“The Miller’s Tale”
A Fabliau
Background
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Set in Oxford, England, “The Miller’s Tale” is an
absurd and comedic story about adultery and
practical jokes. “The Miller’s Tale” is a fabliau,
yet vulgar tale containing life-based themes. Like
the Miller’s character, the tale is raunchy and
offensive.
Unlike “The Knight’s Tale,” the leading female
character is neither pure nor faithful, but deceitful
and immoral. These contradicting themes—the
righteous woman and the unfaithful wife—are
prominent throughout Chaucer’s collection of tales.
GENRE
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FABLIAUX: a short, humorous, bawdy tale in verse
CHARACTERISTICS:
1. realistic
2. setting is spare and utilitarian
3. imagery is often associated with animals, food,
baskets, chests, and other middle class furniture
4. characters: various rascals engaging in the Seven
Deadly Sins
5. descriptive traits economically chosen
Characteristics, cont.
6. vivid action
7. dialogue: short and vividly conceived
8. set in contemporary, everyday world
9. concerns mankind’s most basic functions: sex,
but also excretion, etc.
10. more concerned with cunning and folly than
with virtue and evil
11. opposes all pretensions to authority
GENRE: Fabliaux
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FABLIAUX: A humorous tale popular in
Medieval French literature. The fabliaux were
stories of various types, but one point was
uppermost—their humorous, sly satire on
human beings. These stories, which were
often bawdy, dealt familiarly with the clergy,
ridiculed womanhood, and were pitched in a
key that made them readily and boisterously
understandable to the uneducated.
GENRE
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Typical fabliaux contain a vast array of characters,
including cuckolded husbands, rapacious clergy, and
foolish peasants, as well as beggars, connivers,
thieves, and whores.
Two groups are often singled out for criticism: the
clergy and women.
The status of peasants appears to vary, based on the
audience for which the fabliau was being written.
Poems that were presumably written for the nobility
portray peasants (vilains in French) as stupid and
vile, whereas those written for the lower classes
often tell of peasants getting the better of the clergy.
FABLIAUX, cont.
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Although fabliaux often had ostensible
“morals” appended to them, they lack the
serious intention of the FABLE, and they
differ from the FABLE, too, in always having
human beings as characters and in always
maintaining a realistic tone and manner.
AUTHORSHIP?
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Fabliaux were often written by monks
practicing Latin
Some are written in French
Only 6 Fabliaux survive in English
All are from The Canterbury Tales
Tales of the Miller, Reeve, Summoner,
Merchant, Shipman, and the Cook’s fragment
NOTHING SACRED
In his tale, the Miller mocks:
 The Knight’s Tale
 The Annunciation
 The Holy Family
 The Reeve
THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
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“The Miller’s Tale” is “The Knight’s Tale”
upside down
Unholy Triangle / Holy Triangle
Chaos vs. Order
Lust vs. Love
Worldliness vs. Religion
Body vs. Head
Prologue: The Rise of the Middle Class
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The Monk should tell his tale after the Knight
but the Miller is drunk and interferes.
The Knight is courteous (knightly virtues) and
lets him.
This mimics the “vulgar” middle class
encroaching on the formerly “aristocrats
only” territory.
“The Miller’s Prologue,” cont.
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When the Miller says that he will tell a legend
and a life (biography) about a carpenter and
his wife, who does the audience expect to
hear about?
Why is the Reeve so angry at the Miller
before he even begins this tale?
Why?
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Does Chaucer tell us that the Miller is a churl
and tells a Churl’s tale?
Does Chaucer say to turn the leaf and choose
another tale?
And why does he say that the Reeve and
others are churls also and only told tales of
wickedness?
Why does Nicholas live in John’s house?
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In the Middle Ages, bodily functions were
readily discussed.
The euphemism was rather new to the Middle
Ages.
Lechery was low on the list of the Seven
Deadly Sins. Pride was first.
Speaking of—Let’s review them.
THE
SEVEN
DEADLY
SINS
1. PRIDE
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Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities that
interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of
God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise.
Pride is also known as Vanity.
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Pride sins against the virtue Humility.
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Your punishment in Hell: You'll be broken on the wheel.
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Pride is linked with the horse and the color violet.
2. ENVY
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Envy is the desire for others’ traits, status,
abilities or situation.
Envy is a sin against the virtue Love.
Your punishment in Hell: You’ll be put in
freezing water.
Envy is associated with the dog and the
color green.
3. WRATH
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Wrath (anger) is manifested in the
individual who spurns love and opts
instead for fury.
Wrath is a sin against the virtue Kindness.
Your punishment in Hell: You’ll be
dismembered alive.
Anger is linked with the bear and the color
red.
4. SLOTH
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Sloth is the avoidance of physical or
spiritual work.
Sloth is a sin against the virtue Zeal.
Your punishment in Hell will be: You'll be
thrown into snake pits.
