Canterbury tales

Chaucer begins The Nun’s Priest’s Tale by describing a simple widow and her two simple daughters. They own a barn where a magnificently handsome cock with a beautiful and accurate “cock-a-doodle-doo”. Here, his seven wives also live; his favorite is the most beautiful Pertelote. He one day speaks to her about a dream. In this dream, a fox eats Chanticleer, the cock, and Chanticleer now worries that it may come true. Pertelote does not believe in this predestination and gives her argument. She then calls Chanticleer a coward and threatens that she cannot love a coward. She thinks that the dream was caused by something Chanticleer ate and suggests a remedy.

Chanticleer tries to convince Pertelote that his dream has meaning my biting people who dreamt of murder and then discovered it. But after his argument, he decides to leave the subject and compliment his Pertelote. The two make love and he leaves his safe perch. The fox, which has been stalking Chanticleer, flatters and asks Chanticleer to sing his beautiful songs. As the blushing Chanticleer closes his eyes to begin his song, the fox snatches him and runs. The hens all screech and wildly call the attention of the widow. Before long, the town is chasing the fox. Chanticleer advises the fox to boast about his accomplishments, and when the fox opens his mouth, Chanticleer escapes.

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale is an exempla. This is a sorry that teaches a moral lesson through example. The lessons learned in this particular story are summarized at the conclusion by the characters in the story themselves. The both learned survival strategies. Chanticleer begins:

“And for those who blink when they should look,

God blot them from this everlasting Book!”

“Nay, rather,” said the fox, “his plagues be flung

On all who chatter that should hold their tongue.” (cite book p 120)

The obvious theme is the idea of dreams and determinism – “the view that human actions are entirely controlled by previous conditions, operating under laws of nature, but understood as ruling out free will”(cite the dic of cult lit). While Pertelote references Cato and explains dreams medically—that they are caused by wrong foods and can be cured with remedies such as worms and herbs—Chanticleer explains dreams as prophesies referencing Cato, St Kenelm, Andromache, Hector, and Daniel and Joseph from the Old testament.

Another theme is woman acting as the source of evil and causing the fall of mankind.