Ahh, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales--- frustrated yet? I understand that the stories are written in poetic form and that some of the phrases are antiquated or that Chaucer dances around what he wants to say, but with that said-- once the stories are understood they're pretty cool.
Below you will find synopsis of the tales that we're reading in groups in class and few that I will
The Cook's Tale
The cook spins a tale about a riotous young man named Perkyn. Perkyn is a servant who enjoys drinking, dancing and gambling. The Master fearful of Perkyn corrupting the other servants tells him that he must party elsewhere. Perkyn makes arrangement to go to his friends house whose wife is a prostitute. The tale breaks off unfinished by Chaucer.
The Friar's Tale
The friar upset with the slights against friars and the church in general {made by the summoner} tells a story of a corrupt Summoner {not the one on the trip, but the Friar implies that Summoner's are all the same}. The Archdeacon severely punishes parishioners who are unfaithful to their spouses. The summoner knowing who will be called before the Archdeacon extorts money from those who can pay rather than be punished. The Summoner meets the devil and they compare who is worse and both walk away. Later, the Summoner unfairly goes after a wealthy widow. Unfortunately, for the Summoner the widow calls the devil who promptly takes him to hell.
The Miller's Tale
An impoverished student convinces his landlord that a great flood is coming and that he should hang a bathtub from the ceiling by a rope and that he should remain in the bathtub alone. This landlord is married, to what the student considers a "hot" girl. The student seduces the wife while the landlord sleeps in the bathtub that is hanging by rope from the ceiling. While the student and the wife have their wanton way with each other another admirer goes to the young wife's window and pleads for a kiss. The wife responds to the admirer's pleas by putting her butt out the window so he can kiss it. Outraged the young admirer goes to get a hot poker and returns to ask for another kiss hoping to burn her instead he finds himself face to poker with the student who enjoyed the carnal knowledge of the wife. The student screams for water, the landlord thinking that the flood has arrived cuts down his tub only to crash into the cellar breaking his arm.
The Summoner
Upset with the Friar's tale of a corrupt Summoner he decides that his story will show the corruption of the church in comical way. The Summoner tells of a friar who visits hell only to wonder why there are no friars. Smugly, the angel showing the friar around hell lifts the tale of the devil only to find 20,000 friars coming out of the devil's backside. Continuing to insult the friar the summoner continues his story about a friar who begs for money from a man, Thomas who is dying and his wife. The couple just lost a child are grief stricken. The friar exploits the couple taking their money. Realizing what has happened Thomas promises the friar the thing he is sitting upon. Suddenly Thomas lets out a HUMONGOUS fart telling the friar that is what he bequeaths to him. Angered the Friar complains to the lord of the manor who tries to appease the friar by telling him that he will split the fart equally among all the friars.
The Franklin's Tale
Franklin retells a familiar Breton folk ballad. Dorigen, a young woman awaits the return of her husband, Averagus who has gone to to England to fight in a war. Worried that the ship bringing Averagus home will crash on the coastal rocks Dorigen makes a promise to Aurelius, a young man who has fallen in love with her that she will sleep with him if he removes the rocks from the coast. Aurelius asks a magician to create an illusion that the rocks have disappeared. Averagus ship arrives home safely and Dorigen tells him of her promise. Averagaus insists that she keep her word and sleep with Aurelius. Aurelius impressed with Averagus' honor frees Dorigen from her promise and the magician in turn releases Aurelius from paying him.
The Prioress's Tale
A widow and her young son live in an Asian city deep in the Jewish ghetto. The widow sends her son to the only Christian school in the ghetto where he sings as if he were an angel. Walking home one afternoon the young boys sings a song about the Virgin Mary. The Jews angered by what they view as disrespect have the little boy murdered and thrown into a cesspit. The boy's mother searches for him frantically begging her Jewish neighbors to tell her where he is. She hears the boy singing. The Virgin Mary has placed a grain on his tongue to allow him to sing even though his throat has been slit. The boy is taken to the church where the priest removes the grain and allowing the boy to die. The boy quickly becomes a martyr and is placed into a marble tomb within the church. The murders are found, drawn, quartered and then hanged. **Note: There was an actual incident where a boy named Hugh of Lincoln was actually killed by Jews. Chaucer was commenting on social issues of the day.
The Wife of Bath's Tale
A young knight of King Aurthur's court rapes a young maiden. Disheartened the Queen sends the young knight on a quest to find out what women really want. As the young knight searches he meets an ugly women who tells him that she knows the answer to the question that he asks. In return for the answer he must do whatever she asks of him. The knight agrees and they return to see the queen. The knight and ugly woman return to give the queen the answer to her question. The ugly woman replies, "Women want control over their husbands and their own lives". The queen tells the young knight that this is the correct answer and the ugly woman requests that the Knight marry her. Repulsed he doesn't know if he can follow through with it. The ugly woman gives the knight a choice: she can transform herself into a beautiful woman, but be unfaithful or she can remain as she is and be faithful. The knight unable to choose tells the woman that she must choose for herself. Happily the woman transforms into a beautiful woman who is faithful. The woman rewards the knight for allowing her to choose her path and listening to what women really want.
