Compare and contrast: The Canterbury Tales

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- Category: Books Contrast Short Story The Canterbury Tales
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Order NowThe Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a classic piece wherein pilgrims tell tales during their journey to a holy shrine in Canterbury. A Knight and Miller are two of the pilgrims. Chaucer gives personality to each character wherein a drunken Miller can tell a tale that is full of brilliant characterization and also have nicely balanced action, and a tough soldier like the Knight can weave a romance âwith all the art of a seasoned minstrel.â (Lawrence 42)
The Knight, being the noblest amongst the pilgrims, is invited to speak first. The second tale-teller is the Miller. The Miller speaks second, not by invitation, but as a way to repay the Knightâs romantic tale. In having these two tales told back-to-back, one is able to compare the two. In many ways, The Millerâs Tale âfunctions as a subversive mirror of the Knightâs story.â (Rossignol 242) This is also an opportunity to find many similarities as well as differences between the two tales.
The term âsubversive mirrorâ is certainly appropriate in dealing with these particular tales. Although The Millerâs Tale does mirror The Knightâs Tale by utilizing similar elements, it also corrupts those same elements it is in fact imitating. By using the term âsubversive,â it is suggested that the Miller is actually trying to pervert The Knightâs Tale by undermining the morals that are represented in it. The Miller seems determined in his tale to parody the situations and sentiments of The Knightâs Tale. This âsubversive mirrorâ reference is indeed on the mark.
Several similarities are easily recognizable between The Knightâs Tale and The Millerâs Tale. These similarities are the âmirroringâ which take place from The Millerâs Tale to The Knightâs Tale. âThe opening formula (of The Millerâs Tale) . . .is almost identical to the Knightâs; after that, nothing is the same, but many things are instantly recognizable because they have already appeared, if in a different form, in the Knightâs Tale.â (Cooper 111) Both stories are romances, even though The Millerâs Tale is not chivalric like the Knightâs. Both tales also utilize a loverâs triangle among their main characters where two young men vie for the affection of the same young woman. (Rossignol 243)
There are other similarities between these two tales. Both tales give a similar characteristic to two of the actors in the stories. Arcite and Absolon both have a character flaw wherein they confuse what it is they want and what they actually receive in the end. The Miller borrows the concept of the message that a dream holds for one of his characters. This is taken from a portion in The Knightâs Tale where Arcite receives a message in a dream. Also, The Millerâs Tale constructs most of the story with comedy. The Knight also applied comedy to parts of his tale.
Both of these tales are romances. âIn the typical romance, such as âThe Knightâs Tale,â love is an idealized, even intellectualized, emotion fraught with questions of great philosophical import like the mechanism of destinal order in the universe.â (Rossignol 244) In contrast, in The Millerâs Tale, love is basic and instinctual. It is shown to be a spontaneous event of physical desire and the speediest method of fulfilling it.
There are obvious similarities between the two tales. Palamon and Arcite are rivals for Emilyâs affections; Nicholas and Absolon for Alisonâs. In The Knightâs Tale the loversâ aim is marriage to Emily. The tale is of courtship with a glorified woman being the reward, and it is the form of romance that is most widely idealized. âThat Palamon, who is prepared to worship Emily in the belief that she is a goddess, eventually gets her hand in preference to Arcite, who is never in any doubt that she is flesh and blood, emphasizes how far the tale is from simply equating love and sex.â (Cooper 228)
In The Millerâs Tale the aim of the romance is very different to that of The Knightâs Tale. It is simply adultery. However, there is a similarity to that of The Knightâs Tale by the utilization of a loverâs triangle. The triangle in The Knightâs Tale is Emily, Palamon, and Arcite. In The Millerâs Tale it is Alison, Nicholas, and Absolon. The events in each tale unfold around these three pivotal characters and the stories basically pertain to them.
The mirroring of The Millerâs Tale to The Knightâs Tale continues as the events of the romance unfold. Palamon and Arcite decide to battle one another as an option to settle the argument of who will be awarded to Emily. The âbattleâ is portrayed somewhat differently in The Millerâs Tale. Absolon lusts after Alison. Alison, however, is too wound up in her premarital affair with Nicholas to take Absolonâs advances seriously. She considers him nothing more than a joke and proves this by her response to his request for a kiss. In both instances, one of the challenging lovers ends up getting hurt â Arcite by losing his life for the love of Emily, and Absolon by losing his pride in being made the fool by both Alison and Nicholas..
