Essay --

Told by a charming priest and kindly man, The nuns Priests Tale is a beast apologue in Chaucers genius framed narrative, The Canterbury Tales. Written in the belated 14th century, The nuns Priests Tale is a fabrication about an all too egotistic rooster named Chanticleer who dreams of his be doom which takes the form of a beast. Deeply troubled, he seeks the consolation of other wise barn animals and his favorite wife, Pertelote. Being a beast fable, the nun buoys Priest mocks the Court World by lowering nobles to the aim of animals to be mocked. As this fable displays that animals act like humans is to similarly imply that humans, namely people of the appeal, act like animals.Using the proficiency of a mock-heroic tale, the Nuns Priest takes a trivial moment and elevates it to a climatic story in an almost comic way. When the mix up runs off with Chanticleer clenched in his jaws, the entire scene is narrated with elevated and advanced language used in many epics to enh ance the climatic tones and dramatic actions taking place. By using intricate language to describe a fox snatching a rooster in a barnyard, the tale is prone a very comical and ironic tone. The chase after is described as,O Geoffrey, thou my dear and sovereign masterWho, when they brought King Richard to disasterAnd gunslinger him dead, lamented so his death,Would that I had thy skill, thy gracious breath,To chide a Friday half so well as you(For he was killed upon a Friday too.)Then I could counterfeit you a rhapsodyFor Chanticleer in dread and agony (Chaucer, 228).By comparing this chase to King Richard the III and his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field suggests the Nuns Priests mocking and comic absurdity of the situation. In doing so, the Nuns Priest and possibl... ...ght. The phrases such as redder than fine red coral or battlemented like a castle wall and burnished gold evoke the image of a knight in promising armor. The color azure is one of the five standard colo rs in coats of arms (asur, Middle English Dictionary Entry). This establishes his appearance as a person from the court. Thus, the prideful and charming Chanticleer is representative of the egocentric values of the court world that the Nuns Priest is ridiculing.The irony of this tale is blatant. The highly philosophical intellect of the roosters and hens represents the ideals of the court world that is derided by having the setting as a barnyard. The Nuns Priest is using this beast fable as a moral story of warning. The court world is insulted by the pointing out of its flaw treachery through flattery. Chaucer himself could be criticizing the court of its fault.