The Miller of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

briankessler@nowhereatall.net

http://www.nowhereatall.net

20 May 1999

• My Commentary on the Tale
• Endnotes
• Bibliography and Links

Upon the characters within The Miller's Tale

The Miller's Tale is the fabliau ("a versified short story designed to make you laugh; concerned usually with sexual or excretory functions"⁽¹⁾) of an elderly carpenter (John), his young wife (Alison), and two youthful would-be-paramours (Nicholas, a student of astrology; and Absolon, a parish clerk). The story is set in Oxenford (Oxford) and if this location is significant, I found no speculation and feel ill-prepared to offer any.

Of John, we are told very little, but that he is "A riche gnof, that gestes heeld to bord, / An of his craft he was a carpenter."⁽²⁾ The name John (which means "God is gracious"⁽³⁾) is common enough that it could be generic or to allude towards any of a vast number of kings, popes, or saints, or simply be generic. Werthamer suggests "his name reminds us of St. John [the Apostle], whose gospel describes the next 'flood,' or Doomsday."⁽⁴⁾ Following this lead we learn:

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (Feast day - December 27th) St. John, the son of Zebedee, and the brother of St. James the Great, was called to be an Apostle by our Lord in the first year of His public ministry. He became the "beloved disciple" and the only one of the Twelve who did not forsake the Savior in the hour of His Passion. He stood faithfully at the cross when the Savior made him the guardian of His Mother. His later life was passed chiefly in Jerusalem and at Ephesus. He founded many churches in Asia Minor. He wrote the fourth Gospel, and three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation is also attributed to him. Brought to Rome, tradition relates that he was by order of Emperor Dometian cast into a cauldron of boiling oil but came forth unhurt and was banished to the island of Pathmos for a year. He lived to an extreme old age, surviving all his fellow apostles, and died at Ephesus about the year 100. St. John is called the Apostle of Charity, a virtue he had learned from his Divine Master, and which he constantly inculcated by word and example. The "beloved disciple" died at Ephesus, where a stately church was erected over his tomb. It was afterwards converted into a Mohammedan mosque. http://saints.catholic.org/saints/johnapostle.html

That John is a carpenter has the obvious implication of being a dig at the Miller's rival, the Reeve, who was a carpenter. Dr. Desmet suggests that John's occupation as a carpenter helps to build a connection with Noah "who [also] build[s] things with wood."⁽⁵⁾ We are also told that he takes on lodgers, is jealous of his young wife, and is a "gnof", meaning a miser or churl.⁽⁶⁾ This last accusation is never justified by the tale; beyond his understandable, if not forgivable, jealousy over his wife, the only thing negative we may say about John is that he agreed to send his two servants away when they would surely be drowned in the expected flood - and this action came at the prompting of Nicholas who was credulously taken as speaking "Cristes conseil", such that if Nicholas was to be believed thus far, who was John to question in regard to the servants? Instead of a miser, John seems most generous: he has come to Nicholas in concern for the well being of the student and upon hearing of the forthcoming flood, his instinct is to query upon the welfare of his wife Alison.

We are also told of John "He knew nat Catoun", refering to "Cato, author of an elementary school text."⁽⁷⁾ "Old John knew not Cato, for he had never been to school; the 'Distichs' (closed couplets) of Cato were far and away the most popular elementary textbooks in schools during the early Middle Ages and beyond. They were prized not only as a means of teaching Latin but as a respository of valuable moral advice."⁽⁸⁾

Nicholas, a lodger at John's home, is described next and in more detail. Werthamer suggests the name Nicholas (which means "victory of the people"⁽⁹⁾) would remind Chaucer's audience about "St. Nicholas, who is the mysterious guest at the home of evil hosts"⁽¹⁰⁾; but there are four possible "St. Nicholas"-es that have been accepted into the Catholic cannon (I don't know how many rejected) and none seem to fit this description, so I can offer no elaboration.⁽¹¹⁾

We do know, however, that Nicholas was student of "astrologye," (astrology). Melillo tells us "Interest in astrology was very keen in Chaucer''s day. Where, in later centuries, it would be treated as a ""pseudo science"", supposedly without basis, it was condemned by neither science nor Church then. The physician in the prologue to the Canterbury Tales uses astrology to determine his patients'' treatment, and is respected for doing so. Even Saint Thomas Aquinas, as great a mind as the century had to offer, believed that God worked through the planets to influence our lives. Its practise intrigued the common man's mind much as it does ours."⁽¹²⁾