Two of the men have a similar character flaw. Both Palamon and Absolon seem to confuse the ends and means of their desires. In The Knightâs Tale, Palamon yearns to be free from prison. When he finally is released, he only finds that he is exiled. He also prays to Venus for victory in his battle, yet in the end, the death of his dear friend Arcite occurs. Absolon, like Palamon, confuses what he wants and what he gets. He does get the kiss he so doggedly pursued, yet it was not quite what he had in mind or wanted. Also, even though he did get his revenge, he did not deliver the âbrandingâ to the one he had intended. All in all, both characters pursued a goal, but neither of them reached it the way they had planned. (Cooper 215)
Both the Knight and the Miller utilize dreams and what they mean to two of their characters. In The Knightâs Tale, Arcite prays to Mars asking him to bring an end to his woe. He prays that he might be victorious in his battle so that he may win the hand of the fair Emily. Mars does deliver an end to his worries, but it is in the form of his death. He received what he asked for and not what he wanted. (Burrow 121) Absolon also has a dream. He dreams of being at a feast. However, in reality he gets a mouthful of something he doe not expect. Even though both men had dreams of how they wished the events to unfold, their dreams did not play out as they had expected.
Although comedy is heavily relied upon in The Millerâs Tale, it is also utilized in The Knightâs Tale. Even though the struggle between Palamon and Arcite for the affection of Emily is highly serious, it âdescends to the level of comedy when Theseus reminds us that Emily has not even been aware of their devotion for some time . . .â (Rossignol 202) The comedy is such that these two men are willing to fight each other until death and the woman they are fighting over does not even know of their intentions.
The Millerâs use of subversion to The Knightâs Tale is prominent in his entire tale. He has no qualms in regard to paying back the Knightâs epic tale of love and tragedy with his own style. One is under the impression when reading The Millerâs Tale that he is up for the task of trying to let the noble Knight be made to look like a fool by telling such a romantic, epic tale. However, from the beginning of the journey, all of the other pilgrims knew that he was a gruff drunk and cared very little for the feelings of his traveling companions.
The differences are much more apparent when comparing these two tales. There are contrasts in styles, idealism, the poetic tone, themes, and settings of the two tales. While The Knightâs Tale tries to find deeper meaning in the world, The Millerâs Tale is simply a story with no underlying meaning. Although the characters resemble each other in many instances, there are numerous differences amongst them. Also the styles of the writings are different. The Knightâs Tale is a tragedy/romance; The Millerâs Tale is a fabliau.
An obvious contrast between the two tales is the style of the stories. Although The Knightâs Tale is a romance, it is also a tragedy. The two friends, Palamon and Arcite find themselves in a battle to the death over the love of the honorable Emily. Arcite finds death in the end. Herein the tragedy lies. Even after all of the hurdles he has passed over, Arcite receives no prize, only death. The Millerâs Tale is a fabliau. It is no more than an elaborate dirty joke. The adversaries in The Millerâs Tale are Nicholas and Absolon. Instead of the loversâ rivalry being fought out with all the fanfare of chivalry, it is resolved in the crudest way possible. (Cooper 114)
Even though The Millerâs Tale is nothing more than a grandiose dirty joke, it is still a very powerful tale. Both of the tales are complex. While the Miller is quick to âquiteâ The Knightâs Tale, he does so compellingly. He is able to present issues of seriousness and comedy, question destiny versus the role of free will, and present tensions between the respectable and the common. Throughout his tale, the Miller uses the issues presented previously in The Knightâs Tale and transforms them to be entirely his own. (Rossignol 203)
Idealism is a major factor in The Knightâs Tale. However, the idealism issue drops off dramatically in The Millerâs Tale. Idealism is found throughout The Knightâs Tale. Knights âexhibited an idealized code of behavior that combined loyalty, honor and service to ladies.â (Rossignol 201) These codes are scattered throughout the tale. In contrast, the Millerâs ideals are not even close to those of the Knight. His tale is about crudeness, promiscuity, deceit, and making a fool of a player in a scheme. Nowhere in The Millerâs Tale are high morals expressed or exercised. The tale deals primarily with sex and when, where, and how it will occur. Obviously the differences in the ideals of the Miller and Knight are extensive.
