Examples Of Competition In The Miller's Tale

On the contrary, although it primarily seems that Alisoun is the main object of desire in Chaucer’s The Millers Tale, it is in fact Nicholas who is the focus of adoration. Nicholas utilises his intelligence and “hende [ness]” to trick those around him for his own pleasure. This is done by either “beguile[ing]” Alisoun or using her to “beguile” the others for him.

“I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were” ( Tragedy and the Common Man). Arthur Miller follows his Millerian conventions of tragedy in the writing of The Crucible. Often literature uses tragedy to display a depressing theme represented by the tragic hero.

In Chaucer’s “Franklin Tale” the plot revolves around a married couple: the knight, Arviragus, his young wife, Dorigen, and a young squire, Aurelius who importunes and attempts to Dorigen. The characters can be said to oscillate between desire and their ego honor which affects what they say and do. Lacan’s definition of desire tells us that we desire for recognition from this “Other.” Our desire is to become what the other person lacks. Duby’s model of courtly love is a concept that focuses on chivalry, nobility and women being at the center. In this paper, I will examine what the story reveals about the relation each character has to his or her desire, how they act in accordance to their desire and the role magic or illusion plays in the plot and how it affect characters’ relation to desire.

By using funny descriptions and puns within his diction, he creates a satire that is both entertaining and political in nature. For example, the imagery he uses when describing the flatulence scene is both vulgar and timeless. He writes of Nicholas and Absolon’s interaction, “This Nicholas anon leet fle a fart,/As greet as it had been a thonder-dent,/That with the strook he was almoost yblent;/And he was redy with his iren hoot,/And Nicholas amydde the ers he smoot” (lines 3806-3810). Chaucer manages to compare the sound of Nicholas’s passing gas to thunder and says that it was so toxic that it almost blinded Absolon. The way Chaucer words this selection is so matter-of-fact and simply stated, that it increases the hilarity of the whole incident. Although Chaucer is entertaining his audience, he is also seeking to show the immorality of the every day people who surround him. This satirical use of language sets a tone that is both jovial and constructively

Service in love often has a positive connotation which suggests a profound love, whereas possession generally receives a negative connotation suggesting a superficial love. However, Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare explore in depth the roles of both possession and service in love and reveal to their readers which one is ultimately the superior way to gain love. The stories of “The Knight’s Tale” and The Tempest are different thematically, yet the thread which unites them both expresses similar ideas regarding love, possession and service. Both William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer show the reader love cannot be claimed; it is earned through service of the heart. By examining the similarities in “The Knight’s Tale” and The Tempest

Chaucer included several examples of social commentary through out the story of “The Miller’s Tale”. One example that includes several issues, is the part of the story where Nicholas and the carpenter’s wife agree to plan a meeting. Nicholas states something to the effect of, what kind of scholar would I be if I could not trick a carpenter. I choose this scene because with that scene it illustrates not only social class, but also marriage and morality. I get impression from reading this that Nicholas felt that he was better and smarter than the carpenter because he was a scholar.

The balance of the love triangle is also thrown awry in the Miller’s tale. Not only if a fourth man present, Alison’s wife John (who is not even included in any form of romance throughout the tale) but Alison’s affection seem to only be for Nicholas. She is easily seduced by Nicholas and has little, to no romantic interest in Absalon, fooling him into kissing her rear and then laughing about it with Nicholas. These elements merely add to the Miller’s tale of perversion, distancing and parodying itself from the Knight’s tale of honor and true love.

We cannot read the CT as an honest criticism of 14th century English society without examining the entire picture - and this picture includes Chaucer's ideological contradiction. To better understand Chaucer's real message - criticizing the Three Estates system in order to encourage acceptance of his own Estate, the merchant or middle class - I will briefly discuss the Three Estates system and Chaucer's role in the system's shift to include a Fourth Estate (and how this shift influenced the CT). Then I will examine four stories from the CT (The Wife of Bath's Prologue, The Friar's Tale, The Summoner's Tale, and The Pardoner's Tale) in which Chaucer seems to denounce elements of the social paradigm. I will then examine four stories from the CT (The Knight's Tale, The Man of Law's Tale, The Second Nun's Tale, and The Parson's Tale) in which Chaucer contradicts his criticism of his society. Finally, I will discuss how the dominant social paradigm influenced Chaucer's view of the lower classes, and how the classist structure led to ideological contradictions within the CT. Before we discuss Chaucer's ideological contradictions, however, we must first examine the system he was attempting to change, the Three Estate system.

