“The Merchant’s Tale,” and “The Merchant’s Epilogue.”
Both of these tales concern marriage, one an idealized
portrait in which man is completely dominant and
woman completely submissive, and the other a fabliau-
style tale about an old husband with a young wife that
follows romance conventions and incorporates numer-
ous poetic devices. Internal references link these two
tales together into a set, with “The Merchant’s Tale”
serving as a foil for “The Clerk’s Tale.”
The fi fth fragment consists of “The Squire’s Intro-
duction,” “The Squire’s Tale,” “The Franklin’s Pro-
logue,” and “The Franklin’s Tale.” The Squire relates a
romance, but this is a different romance than told by
the Knight. Gone is Boethian philosophy and stilted
discourse; included is high sentiment and fantastic,
supernatural events. This tale is left unfi nished. The
Franklin interrupts the Squire at an opportune
moment, leading many scholars to believe “The Squire’s
Tale” remains unfi nished on purpose. “The Franklin’s
Tale” itself is a Breton lai, a type of short supernatural
romance, usually based on Celtic antecedents. This tale
takes up the subject of wedlock once again, exploring a
marriage based on love and mutual respect.
Fragment 6 is composed of “The Physician’s Tale,”
“The Pardoner’s Introduction,” “The Pardoner’s Pro-
logue,” and “The PARDONER’S TALE.” “The Physician’s
Tale” has been called an exercise in pathos by many
critics; it derives from the Roman tradition. Ultimately,
it illustrates shame and the public punishment of sin,
just as its companion piece, “The Pardoner’s Tale,”
aptly demonstrates guilt and the internal punishment
of sin.
The seventh fragment covers a number of tales: “The
Shipman’s Tale,” “The PRIORESS’S TALE,” “The Prioress’s
Prologue,” “The Prologue of Sir Thopas,” “The Tale of
Sir Thopas,” “The Tale of Melibee,” “The Monk’s Pro-
logue,” “The Monk’s Tale,” “The Nun’s Priest’s Pro-
logue,” “The NUN’S PRIEST’S TALE,” and “The Nun’s
Priest’s Epilogue.” “The Shipman’s Tale” is considered
Chaucer’s earliest fabliau, and the tale was probably
fi rst assigned to the Wife of Bath. It is followed by the
violently anti-Semitic Prioress’s tale, which plays with
popular devotional literature of the time.
Two prose tales are next. Chaucer the Pilgrim—the
narrator persona inserted into the Pilgrimage by the
author—tells the fi rst, “The Tale of Sir Thopas.” Despite
his naïve appearance, the narrator relates a slightly
bawdy minstrel romance. Minstrel romances were
shorter than standard ones and specifi cally designed
for oral presentation, with frequent asides to the audi-
ence. Topically, they are adventure tales characterized
by rough meter and crude formulas. Chaucer’s version,
however, is a parody. Chaucer also tells Melibee’s Tale
after Sir Thopas’s Tale has been interrupted by the
Host. It is a long allegorical treatise couched as a dis-
cussion between Melibee and Prudence covering a
number of moral and political issues. Some scholars
believe this Tale is told in Chaucer’s own voice, rather
than by his narrator persona.
“The Monk’s Tale” follows. Most scholars believe
this Tale was composed prior to when work was begun
on The Canterbury Tales proper. Described as a collec-
tion of tragedies, “The Monk’s Tale” is designed to
illustrate the workings of Fortune in a manner similar
to JOHN LYDGATE’s The FALL OF PRINCES. Fragment 7 con-
cludes with the “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale,” Chaucer’s
only beast fable, which draws on the tradition of REY-
NARD LITERATURE alongside courtly discourse. Thor-
oughly entertaining, this Tale nonetheless provides a
number of morals for improving one’s life.
The eighth fragment comprises “The Second Nun’s
Prologue,” “The Second Nun’s Tale,” “The Canon’s
Yeoman’s Prologue,” and “The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale.”
Both the tales, as well as “The Second Nun’s Prologue,”
are thought to have been composed for another occa-
sion but then inserted into the overall collection. “The
Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue,” however, was composed
strictly for The Canterbury Tales and provides a more
complete introduction to a Pilgrim only briefl y
described in the General Prologue. “The Second Nun’s
Prologue” is an exercise in etymology, while “The Sec-
ond Nun’s Tale” is a hagiography of St. Cecilia, a virgin
martyr. She is a powerfully active character, unlike
many of Chaucer’s other women. “The Canon’s Yeo-
man’s Tale” is a two-part occupational satire about the
trickery of alchemists and a greedy canon. The two
Tales incorporate the language of science and pseudo-
science but ultimately reject both in favor of faith.
Fragment 9 consists solely of “The Manciple’s Pro-
logue” and “The Manciple’s Tale.” This Tale is a fableCANTERBURY TALES, THE 101