Parody of Courtly Love

The Miller’s Tale is a parody of courtly love, elaborately written using various techniques to ridicule “The Knight’s Tale.” The social status of the narrator and characters is indeed a way to literally and figuratively “lower” the elegance and grace of the story. The drunken narrator, lacking of manners, begins “The Miller’s tale” in a more informal fashion. This continues throughout the story as reflected by its characters and the plot itself. Chaucer alludes to “The Knight’s tale” in the story, establishing a relationship that provides the reader with further information on what’s going to be parodied.

Evidently, The Miller’s tale view on love isn’t romantic and idealized as the one seen in “ The Knight’s Tale”. This is seen in Alisoun’s adultery, demoralizing completely what courtly love. Her description of bein an average woman says, “She was a prymerole, a pigges-nye

For any lord to leggen in his bedde,

Or yet for any good yeman to wedde.” (Millers Tale) portraying a deglamorized version of women. This juxtaposes clearly the view on women seen in “The Knight’s” and “Miller’s” tale. Similarly to this, the male characters are parodied in this tale. Having a naïve man, being cheated on depicts an image completely opposite to what Arcite, Palamon and Theseus have in “The Knight’s tale.”

The most evident trait of parody created by Chaucer is the absurd ending in the story. Alisoun’s and Nicolas’s plan to see each other works initially and ends in a different manner to what they expected and yet, they are successful. John is being made fun of by the town as he tries to explain Nicolas’s lie. One can think of various lessons learned from this tell such as:

1. Never trust women

2. Do not try to explain yourself when being in ridicule, it makes it worst

3. A Knights tale will be always more interesting but less humorous to that of a carpenter´s.