Sloth is linked with the goat and the color
light blue.
5. AVARICE
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Avarice (or greed or covetousness) is the desire
for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of
the spiritual.
Avarice is a sin against the virtue Generosity.
Your punishment in Hell will be: You'll be boiled
alive in oil.
Avarice is linked with the frog and the color
yellow.
6. GLUTTONY
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Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than
that which one requires. This does not pertain only to
food, but to entertainment and other legitimate goods,
and even the company of others.
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Gluttony is a sin against the virtues Faith and
Temperance.
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Your punishment in Hell: You'll be force-fed rats, toads,
and snakes.
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Gluttony is linked with the pig and the color orange.
7. LUST
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Lust is an inordinate craving for the
pleasures of the body.
Lust is a sin against the virtue Self Control.
Your punishment in Hell: You'll be
smothered in fire and brimstone.
Lust is linked with the cow and the color
blue.
Return to The Miller’s Tale
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In Fabliaux, everything is there for a reason.
Reference to the window—necessary for plot.
Reference to the floor of Nicholas’s room covered
with rushes and spices—allusion to Nicholas’s
namesake*
Reference to Nicholas studying astronomy—
necessary to plot
Absolom squeamish about farting—necessary to
plot
ALLUSION: *St. Nicholas
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A wealthy merchant named Nicholas was
out walking in the Christmas season.
He got lost and came upon a poor cottage.
He overheard three sisters inside talking
about their poverty while mending their
freshly washed stockings.
They had nothing to eat, little fuel, and
their parents were too ill to work.
St. Nicholas, cont.
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Unless a miracle occurred the maidens
would be forced sell themselves as
prostitutes.
Weeping in despair over their impending
fate, the maidens hung up their stockings to
dry and went to bed.
Nicholas found his way back to town,
loaded up a donkey with goods, and
returned to the cottage around midnight.
St. Nicholas, cont.
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Slipping into the cottage, he filled the girls’
hanging stockings with food, money, medicine,
and other necessities. He stacked fuel by the
fireplace.
He felt so wonderful about helping those in need
that he started a tradition of visiting the homes of
the poor at Christmas and leaving desperately
needed food and clothing.
This was all done surreptitiously so that no one
would know who had given these gifts.
St. Nicholas, cont.
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Of course, a secret like that cannot be kept.
Word got out but Nicholas continued his
good works.
When he died, his tomb always smelled of
sweet spices, indicating his purity of spirit.
So, one should associate “hende” Nicholas
with St. Nicholas—or not.
MOTIFS
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Several motifs arise in “The Miller’s Tale”
that were popular during medieval times.
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The corruption of the church
The misdirected kiss
The “May/December wedding”
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This phrase refers to the marriage between an older,
often rich, man and a young, pretty woman
The cuckolded husband
Biblical Allusions
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“The Miller’s Tale”, in addition to satirical
situations, contains a number of biblical allusions.
Elements of the annunciation arise when, according
to Christianity, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary
and announced that she would conceive the son of
God.
In this instance, Alison represents Mary, Nicholas is
Gabriel, and John is Joseph.
Chaucer also hints to this allusion with mention of
“Angelus ad virginem,” or “Virgin’s Angelus,” a
popular medieval hymn.
Biblical Allusions
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Another allusion
includes the prank
played on John, which
parallels the story of
Noah and the ark.
Noah’s name is, in
fact, directly mentioned
in the narrative.
Town vs Gown
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In Oxford, a law was passed requiring citizens
with extra rooms to rent the room to a student.
Town (average citizen) vs Gown (students)
No one wanted to rent to rowdy divinity
students. They were admired for scholarly
learning and despised for lecherous behavior.
Scholar = head
Carpenter = hands
SUMMARY
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Nicholas is renting a room from John and his wife,
Alison.
Nicholas is attracted to Alison, and eventually she
engages in an extramarital affair with him.
Meanwhile, the parish clerk, Absalom, is attempting
to court Alison to no avail.
One day while John is away, Alison and Nicholas
conspire a plan to humiliate him so he can claim her
as his own.
SUMMARY
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Nicholas locks himself away in his chamber and
feigns being sick in a trance.
John believes the trance is attributed to Nicholas’s
study of astronomy.
Nicholas tells John that his study of the stars has
allowed him to realize that a second great flood in
the same vain as the story of Noah and the ark is
imminent.
He advises John to hang 3 bathtubs from the rafters
of his roof in preparation for the flood so that the
three may be kept safely afloat.
SUMMARY
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Absalom hears that John hasn’t been at work
for a while and, thus, attempts to court Alison
again.
Alison again rejects Absalom, and in his
resignation, Absalom requests one last kiss.
Alison agrees. Instead of kissing her lips,
however, Absalom realizes that he is, in fact,
kissing her butt.