The Miller, in his tale, attempts to prove that the purpose of poetry is anything but the expression of an ideal reality by constructing his own poetic artifact in burlesque analogy to that of the Knightâs ideal. âHe does so most effectively by retaining the analogy to the ideal and then dismantling it in a riotously comic farce in which the illusionary world of his narrative comes crashing down, dragging with it the world of ideals of the Knight, against which it is poised.â (Williams 54-55)
The poetic tone of each tale is considerably different. The Knightâs Tale has a very even, slow pace. The events all follow a specified order. Nothing in the tale happens abruptly. All of the events unfold methodically before the readerâs eye. The tale moves slowly and descriptively. There are really no surprises in The Knightâs Tale. However, in The Millerâs Tale, the tone is much quicker. This is particularly true at the end of the tale. All of the culminating events take place one right after the other at a very rapid pace. Nicholas gets branded in the buttocks, he then yells for water, John the Carpenter believes that the foretold flood has come upon them and cuts his rope causing his âboatâ to crash to the ground, the village people come out to see what the commotion is, characters are running every which way and all of these events happen almost simultaneously.
The Knight tells a story wherein the world of which he is speaking is orderly and everything has its place. The main theme of his tale is that of nobility, love, suffering, valor, and courtesy. These same themes were also a code of behavior for the Knight himself. (Rossignol 201) However, the Miller, in his tale, tries to denounce these allegations which are incorporated in The Knightâs Tale. He does not believe that reality, in its familiarity, is orderly and meaningful. He also does not believe that there is a spiritual reality that is perfect and unchanging and shows this in his tale of John the Carpenter and Allison.
The spirituality issue is another area where the Miller makes a jab at the Knight. In The Knightâs Tale, the nobler and more spiritual of the two knights gain Emily. Palamon is courtly, romantic, and deeply idealistic. However, the only character in The Millerâs Tale who is even remotely spiritual is John the Carpenter. He is the only character who seems to have any sense of values in regard to the other characters in the tale. Instead of John being rewarded, like Palamon with Emily, the reverse occurs. Even for all of his trust in humanity, he is made out to be a fool. Once again, the Miller takes a noble theme from The Knightâs Tale and places a perverse spin onto it.
The worlds in which the stories take place are also contrary to one another. The Knightâs Tale takes place in ancient Greece. In contrast, The Millerâs Tale takes place in contemporary Oxford. The Knightâs world is a place of chivalry and honor; the Millerâs is of carnal conquest. âThe Millerâs Tale portrays a world of frenzied activity and comic situation where deeper meanings are irrelevant.â (Cooper 243)
The setting of The Knightâs Tale is grandiose and regal. Ancient Greece is very appropriate in dealing with a tale which has so many ideals. Beauty and majesty are prevalent throughout the tale. In The Millerâs Tale, the contrary is true. The story takes place in a rural village. A barnyard is the backdrop for this tale. On the spectrum of where the stories could take place, the Miller chose to go as far away as he possibly could from the setting of the Knight. This is another example of his perverse eye view in answer to The Knightâs Tale.
âThe greatest contrast with the Knightâs Tale is that the Millerâs remains a story.â (Cooper 115) It is simply a medieval tale that has no further meaning and is simply told to be heard. Instead of the story ending with a moral such as the lovers trying to understand the mysteries of humanity and love, John the Carpenter condones ignorance. âThere is no sense of any order beyond the everyday world, and the carpenter is a gullible fool for thinking that there might be, that God might intervene in earthly affairs.â (Cooper 116) In The Knightâs Tale Palamon was bothered by the fact that the innocent suffered while the guilty were free. However, in The Millerâs Tale, the worst is had by the fool, not the villain. This can be seen with John the Carpenter suffering a broken arm and humiliation while Alison receives no punishment or reprimand for all of her discolored actions. âIn âquitingâ the preceding tale it (The Millerâs Tale) offers a rival reading of the world â a world of cheerfully amoral disorder, with no metaphysical depth whatsoever.â (Cooper 116)
Emily and Alison can also be compared to each other. In The Knightâs Tale Emily is compared again and again to beautiful things. She is associated with a lily to emphasize her purity. The descriptiveness of her beautify elevates her to a plane that makes her seem almost unaccessible. However, in The Millerâs Tale, Alisonâs shape is compared to a weasel and barnyard animals are often used as references for her. The Miller does not mean for her to seem unattractive. The contrary is true. She is very attractive and all men who come across her instantly lust after her. While Emily is an elusive and out-of-reach beauty, Alison is an earthly, tangible one. Emilyâs portrayal is righteous and innocent while Alison is all about animal sex.