Nicholas could say "Whan that men sholde have droghte or elles shoures," ("when [that men] should have drought or else shower"⁽¹³⁾). This specific reference to Nicholas' abilities is important because it gives reason to John's gullibility when Nicholas' predicts "'. . . That now a Monday next, at quarter nyght, / Shal falle a reyn, and that so wilde and a wood / That half so greet was nevere Noes flood. / This world,' he seyde, 'in lasse than an hour / Shal al be dreynt, so hidous is the hour. Thus shal mankynde drenche, and lese hir lyfe" ("'. . .That now, come Monday next, at nine of night, / Shall fall a rain so wildly mad as would / Have been, by half, greater than Noah' flood.' he said, 'in less time than an hour, / Shall all be drowned, so terrible is this shower; / Thus shall all mankiind drown and lose all life." In addition, as Melillo points out "Those in the middle ages had seen many an artistic depiction, as well as heard sermons and tales, of incidents recounted in the Scriptures. The combination of this awareness with the medieval man's belief in miracles and magic makes it quite understandable that the carpenter John believes Nicholas's predication about another Great Flood ahead."⁽¹⁴⁾ However, it is also clear that John does not know the story well, otherwise he should be aware that God promised Noah there would never be another such flood.⁽¹⁵⁾

We are also told of Nicholas: "of deerne love he koude and of solas; And therto he was sleigh and ful privee," ("Of secret loves he knew and their solace; And he kept counsel, too, for he was sly") and as such we gather he is somewhat of a playboy and of course, it is the scholar's lust and wit that creates the situation between himself and his host. Werthamer makes note upon Nicholas' slyness, "Chaucer's emphasis on the creativity of rogues in his tales is something brand new to the Middle Ages. Before this it was unheard of to grant anything like cunning to any evil character except the Devil himself."⁽¹⁶⁾

We are finally told of Nicholas that he is ". . . lyk a mayden meke for to see" (". . . meek as any maiden passing by.") This seems yet another paradox in Chaucer's character descriptions. Nicholas is the active character in the tale causing all that happens to happen (with a slight miscalculation of the ending). He in no way seems weak or submissive.

Alison (whose name means "nobility"⁽¹⁷⁾; and whose "name [is] close to that of Dame Alice, the sensual wife of Bath."⁽¹⁸⁾) is young, charming, and beautiful. John "heeld hire narwe in cage" ("held her close in cage"); in other words, "Alison is owned by her husband."⁽¹⁹⁾ She is described at length using many words evocative of plants and animals in nature. Included in these nature images is "newe pere-jonette tree" ("newly budded young pair tree"), which "[i]n the Merchant's Tale . . . becomes a symbol of adultery."⁽²⁰⁾

Absolon (whose name means "my Father is peace"⁽²¹⁾; but McDaniel suggests he is "named so for his pride in his blond hair"⁽²²⁾) is the final major player in this tale. Absolon is a parish clerk and a jack-of-all trades. Like, Nicholas, Absolon is a dandy, eager to hop into bed with pretty young women, but where Nicholas is a man of action, taking what he wants, Absolon does things in a more polite way, trying to win Alison through courtship.⁽²³⁾ We are told Absolon played "Herodes", another well known character from the medieval drama cycles⁽²⁴⁾; Herod was "King of the Jews"⁽²⁵⁾ in the "the passion and crucifixion of Christ"⁽²⁶⁾.

The tale also includes John's two servants of which we are told little: Robyn (whose name is diminutive of Robert, meaning "fame and ... bright"⁽²⁷⁾) is a knave and Gille (whose name means "belonging to Julius"⁽²⁸⁾) is a maid. They are not described and both sent away, presumably to drown, when John falls for Nicholas' scheme. And there is also the undescribed smith called Gerveys⁽²⁹⁾.

Not present as characters, but invoked by name during the course of the Miller's Tale are a number of saints:

Seint Thomas of Kent, (also known as St.Thomas Becket⁽³⁰⁾) though not present in the tale is sworn by on several occasions ("And swoor hir ooth, by seint Thomas of Kent, / That she wol been at his comandement,", "And seyde, "I am adrad, by Seint Thomas, / It stondeth nat aright with Nicholas.", and "He saugh nat that. But yet, by seint Thomas, / Me reweth soore of hende Nicholas. / He shal be rated of his studiyng, / If that I may, by Jhesus, hevene kyng!"), thus it may be helpful to know who he is.

