Nun’s Priest’s Tale Study Questions

  Thinksheet Please answer question 3

1.  What is the relationship between teller and tale for the Nun’s Priest’s Tale?

How would you relate the figure of the Nun’s Priest to Chaunticleer?

2. What is Chaunticleer’s dream?  What is its importance? 

3.  Do you see a moral to the tale?  What would that moral be?  What is the tale’s tone?

            Is this just a tale about chickens?  If not, what other issues does it deal with? How does it "quite" previous tales? (you don't need to answer each of these questions--they are meant to get you thinking about what you see as the "point" or "message" of the tale).

4.  What is the view of marriage in this tale?  How are women portrayed?  Look esp. at Chaunticleer’s reply to Pertelote on page 257 lines 3157 ff.

The Second Nun’s Tale 

Thinksheet Please answer question 2

1.  How is St Cecelie characterized?  How does she compare to other female characters we have looked at.  Compare her especially to Constance in the MLT. 

2.  How does the Second Nun’s Tale “quite” the tales before it?  What echoes do you find of other tales?  Look especially at lines 519-546.  How does the Second Nun’s Tale respond to the Prioress’s Tale?  What echoes do you find?  How do their prologues compare? How does the Virgin Mary figure in both tales? (Again, you needn't answer

question--they are meant to get you thinking about "quiting" in the tale).

3.  What is the importance of “bisynesse” in the Tale?

4.  Could we classify this tale as part of the “Marriage Group?”  How is marriage regarded in the tale?  How does it compare to other discussions of marriage?