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Chaucer's The Millers Tale Essay
Chaucer's The Millers Tale Essay
Xavier Cortez
C06181700
English 211 E
Dr. Healy
Cortez
Cortez
Cortez
Alison once again finds herself with the power, in contrast to the traditionally male-dominated
society.
All three male characters receive some form of punishment, while Alison appears
to have received none. For Nicholas and Absolon, their punishments are private and no one will
likely find out about them. Absolon suffered humiliation at the hands of Alison and Nicholas,
while Nicholas was branded with the hot iron on his backside by Absolon. John, the storys most
innocent character, receives the most punishment of all. He breaks his arm in the fall from the
roof, his wife has cheated on him, and he becomes the laughing stock of the town after Nicholas
and Alison do not corroborate his story of the second flood. Perhaps the narrator felt that Johns
punishment was most deserved for al his keeping and his jalousye (line 743). After all, in
medieval society a married woman is considered the property of her husband. If she did not
behave properly, it was a direct reflection of the spouse and his inability to control his woman.
The marriage was doomed from the beginning because John chose such a young wife. John did
not know or simply chose to ignore that men should wedde his similitude. Men sholde wedden
after hir estate, for youthe and elde is often at debat (lines 120-122). In society, John is
representative of both himself and his wife, so perhaps he receives the most punishment because
he is also taking on the burden of Alisons punishment or lack thereof.
In The Millers Tale, Chaucer explores the dynamics of relationships between men and
women. Society in fourteenth century England dictated that the man was the dominant figure in
the relationship. This was true publicly, but privately it was not always the case. Alison is an
example of this. She controls all her relationships and is the motivation behind all their
behaviors.