St. Thomas was born in London. He studied both in London and at the University of Paris. Because his father's death left him broke, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent him on several missions to Rome, took him in and financed his education in canon law. St. Thomas became involved in the political happenings of the time, and was eventually appointed chancellor of England by Henry II, becoming the second most powerful man in England next to Henry. He was famed for the luxury and magnificence of his life-style, which took a dramatic turn when Henry nominated him Archbishop of Canterbury. He was ordained a priest the day before his consecration, and changed his life completely. Living in great austerity, he soon clashed with the King over clerical and Church rights. For six years these personal battles continued, until Henry was overheard saying he wished he were rid of St. Thomas. Four of his knights took him seriously, and murdered St. Thomas in his cathedral. The act shocked all of Europe, and St. Thomas was at once proclaimed a martyr. The following year Henry did public penance. http://saints.catholic.org/saints/thomasbecket.html

I know not how common it may have been to swear by St. Thomas, but it seems to me that in all three instances, the act of swearing by St. Thomas seemed particularly wrongful. In the first instance, Alison took oath to Nicholas that she would be his; in a sense, she is using St. Thomas as an endorsement of polygamy since Alison already took vows under Jesus and God to be faithful to John. In the second instance, although unwittingly, the servant is using St. Thomas to endorse a lie, in contradiction to one of God's Ten Commandments. In the third instance, John is invoking St. Thomas' to take issue with the very will of "Jhesus, hevene kyng". Perhaps it is less than coincidence that during the life of Thomas, he was at odds with King Henry, just as he is being asked to go against Jesus and God.

Seinte Frydeswyde (also known as St. Frideswide) is next invoked ("And seyde, "Help us, seinte Frydeswyde! / A man woot litel what hym shal bityde. / This man is falle, with his astromye, / In som woodnesse or in som agonye."). She was noted for her healing powers but has not been included in the canon of catholic saints.

She is the patron of the city of Oxford, a princess of Wessex (born about 680) whose hand was sought by a young man she did not wish to marry. She fled to Oxford; he followed her, but, according to the story, was struck blind and healed at her intercession [a clear warning against overenthusiasm in pursuing ones intended]. She founded a religious house on the site of what is now Christ Church, and died in 735. That is all we know from the medieval account culled from older traditions. The monastery was destroyed by Vikings, but rebuilt by Augustinian Canons in the 12th. century; her tomb survived until 1538 when the monastery was suppressed by Cardinal Wolsey to provide funds for his Cardinal College (now Christ Church). After Wolsey''s fall, the monastery church became the new Cathedral of Oxford; the saint''s shrine, briefly restored under Mary, was finally taken down in 1558. Frideswide was made patron saint of the University of Oxford in the early 15th. century http://www.hullp.demon.co.uk/SacredHeart/saint/st_frideswide.htm (see also http://193.123.31.186/frideswi.html )

The invocation of Frydeswyde seems appropriate both because she is a saint local to Oxford where the story is set and because she was noted for her healing powers. There may also, however, be a touch of irony: for Frydeswyde healed the man who wrongly pursued to make her wed, just as John would have healed the man who wrongly pursued to make him cuckold.

Within a short passage, there is the invocation of both Seinte Benedight and Seinte Petres (""Jhesu Crist and seinte Benedight, /Blesse this hous from every wikked wight, / ~or nyghtes verye, the white pater-noster! / Where wentestow, seinte Petres soster?""). Seinte Benedight (also known as St. Benedict) may have referred to any of seventeen canonized saints. Seinte Petres (also known as St. Peter) may have referred to any of twelve canonized saints.

St. Benedight seems most likely to have refered to St. Benedict of the late fifth, early sixth century, whose was of immense importance to Christianity and patron saint against poisoning. St. Petres most likely refered to

St. Peter of Sebaste, the only St. Peter whose legend mentions a sister -- a sister whose role was that of a nurturer.

