The Miller's Tale by Chaucer

Read Literature, Enjoy and Improve your English

NET / SLET /TRB Study Guide
Subject: English, Date : 14th March, 2018

This is the second tale in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.  As per the order of the social rank, the host invites the Monk to requite the knight’s tale. But the Miller interrupts, insists on proceeding with his tale. He calls his tale as a legend but actually it is a funny tale, a parody of knight's noble story of Palamon and Arcite.  A carpenter named John lives with his 18 years old beautiful wife Alisoun and rents out his house to two Oxford students, Nicholas and Absolon. Being an astrologer and an expert in arts of love, Nicholas quickly brackets Alisoun but Absolon could not attract her in spite of offering gifts and money.  Nicholas plans to outsmart the carpenter and spend a whole night with Alisoun.  He convinces John that he had a vision from God who forewarned him that he would send a flood on Monday with water twice as great as Noah's flood and exterminate all life except the three who could escape by fastening large tubs to the ceiling of the barn with all provisions and axe. When the water rises up, they can cut the rope and float until the flood subsides.

Accordingly John gets everything ready and all the three climb up to their tubs.  Nicholas instructs that as per God’s command, they should only pray, and speak no word. The carpenter soon starts snoring and Nicholas and Alisoun descend to carpenter’s bed to enjoy the whole night.  In the early morning, Absolon comes to the window and asks for a kiss from Alisoun who allows but only on her naked arse. To take revenge on her, he fetches a hot red rod but this time Nicholas is lying near the window with his rear out. Absolon brands his buttocks with the poker though the former farts on his face thunderously.  Burned a lot, Nicholas cries “Help, water… water!”  John wakes up and takes this cry to mean that  God has sent the flood.  He cuts the rope only to crash to the floor and break his arm.  All people rush to his house and consider the carpenter mad to hear his version of God’s flood.  The story ends with John’s prayer to God to save his company, without understanding the least how he had been befooled by Nicholas.

Before Miller begins to narrate, Reeve objects that such a tale would offend carpenters and Chaucer also makes an excuse for the Bawdiness of the story and suggests the reader to skip to the next tale if they are hurt.  What else can come from Miller of such a social rank?  The knight must have been offended by Miller's Tale because the miller ridicules him by presenting two silly students against the honoured and heroic Knights Palamon and Arcite who duel for the hand of Emeley.