With reference to TWO characters in The Miller’s Tale analyse how Chaucer both asserts and challenges the values and attitudes of his 14th Century context. “The Miller’s Tale”, the second poem of “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer questions against the values and beliefs of the fourteenth century. The first poem of “The Canterbury Tale” was the “Knight’s Tale” a honourable and virtuous tale. Breaking the social status of the narrator, from the Knights tale to a juxtaposed tale told by a drunken Miller sets the plot about how a clerk “set the cappe of “ a carpenter and his wife.
The Fourteenth Century underpinned Chaucer’s beliefs that grew into his own personal values of current issues at the time. These values are articulated throughout Chaucer’s work, as demonstrated in “The Miller’s Tale”. Chaucer uses of his characters to create an opening for him to express his viewpoint towards the medieval context. Chaucer uses Absolon and Alisoun, to renounce his opinion towards Fourteenth century society. His clear statements towards religion, women and justice are widely brought up in “The Miller’s Tale”.
The hypocrisy of the Christian faith influence Chaucer and the society within the medieval time is distinctively represented through Absolon and the irony of him transforming into a devilish figure. Chaucer further explores the views and roles of women through his character Alisoun. Leading both the characters fates, by their sins during the fourteenth century context and allowing Chaucer to create his judgement on their justice.
With the importance of religion decreasing gradually since 14st century to now the 21st century due to breaking fundamental beliefs such as the ability to divorce in marriage, However, issues towards the sexualisation of women are still played in our day and age, thus making Chaucer’s text an undying relevance. Chaucer uses “The Miller’s Tale” to challenge the opinion towards Christianity and the faith of the Christians. Chaucer’s character Absolon is a parish assistant, his first appearance being set in a church.
Describe as “Curled was his hair, and as gold it shone” and ending with “ But sooth to say, he was somedeal squeamish of farting, and of speech daungerous”. Chaucer description of Absolon starts with his hair, curly blonde locks and further describing him as clean symbolising his class and wealth. Making him seen worthy as Alison’s courter, yet at the end, Chaucer hints of his phobia and personality as a lad that is disgusted by farts. Absolon lusts over Alisoun, a married woman.
This is introduced as Alisoun appears at Church further placing irony over the Christian faith. And many a lovely look on them he cast and namely on this carpentere’s wife…if she had been a mouse and he a cat, he would her hent anon” The narrator describing Absolon’s interest towards Alisoun using anthropomorphism to describe how Absalom the cat will trap and eat Alisoun the mouse with lustful intensions. Absolon shows his love through artistic talents, singing and playing an instrument outside her window. Yet disguised behind the romantic courtly love Absalom’s true motives are revealed representing the corruption of the church, its real motives hidden.
The irony Chaucer plays on his character Absolon is a demonstration of the hypocrisy on the church. The strong importance of the Christian faith that greatly impacted the growth of the culture is a significant aspect from Chaucer’s time that he draws his own opinions on through his text. From the Bible and Western Art, all literature and music was either religious or inspired by the Church that further creates significance towards Chaucer’s text from his own century that exists in relevance today. The Church drove medieval society and Christianity continues as the leading faith of the world.
However, there has been a decrease into Christian Faith during the 21st century as people are now able to divorce after marriage or remain unmarried completely. This adds significance on Chaucer’s text displaying religion through the Fourteenth Century context that is ever existing today. Alisoun throughout “The Miller’s Tale” is a symbol used to represent her sexuality and the behaviours of men who lust for her. Chaucer effectively uses Alisoun, as the only woman in the tale, to bring the medieval perspective towards women to his audience.
The idea of woman as objects, used for marriage and pleasure is articulated in the text by Chaucer’s character and her relationships with others. Chaucer uses references in the stereotypical insights of woman through a religious viewpoint of the Biblical story “Adam and Eve”. Due to a woman, the whole of mankind fell, portraying them as lustful temptresses and liars to their husbands to be too trusting. The imagery used to describe Alisoun by her physical features creates an opening to critic the lack of any description towards her personality or intellect.
This creates Alisoun’s importance by her main character trait, sexuality. Chaucer describes Alisoun through animalistic features to symbolise the nature of her sexuality that is ironic to her commitment to marriage. “As any weasel her body gent and small” and continues ending with “she was a primerole, a piggy’s-eye for any lord to layen in his bed”. Alisoun is seen as an animal unable to control their lust. This comparison refers to Alisoun only in her attractive physical form, however lowering her power and status just by being a woman.
Yet Chaucer challenged the religious viewpoint upon women by allowing Alisoun’s feminie appearance and masculine actions to disagree with traditional gender boundaries by letting her get away with punishment and her sinful acts. Chaucer bases Alisoun as a representation of the views on woman during the Fourteenth Century by creating this social statement. These views on woman and the temptress nature that a man believes he poses are an issue during the 21st century where woman are sexualised as objects.
Many men still use the sexualisation of women manipulatively along with the media in our time that further creates a perspective on women as objects made to give pleasure. Chaucer’s text represents the relevance to these perspectives on woman throughout the 14th century and our current generation. Chaucer further challenges the approach to social regulations made revolving around the influence of the Christian Church. Chaucer brings statements towards justice by exposing the corrupt behaviour of human nature in scenarios where the good may turn bad and the bad get an inevitable fate of punishment.
Absolon as a Parish assistant of the Church had socially characterised as pure and faithful by his position, which is then completely contradicted. The lustful desires that he give into by chasing Alisoun, a married woman, leads to exposing his true character where he develops sinister traits towards the revenge of Alisoun after she humiliates him promising him a kiss, “and at the window out she put her hole” instead a kiss on the lips, Absalon kissed her arse. Absolon expresses his love towards Alisoun, in a feminine and courtly manner, yet after the humiliation it leads to an impulsive decision to seek revenge.
Revenge is symbolic, as Abolon believes that it was justice to seek a hot poker stick, and to stab Alisoun with it, marking her in the moments of her affair. Absolon declared “ My soul betake I unto Satanas, but me were lever than all this town” whilst accidently marking Nicholas, on the buttock with the poker stick holding the belief it was Alisoun. After this action it was the fall of Absolon, turning him into a blackened devil carrying a hot iron. This demonstrates the change and develop of Chaucer’s character that tries to input justice in his own hands.
During the Fourteenth Century, a destructive plague hit England wiping out majority of the population. This led people to question the purity of the Church and question their own beliefs as Christians. The inevitable fall of Absolon is a representation of Chaucer view on the fall of the Church. Justice has become subjective with he definition of justice becoming personalised. This is displayed by many people taking their view towards justice in their own hands as shown through the increasing murders and events around the world today.
The power that people exploit in our day is increasingly significant and played by human nature. The exploitation of power in a person for reasons of justice and revenge are significantly brought fore in Chaucer’s text and remain important towards the current century. Chaucer criticises and challenges the Fourteenth Century context throughout his work “The Miller’s Tale”. This is shown through the character Alisoun, to confront the representation of women in a stereotypical manner.
Chaucer states his opinions towards the behavioural and moral means of women by challenging the 14th century context that is similarly still seen in the modern day context. Chaucer portrays the character Absolon, as the symbol of The Church and challenges the fundamental values of the fall of the church when Absolon turns against his religious morals over a furious personalised justice. In which is still applied in society today, as religion is not mandatory. Both characters depict Chaucer’s beliefs and opinion towards the medieval context that still applies to modern day context.
