Chaucer Tale!!!!

Question

Chaucer gives a much different depiction of love and virtue than we might think of in romance. Discuss how Chaucer represents the character's feelings toward one another and how the Miller uses these feelings to create the narrative. Then, discuss what this tale might say about Chaucer's view of romantic love. At least 300 words.

Answer 1

Be sure to read both the Miller's Tale and the Knight's Tale very closely. You'll see a vast difference in the views of love presented. Since this is your essay, I'll leave it to you to find the appropriate examples, but as we might expect, the Knight's Tale talks about "courtly love," where the knight woos a woman of noble blood and does so in the fashion of time-honored rituals. Marriage and (especially) sex are not the focus.

The Miller's Tale, on the other hand, takes a satirical view of courtly love. Here, the tale is fully focused on tawdry sex and cuckolding.

It's a pretty interesting and funny comparison, and I would imagine most modern people would have a good deal of trouble identifying fully with either.

Best wishes!