The Second Nun’s Tale 

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?

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?

Nun’s Priest’s Tale Study Questions

  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?

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 Parson’s Prologue and Tale (selections) and Chaucer’s “Retraction” etc.  

Thinksheet: Please answer question 3 on Melibee link (pp. 509-11)

Please read Parson’s Prologue, pp. 691-3; pp. 706-709  (from “The fifthe thing” to “as he biheteth him in the gospel” )

1.  How does the Host ask the Parson to tell his tale?  How does the Parson present himself?

2.  How is Christ’s suffering described?  What is this suffering supposed to inspire in Christians?

The Melibee Link:  pp. 509-511

3.  How does this link reflect back on other places where Chaucer has talked about the connection between tale telling and truth?  What is the relationship between “reality” or “truth” and how it is conveyed as expressed here by Chaucer the pilgrim?

4.  The Canterbury Tales are incomplete, but for the sake of this question just accept that all the tales we have are all the tales told.  Who won the storytelling contest and why?