Values In The Miller's Tale

With reference to TWO characters in The Miller’s Tale analyse how Chaucer both asserts and challenges the values and attitudes of his 14th Century context.

“The Miller’s Tale”, the second poem of “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer questions against the values and beliefs of the fourteenth century. The first poem of “The Canterbury Tale” was the “Knight’s Tale” a honourable and virtuous tale. Breaking the social status of the narrator, from the Knights tale to a juxtaposed tale told by a drunken Miller sets the plot about how a clerk “set the cappe of “ a carpenter and his wife. The Fourteenth Century underpinned Chaucer’s beliefs that grew into his own personal values of current issues at the time. These values are articulated throughout Chaucer’s work, as demonstrated in “The Miller’s Tale”. Chaucer uses of his characters to create an opening for him to express his viewpoint towards the medieval context. Chaucer uses Absolon and Alisoun, to renounce his opinion towards Fourteenth century society. His clear statements towards religion, women and justice are widely brought up in “The Miller’s Tale”.

The hypocrisy of the Christian faith influence Chaucer and the
This is shown through the character Alisoun, to confront the representation of women in a stereotypical manner. Chaucer states his opinions towards the behavioural and moral means of women by challenging the 14th century context that is similarly still seen in the modern day context. Chaucer portrays the character Absolon, as the symbol of The Church and challenges the fundamental values of the fall of the church when Absolon turns against his religious morals over a furious personalised justice. In which is still applied in society today, as religion is not mandatory. Both characters depict Chaucer’s beliefs and opinion towards the medieval context that still applies to modern day