(Cooper 229)
Here again we are able to see the Millerâs ability to mirror yet another aspect of The Knightâs Tale. The female character in his story has beauty like that of The Knightâs Tale, but that is where the comparison must end. Almost everything of Alison is opposite to that of Emily. Alisonâs values and actions are totally reversed of Emilyâs. Alison has no regard for right and wrong and only wants what she craves. She does not take into consideration that she is a married woman and should remain faithful to her husband. Emily is a virgin and desires to stay that way. She has never even been with a man. Alison, on the other hand, is promiscuous and is up for the challenge of forbidden sex. In the end, because of her philandering, her husband is deemed the town fool. Instead of her rushing to his aid, she joins in with the villagers and leads them to believe he has lost his mind. Again, even though the Miller is mirroring the Knight by portraying a female character, she is such the total opposite of the woman in The Knightâs Tale that it is almost obscene.
At the conclusion of The Knightâs Tale, even though Arcite is dead, Palamon and Emily are encouraged to marry. They must go on with their lives and end the mourning period of Arcite. This is a direct relationship to how life actually is. When something terrible happens to a close friend, peoples lives are intertwined and the misfortune of a friend effects all of those involved with that individual. Palamon and Emily had to be directed by Theseus to go on with their lives. They had to be told that they had a right to be happy and to take advantage of their opportunity.
The Miller continues his perverse payback to The Knightâs Tale at the conclusion of his own tale. A dreadful experience befalls John the Carpenter. However, instead of his so-called friends, Nicholas and Alison, coming to his aid, they are the ones to encourage the idea that he has gone mad. They do not help John. On the contrary, they squash any attempt he makes at communicating the truth. The Miller is successful in his attempt to challenging the Knightâs ideal that humanity is just. No characters in The Millerâs Tale are just, and therefore, righteousness does not prevail.
In The Millerâs Tale there is a sense of poetic justice in the way the plot works out. John the Carpenter may not be a knave, like Absolon, but he is the figure equally the butt of comedy, the fool. He placed his trust in his mate and neighbors, only to have his good heartedness taken advantage of. (Cooper 163) The poetic justice is also present in The Knightâs Tale. Even though both Palamon and Arcite had high morals and strong ideals, only the best could be awarded with Emily. Both knights prayed to the Gods for deliverance, but only the one whom the Gods believed to be the better of the two could be victorious. Herein, the justice is seen as out of the control of the mere mortals and placed in hands of superior beings.
The Millerâs Tale does function as a subversive mirror of The Knightâs Tale. The similarities and differences take on a different meaning in The Millerâs Tale to that previously delivered by the Knight. Even though they may be compared and contrasted in many different ways, they each hold the capacity to stand on their own.
WORKS CITED
Burrow, J. A. âThe Canterbury Tales I: Romance.â The Cambridge Chaucer Companion. Ed. Piero Boitani and Jill Mann. Great Britain: Cambridge UP, 1986. 109-124
Cooper, Helen. The Structure of The Canterbury Tales. Georgia: The University of Georgia Press, 1983.
Lawrence, William Witherle. Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales. New York: Columbia UP, 1950.
Rossignol, Rosalyn. Chaucer A to Z, The Essential Reference to His Life and Works. New York: Facts on file, Inc., 1999.
Williams, David. The Canterbury Tales; A Literary Pilgrimage. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1987.
A COMPARISON AND CONTRAST:
THE KNIGHTâS AND MILLERâS TALES REVISITED
Sam Mula
Medieval Literature
English 358
Dr. James Alexander
December 13, 2000