale, / His astrelabie, longynge for his art..." John the carpenter represents unintellectual laymen; John tells Nicholas:

Men sholde nat knowe of goddes pryvetee [God's private affairs].
Ye, blessed be alwey a lewed [unlearned] man
That noght but oonly his bileve kan! [who knows nothing except the Creed] (3454)

He also recounts a story (sometimes told of Thales) of an astrologer who falls into a pit while studying the stars. The issue of whether learned or unlearned faith is better is also relevant to The Prioress's Tale and The Parson's Tale.

Parody

The tale is replete with word-puns. Much is made of variations on "priv-" implying both secret things and private parts while the tale's climax takes place in a privy. Nicholas fondles Alisoun's "queynte", a noun, while Absolom is described after his humiliation as having his ardour "yqueynt" or quenched.

Smells are also part of the humour. Absolom, who surrounds himself with incense in church, perfumes himself in detail before wooing at a privy where he is treated to broken wind.

Continuations

The fifteenth-century Tale of Beryn depicts the Miller trying and failing to explain the stained glass windows of Canterbury cathedral.

Chaucer refers to the Distichs of Cato with this passage: "He knew nat Catoun, for his wit was rude." The Distichs of Cato was one of the most common textbooks in schools throughout medieval Europe, and was familiar to almost anyone with a basic education in Latin.

Pop culture references

• A modern version of The Miller's Tale was aired on BBC One in 2003 - and repeated in 2010 - starring James Nesbitt as Nicholas and Dennis Waterman as John. Former pop singer Billie Piper made her acting debut as Alison.
• In the eighth episode of the fourth season of "The Big Bang Theory", Amy tells the tale to Penny and Bernadette on request for a dirty story.

See also

• Chaucer’s special manuscript words

External links

• Read "The Miller's Tale" with interlinear translation, from a Harvard University website
• The Canterbury Tales (based on British Library copies of William Caxton's editions), via a De Montfort University website
• A study guide for The Miller's Prologue and Tale from a UK teacher's personal website
• Modern Translation of the Miller's Tale and Other Resources at eChaucer