SUMMARY
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Absolom is enraged over his insult and, shortly
thereafter, swears revenge.
He visits a blacksmith, Mr. Gervase, and borrows a
red hot iron poker.
Absolom returns to visit Alison claiming he has a
gold ring for her.
Nicholas, desiring to “get in” on the fun, sticks his
butt out the window and farts in Absolom’s face.
In a rage, Absolom retaliates by burning Nicholas’s
butt with the red hot iron poker.
SUMMARY:
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In agony from the pain, Nicholas begins screaming
for water.
John, upon hearing Nicholas’s cries for water, fears
that the great flood is beginning and uses his axe to
cut down the cord freeing the tub from the rafters of
his roof.
Everyone thought John was crazy.
The story concludes as John’s reputation is ruined
and he loses Alison to Nicholas.
SATIRE:
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In “The Miller’s Tale,” Geoffrey Chaucer is, again,
satirizing the medieval church.
How does Chaucer make a negative statement about
the church in this tale? Consider the characters in
the tale, their roles in society, and the events which
befall them and comprise the plot.
What kind of satire is Chaucer using to mock the
church? Is he using Juvenalian or Horatian satire?
Explain your answer in one or two paragraphs. Be
prepared to share your responses.
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“The Knight’s Tale” was a flowery tale
of chivalry and ideal love.
“The Miller’s Tale” is a tale of what the
Miller assumes is the reality of love.
The tale is a parody of the The
Annunciation
“Hende” Nicholas sings “Angelus ad
Virgenem” to Alison
Irony: Nicholas is no angel; Alison is no
virgin.
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Mary was filled with fear (awe) at the
Divine Plan
Alison is thrilled by the “divine” plan
Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Ghost
(Joseph, Mary, Angel)
Unholy Trinity: John, Alison, and Nicholas
(or Alison, Nicholas, and Absolom)
Consider physical description of Alison.
Conveys symbolic and literal meaning.
SATIRE amongst Characters:
Chaucer shows the HYPOCRISY of the Church
Nicholas (named after St. Nicholas)
 Oxford cleric studying to join the church
 He studies astronomy  violates the teachings of the
church
 He commits an extramarital affair with his landlord’s
wife on his landlord’s own property
 He plays a hymn celebrating the annunciation for
Alison.
 The hymn is a PARODY against the Annunciation
because Nicholas is no angel, and Alison is no virgin.
SATIRE amongst Characters
Absalom (parish clerk)
 works for the church yet desires a married
woman
 Like Nicholas, he seeks to commit adultery
 Is the victim of Nicholas’s flatulence through
Juvenalian Satire.
 Nicholas farts in his face. This essentially
shows how Chaucer felt about the church.
SATIRE amongst CharactersL
Absolom
 Who rubs now, and who chafes now, his lips with
dust, with sand, with straw, with cloth, with chips,
but Absolom, who says over and over, “Alas! I
commend my soul unto Satan”? But I would rather
be revenged for this insult” he said, “than own this
entire town. Alas,” he said, “alas, that I did not turn
aside!”
Q. Which of the following lines demonstrates satire
against the character of Absolom? How do you
know?
SATIRE amongst Characters:
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Reference to King David’s son, Absalom
(known for his beautiful hair and bad behavior. He killed his brother who
raped their sister; he rebelled against his father and slept with his father’s
concubines. When his army was defeated he fled but his long hair was
caught in the branches of a tree. His father’s troops found and killed
him.)
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Long, curly blonde hair; grey eyes
Sings, dances, plays musical instruments
Madly in love with Alison; so in love that
he serenades her when she is in bed with
her husband.
Absolom, cont.
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He sends go-betweens to tell Alison how
wonderful he is
He sends Alison gifts: spiced wine, mead,
and spiced ale
He sends her wafers (sweets)
He offers her money
He is willing to be in a play
SATIRE amongst Characters:
Alison (Reread her description)
 This young wife was fair, and her body moreover was as
graceful and slim as any weasel. She wore a striped silken
belt, and over her loins an apron white as morning’s milk, all
flounced out. Her smock was white and embroidered on the
collar, inside and outside, in front and in back, with coalblack silk; and of the same black silk were the strings of her
white hood, and she wore a broad band of silk, wrapped high
about her hair.
 And surely she had a lecherous eye; her eyebrows were
arched and black as a sloe berry, and partly plucked out to
make them narrow. She was more delicious to look on than
the young pear-tree in bloom, and softer than a lamb’s wool.
From her belt hung a leather purse, tasseled with silk and
with beads of brass.
ALISON: Consider the following:
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Why is she compared to a weasel?
Why are her apron and smock white?
Did you notice how much of her description
is tactile?
What is the importance of the colors black
and white?
TWO MOTIFS
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THE MISDIRECTED KISS
NOAH & THE FLOOD
The plots are joined by one word: WATER
Chaucer has brought John back into the
story with the one word