Wife of Bath’s Tale- King Arthur tale; knight raped a lady and was told ot go out and
discover what women really want; learned that it is control over their husbands; was told
this by an enchantress; she makes him promise to marry her; tells him can choose
between having her old and faithful, or young and unfaithful; tells her to choose, and she
gives him both;
Knight’s Tale- Arcite and Palamon locked in tower; both fall in love with Emely; fight
over Emelye; Duke Theseus tells them to have a challenge to see winner; Arcite wins, but
then dies; Theseus tells Palamon and Emelye to stop grieving; governance, courtly love,
etc
Franklin’s Tale- was a great knight who wanted to serve his lady; they were equal;
Arveragus and wife Dorigen; he was called away and she mourned; squire Aurelius
wanted her to sleep with him, but she said not unless he made cliffs disappear; he got
magician to do her; husband came back and she didn’t know what to do, but he told her
to sleep with Aurelius; everyone was honorable in the end
Summoner’s Tale- was friar who went around begging; visited friend Thomas, who is ill;
says T is ill b/c he doesn’t give enough to church; T says he will give something, if friar
will share it with all other friars; farts into friar’s hand; friar complains to lord, and lord’s
servant tells him how to share the fart with the other friar.
Shipman’s Tale- merchant had a fine wife; he had to pay lots of money to buy her fancy
things; monk and merchant are best friends; merchant went on a trip, and monk talked to
wife; she offers sex if he will get her the money she needs to pay off a debt; monk asks
merchant to borrow the money; merchant lends it to him, and he gives it to wife;
merchant gets mad that monk “gave it back” to wife; she says that because she gives him
so much sex, and he agreed.
Cook’s Tale- there was an apprentice to a food preparer; was a drinker and gambler;
master dismissed him; he went to hang out with other gambling friends; unfinished tale
Merchant’s Tale- lived an old knight, January; married a very young woman, named
May; May didn’t love him, and agreed to cheat with Damien, an young squire who was in
love with her; she and January took a walk in the gardens, after he went blind; she and
Damien had sex up a tree; Proserpina and Pluto were there; Pluto gave January his sight
back, but Proserpina gave May the ability to fool him; J no see truth
Friar’s Tale- a summoner go out and condemns people; he gets the gossip; meets
yeoman, who is really a devil; they are two of a kind; demon says he gets his powers
from God; man tells his cart to go to devil; the demon says he can’t take it, bc guy didn’t
really mean it; summoner wants to take advantage of old woman; she says she wants
devil to take him and means it; summoner goes to hell
Nun Priest’s Tale- poor widow lives in cottage with daughters; had rooster called
Chauntecleer, who had dream that evil dog thing would attack; wives made fun of him,
discover what women really want; learned that it is control over their husbands; was told
this by an enchantress; she makes him promise to marry her; tells him can choose
between having her old and faithful, or young and unfaithful; tells her to choose, and she
gives him both;
Knight’s Tale- Arcite and Palamon locked in tower; both fall in love with Emely; fight
over Emelye; Duke Theseus tells them to have a challenge to see winner; Arcite wins, but
then dies; Theseus tells Palamon and Emelye to stop grieving; governance, courtly love,
etc
Franklin’s Tale- was a great knight who wanted to serve his lady; they were equal;
Arveragus and wife Dorigen; he was called away and she mourned; squire Aurelius
wanted her to sleep with him, but she said not unless he made cliffs disappear; he got
magician to do her; husband came back and she didn’t know what to do, but he told her
to sleep with Aurelius; everyone was honorable in the end
Summoner’s Tale- was friar who went around begging; visited friend Thomas, who is ill;
says T is ill b/c he doesn’t give enough to church; T says he will give something, if friar
will share it with all other friars; farts into friar’s hand; friar complains to lord, and lord’s
servant tells him how to share the fart with the other friar.
Shipman’s Tale- merchant had a fine wife; he had to pay lots of money to buy her fancy
things; monk and merchant are best friends; merchant went on a trip, and monk talked to
wife; she offers sex if he will get her the money she needs to pay off a debt; monk asks
merchant to borrow the money; merchant lends it to him, and he gives it to wife;
merchant gets mad that monk “gave it back” to wife; she says that because she gives him
so much sex, and he agreed.
Cook’s Tale- there was an apprentice to a food preparer; was a drinker and gambler;
master dismissed him; he went to hang out with other gambling friends; unfinished tale
Merchant’s Tale- lived an old knight, January; married a very young woman, named
May; May didn’t love him, and agreed to cheat with Damien, an young squire who was in
love with her; she and January took a walk in the gardens, after he went blind; she and
Damien had sex up a tree; Proserpina and Pluto were there; Pluto gave January his sight
back, but Proserpina gave May the ability to fool him; J no see truth
Friar’s Tale- a summoner go out and condemns people; he gets the gossip; meets
yeoman, who is really a devil; they are two of a kind; demon says he gets his powers
from God; man tells his cart to go to devil; the demon says he can’t take it, bc guy didn’t
really mean it; summoner wants to take advantage of old woman; she says she wants
devil to take him and means it; summoner goes to hell
Nun Priest’s Tale- poor widow lives in cottage with daughters; had rooster called
Chauntecleer, who had dream that evil dog thing would attack; wives made fun of him,