. . . In the fifth century, the young Benedict was sent to Rome to finish his education with a nurse/housekeeper. The subject that dominated a young man's study then was rhetoric -- the art of persuasive speaking. A successful speaker was not one who had the best argument or conveyed the truth, but one who used rhythm, eloquence and technique to convince. The power of the voice without foundation in the heart was the goal of the student's education. And that philosophy was reflected in the lives of the students as well. They had everything -- education, wealth, youth -- and they spent all of it in the pursuit of pleasure not truth. Benedict watched in horror as vice unraveled the lives and ethics of his companions. Afraid for his soul, Benedict fled Rome, gave up his inheritance, and lived in a small village with his nurse. When God called him beyond this quiet life to even deeper solitude, he went to the mountains of Subiaco. There he lived as a hermit under the direction of another hermit, Romanus. After years of prayer, word of his holiness brought nearby monks to ask for his leadership. He warned them he would be too strict for them, but they insisted -- then tried to poison him when his warning proved true. So Benedict was on his own again -- but not for long. The next set of followers were more sincere and he set up twelve monasteries in Subiaco where monks lived in separate communities of twelve. He left these monasteries abruptly when the envious attacks of another hermit made it impossible to continue the spiritual leadership he had taken. But it was in Monte Cassino he founded the monastery that became the roots of the Church's monastic system. Instead of founding small separate communities he gathered his disciples into one whole community . . . . . Benedict had the holiness and the ability to take this step. His beliefs and instructions on religious life were collected in what is now known as the Rule of Saint Benedict -- still directing religious life after 15 centuries. In this tiny but powerful Rule, Benedict put what he had learned about the power of speaking and oratorical rhythms at the service of the Gospel. He did not drop out of school because he didn't understand the subject! Scholars have told us that his Rule reflects an understanding of and skill with the rhetorical rules of the time. Despite his experience at school, he understood rhetoric was as much a tool as a hammer was. A hammer could be used to build a house or hit someone over the head. Rhetoric could be used to promote vice ... or promote God. Benedict did not shun rhetoric because it had been used to seduce people to vice; he reformed it. Benedict did not want to lose the power of voice to reach up to God simply because others had use it to sink down to the gutter. He reminded us "Let us consider our place in sight of God and of his angels. Let us rise in chanting that our hearts and voices harmonize." There was always a voice reading aloud in his communities at meals, to receive guests, to educate novices. Hearing words one time was not enough -- "We wish this Rule to be read frequently to the community." Benedict realized the strongest and truest foundation for the power of words was the Word of God itself: "For what page or word of the Bible is not a perfect rule for temporal life?" He had experienced the power of God's word as expressed in Scripture: "For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:10-11). For prayer, Benedict turned to the psalms, the very songs and poems from the Jewish liturgy that Jesus himself had prayed. To join our voices with Jesus in praise of God during the day was so important that Benedict called it the "Work of God." And nothing was to be put before the work of God. "Immediately upon hearing the signal for the Divine Office all work will cease." Benedict believed with Jesus that "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God' " (Matthew 4:4). . . . In one story of Benedict's life, a poor man came to the monastery begging for a little oil. Although Benedict commanded that the oil be given, the cellarer refused -- because there was only a tiny bit of oil left. If the cellarer gave any oil as alms there would be none for the monastery. Angry at this distrust of God's providence, Benedict knelt down to pray. As he prayed a bubbling sound came from inside the oil jar. The monks watched in fascination as oil from God filled the vessel so completely that it overflowed, leaked out beneath the lid and finally pushed the cover off, cascading out on to the floor. In Benedictine prayer, our hearts are the vessel empty of thoughts and intellectual striving. All that remains is the trust in God's providence to fill us. Emptying ourselves this way brings God's abundant goodness bubbling up in our hearts, first with an inspiration or two, and finally overflowing our heart with contemplative love. Benedict died in 547 while standing in prayer before God. http://saints.catholic.org/saints/benedict.html

Born c. 340, St. Peter was the youngest child of Sts. Basil (the Elder) and Emiliana (Emilia); he may have been a posthumous child. Some say that he was born after his father's death, and others say that the elder Basil died while Peter was an infant. Macrina, his oldest sister, raised him, and he, like his brothers, gave up the study of rhetoric. He became a monk at Basil the Great's monastery on the Iris River; when Basil became bishop in 370, Peter succeeded him as abbot. Basil ordained Peter to the priesthood. During a famine in the Pontus and Cappadocia, Peter did much to alleviate its effects. Peter was named bishop of Sebaste in 380, and he attended the second Council of Nicaea the following year. At the request of his brother, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter completed Basil's Hexææmeron. Peter, who helped to eliminate Arianism in his diocese, died c. 391 http://saints.catholic.org/saints/petersebaste.html

Beyond St. Benedict's protection against poisoning and St. Peter's sister's fame for nurturing, there is perhaps another connection. For both of these saints were connected to rhetoric - that is, the power of speech. And it is only when John practices the power of speech by beseeching the one saint and the other's sister, that a response is drawn from the till-then-unresponsive lodger.

Seinte Note (also known as St. Neot) is the final saint invoked in this tale ("What eyleth yow? Som gay gerl, God it woot, / Hath broght yow thus upon the viritoot. /By seinte Note, ye woot wel what I mene."). He has not been included in the catholic canon.

St. Neot (who miraculously rescued a fish from a frying-pan (!) ) http://www.cambs.com/stn.htm . . . was known as The Pygmy Saint,for we are told that he was a mere 15 inches high - possibly a tall story! He used to spend much of his day immersed up to the neck in his well during his devotions. Neot had a strange way with animals and birds and worked miracles with them,as depicted in the beautiful stained glass window of his church in the East Cornwall village named after him. http://www.cranstar.co.uk/saints.htm (see also http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/folklore-and-legend/saints.htm )

Again, the invocation of seems appropriate. For the girl is Alison and Chaucer has already connected her with animals; thus Gerveys is suggesting working a miracle with Alison who has rejected the love of Absolon. There is also a subtle reference to the "flood" which John believes to be occurring since St. Neot spent much of his day immersed in a well.

During the tale, "Jhesu Crist" (Jesus Christ), "Noe" (Noah), and "Sathanas" (Satan) are also referred to, but they are well known enough that I see no need to discuss their roles (which seem obvious) in this tale. Thus ends my exploration of the characters within the Miller's Tale.