“The Miller’s Tale” - A Parody of Courtly Love

During the Middle Ages using the method of courtly love was very common. It was defined as a way of worshiping a woman to get their attention and love in a noble way by doing heroic deeds or just by giving the women gifts. Back then the most known courtly lovers were the knights for being known as very chivalrous and noble men. In “the Miller’s Tale”, the use of courtly love is the complete opposite of what it usually is. The story telling the story, in other words the miller makes a complete parody of courtly love and what it stands for, he makes it seem very vulgar by the way he talks about the characters in a very sexual manner and the deeds that the characters do throughout the story. I think this story was made for that purpose, to make a fool of what courtly love really is, because in reality the miller thinks that courtly love is just a waste of time and thinks it’s just foolishness to believe that love is really like that.

In “the Miller’s Tale”, the miller talks about a parish clerk called Absolon that portrays the common courtly lover, he is the man that can’t even sleep at night, because all he thinks about is Alison and how much he is in love with her. He is also the kind of man that thinks the best way to win over a woman’s heart is by gifts and courtesy and the promise to serve a them and make them happy. He is also a man that is “… somdeel squaimous of farting, and of speech daungerous” (244), meaning that he doesn’t like vulgar language and farting. Absolon can just be portrayed as a very decent, well mannered man, while Nicholas the other clerk is the complete opposite of what Absolon is. “This clerk was cleped hende Nicholas. Of derne love he coude, and of solas, And therto he a was sly and ful privee, and like...

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...t sound as if he is making fun of women from the traditional courtly love stories, by using a very sexy young girl in his story, because the women from the traditional courtly love stories are not women who show off their femininity as much as Alison, who displayed it around. Women from traditional courtly love stories are also not sneaky and cunning, they are innocent and kind women, the complete opposite of what Alison is.

Courtly love is supposed to be portrayed very passionately and romantic, but all this story those is make a huge mockery of the whole thing. Nothing in this story can be taken seriously because in the end something is going to happen, and it’s just going to end up making fun of it. The reason the whole story is just a parody of courtly love, is because the miller, who is also the narrator doesn’t believe in anything involved with courtly love.