Negative imagery is used by Chaucer to undermine the effects of the narrator’s words. The manners practiced by the prioress are described by

The manifestation of Chaucer’s perceptions lie in the actual tale as well as the prologue of The Wife of Bath when power is no more than momentarily relinquished to a man non-consensually through rape. Power is hastily regained by women when the rapist’s fate is put

While on the way to venerate Saint Thomas Becket’s remains, the entertainment of Chaucer’s Canterbury pilgrims falls upon the requiting of stories between the different estates. However, this requiting quickly turns malicious, the Host’s simple proposition evolving into an aggressive show of social dominance that includes the boasting of both literal and metaphorical rape. The normalization (or, borderline reverence) of aggressive manliness contributes to the creation of both rape culture and compulsory heterosexuality. Consequently, when a man does not dominate a woman—or, does not use his masculinity to humiliate another man—he is seen as weak or effeminate, subsequently placing his sexuality under scrutiny. Such is the motive behind John and Aleyn’s rape of the miller’s wife and daughter—to make Symkin seem weak, and to gain a reputation of superior masculinity. Thus,

In a society in which hierarchical structures determined the types of interactions between individuals of different classes, there would be limited opportunity for oppositional values and attitudes to directly engage. One of the distinct features of Geoffrey Chaucer’s work The Canterbury Tales is that the author creates a situation in which vastly different types of individuals can engage with one another. This illuminates their most polarizing differences and allows for their contradictory attitudes to engage. Under this pretense, Chaucer allows for the spirit of the carnivalesque to be contrasted with the religious and social structures to which it responds. This can be seen in the characters of the Wife of Bath and the Miller, and their respective stories, both displaying different incarnations of the carnivalesque, and their contraposition to the ideologies associated with Christianity. Amongst the hierarchical structures of their society, the carnivalesque attitudes of the Wife of Bath and the Miller allow for them to seize a freedom which might be denied to them by those in higher positions. This is

In the story, Absolon tries everything to win over Alison’s heart. At night, “… Absalon his guitar hath ytake- for love he thought for to wake…Til he cam to the carpenteres hous…And dressed him up by a shot-windowe that was upon the carpenteres wal. He singeth in his vois geentil and small…” (244). Not only did Absolon serenade Alison at night, he would also give her gifts, he even became Alison’s servant, but Alison still did not love him back, the man she loved was Nicholas. By Alison loving Nicholas and not Absolon, shows that in this story the courtly lover is not the one that gets the girl but the guy that is the complete opposite of him, and is not at all noble or decent. Not only did Absolon not get the girl, but later on in the story he is humiliated by both Alison and Nicholas. By Absolon kissing Alison’s behind and getting farted in the face by Nicholas, shows how Absolon the courtly lover is being made fun of in the story. It comes to show that the whole courtly love in this story is all a joke and the author doesn’t take it seriously, and the whole time that Absolon was trying to win over Alison’s heart he was just being made a fool of, because Alison never loved him. All Alison did was take advantage of Absolon, by receiving all the gifts he gave her without regret and just using him for her advantage whenever she needed anything, in other words she only treated him like a servant. But in way it is also Absolon’s fault because he didn’t mind

However, the mirror stanza in Adonis’ garden allows freedom “by which both in and out men moten pas,” portraying a good love as giving, taking/receiving and letting go (III.2.31). This is in opposition to Acrasia’s exclusive love, whereas a good love demonstrates inclusivity. Looking at this from an overarching view, Acrasia’s love necessitates a rationale to subjugate its guests as opposed to Adonis’ garden that represents freedom -- two extremes that constantly exert push and pull forces on one another. In each mirrored stanza their power relations further demonstrates the way frame in which Spenser defines a negative–positive love. Accordingly, in Acrasia’s garden the line, “wisdoms power and temperance’s might” displays a fear of temperance and wisdom as well as an inability to defend against a “justified” good love “and eke the gate was wrought of substance light / rather for pleasure, then for battery or fight;” Spenser frames a bad love as a thin, weak fence that fears a good love's dominant power. In contrast, good love conjures a picture equivalent to the gates of heaven “the one of iron, the other of bright gold,” and further reinforced by its impenetrability, “that none might thorough break, nor over-stride”

Chaucer admired and made use of the medieval "courtly love" romance tradition, although he did not fully "buy into it." The "courtly love" code is based on the woman as the center of attention. The medieval knight suffers greatly for his love, who is often someone else's wife. He will do anything to protect and honor her, remaining faithful at all costs. Adultery and secrecy characterize these relationships. The knight views a woman and experiences true love. The knight fears that he will never be accepted by his love; therefore, she is worshiped at a distance.