Chaucer's Mock Heroic Fable: The Canterberry Tales
The first great English writer, Geoffrey Chaucer, created The Canterbury Tales which is a story of pilgrims on an expedition to visit the shrine of Tomas A’Beckett. Each pilgrim must tell four stories for the reward of a meal and entertainment. “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” is told in the form of a fable, defined as a narration in which animals speak and act like humans. The priest tells of a rooster in charge of hens, closely relating to his own authority over women. The fable is a mock heroic, which is a story that relates to an epic, taking a trivial subject and blowing it out of proportion. To achieve this style, Chaucer uses allusions or references to people, places, or events in history that appeal to a reader. Chaucer uses references to the Trojan War, the story of Adam and Eve, and cries from Roman matrons to illustrate the trivial problems Chanticleer and Pertelote face in “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.” Chaucer uses mock heroic techniques in describing the hens’ reactions to Chanticleer’s kidnapping. The rooster of the barnyard, Chan
ticleer, has a nightmare about a fox trying to kill him. His lady hen, Pertelote, quickly calls him a coward for being frightened by a dream. This foreshadowing is later reality. Sir Russell Fox strolls into the yard complimenting Chanticleer on his beautiful, God-given voice. By using flattery as distraction, the fox snatches Chanticleer by the neck, flings him over his back, and rushes off. The response from the ladies is that of pure terror. Chaucer writes, Finally, the allusion to Roman women crying for their men is made. Chaucer describes the cries of the hens saying, Than those of Roman matrons when the fire Consumed their husbands, senators of Rome, Secondly, Goeffery Chaucer uses mock heroism when relating Adam and Eve to Chanticleer and Pertelote. The priest’s story overflows with examples of overbearing and annoying women. Early on Chanticleer tries to use flattery to make one hen be quiet. By speaking Latin he tells her he says, “‘Woman is man’s delight and all his bliss’” (247). However, the phrase actually means “Wom
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Approximate Word count = 722
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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