The Canterbury Tales Summary

The Canterbury Tales Plot Summary

Covers the whole plot, including the ending.

1. The General Prologue

   In April, twenty-nine pilgrims gather at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, London, planning to travel to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The narrator, Chaucer, introduces each pilgrim, detailing their social status, job, appearance, and personality. Among them are a Knight, his Squire, and Yeoman; a Prioress, Monk, and Friar; a Merchant, Clerk, and Man of Law; a Franklin, Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, and Tapestry-maker; a Cook, Shipman, Physician, and Wife of Bath; a Parson, Plowman, Miller, Manciple, Reeve, Summoner, Pardoner, and Chaucer himself. The Host, Harry Bailly, suggests a storytelling contest for entertainment, with the best storyteller winning a free meal on their return.

2. The Knight's Tale

   The Knight, a man of honor, tells a classical romance set in ancient Athens. Two Theban knights, Palamon and Arcite, are captured by Duke Theseus and imprisoned. From their window, they both see and fall in love with Emelye, Theseus's sister-in-law. Arcite is later freed but banished, while Palamon stays imprisoned. Their rivalry grows, leading to a secret duel, interrupted by Theseus. He orders them to return in a year with a hundred knights each for a tournament, with Emelye as the prize. Arcite prays to Mars for victory, Palamon to Venus for Emelye, and Emelye to Diana for virginity or a good husband. Arcite wins the battle but is fatally injured by a divine act. After his death, Palamon and Emelye eventually marry.

3. The Miller's Tale

   The Miller, drunk and loud, insists on telling a crude story after the Knight's noble one. His story features John, a foolish old carpenter, and his beautiful young wife, Alison. Nicholas, a clever astronomy student staying with them, desires Alison and seduces her. They plan to trick John into believing a second Great Flood is coming. Nicholas convinces John to hang three tubs from the rafters, each with food and an axe, so they can escape to the roof. While John is suspended, Nicholas and Alison sleep together. Absolon, a lovesick parish clerk who also wants Alison, comes to her window. Alison plays a crude trick on him. In return, Absolon brands Nicholas with a hot iron. Nicholas's scream wakes John, who, thinking the flood has come, cuts the rope and falls, breaking his arm and becoming a joke.

4. The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale

   The Wife of Bath, Alison, gives a long and blunt prologue, defending her many marriages and her right to sexual experience and control over her husbands. She argues against clerical celibacy and uses biblical interpretations to support her views on marriage and female independence. She recounts her experiences with her five husbands, especially her fifth, Jankyn, who beat her but eventually gave in to her will. Her tale is an Arthurian romance: a young knight rapes a maiden and is condemned to death. Queen Guinevere steps in, giving him a year and a day to find out 'what thing it is that women most desire.' After a fruitless search, he meets an old, ugly hag who promises him the answer if he agrees to do whatever she asks. He agrees, and she reveals that women desire 'sovereignty' over their husbands and lovers. The knight saves his life, but then has to marry the hag. On their wedding night, she offers him a choice: an old, ugly, but faithful wife, or a young, beautiful, but unfaithful one. He lets her choose, giving her sovereignty, and she transforms into a young, beautiful, and faithful woman.

5. The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale

   The Pardoner, a dishonest religious figure, openly admits his fraudulent methods of selling fake relics and indulgences. He confesses that his only motive is greed, and that he preaches against avarice only to make others give him money, even though he commits the very sin he condemns. Despite his hypocrisy, he claims he can still tell a moral tale. His story is about three young men in Flanders who are drinking in a tavern when they hear a bell for a friend who died of the plague. They vow to find and kill Death. An old man directs them to a pile of gold coins under a tree. Overjoyed, they forget their quest and start planning to take the gold for themselves. The two older men plot to stab the youngest, who went to town for supplies. Meanwhile, the youngest poisons the wine he brings back for them. When he returns, the two older men kill him, then drink the poisoned wine and die. Thus, all three die because of their greed.

6. The Prioress's Tale

   The Prioress, Madame Eglentyne, tells a tale of strong faith and anti-Semitism. Her story is set in an Asian city with both Christians and Jews. A young, innocent Christian boy, devoted to the Virgin Mary, learns to sing 'O Alma Redemptoris Mater' and sings it loudly as he walks through the Jewish neighborhood to school. The local Jews, influenced by Satan, are angered by his singing, which they see as an insult. They hire a villain to murder the boy, cut his throat, and throw his body into a privy. The boy's widowed mother searches for him. Miraculously, the boy's body begins to sing the hymn again, showing where it is. The local provost, a Christian, orders the arrest and torture of the Jews involved, who are then dragged by wild horses and hanged. The boy continues to sing until a holy abbot removes a grain from his tongue, after which the boy dies and is buried as a martyr.

7. The Nun's Priest's Tale

   The Nun's Priest tells a fable about a proud rooster named Chauntecleer, who lives with seven hens, his favorite being Pertelote, in a poor widow's yard. Chauntecleer dreams of a fox, which Pertelote dismisses as indigestion. Chauntecleer, however, gives a learned speech on the truth of dreams. Despite his intelligence, his pride in his singing leads to trouble. A clever fox named Daun Russell flatters Chauntecleer, praising his singing voice and challenging him to sing with his eyes closed. Chauntecleer, full of vanity, closes his eyes and stretches his neck, allowing the fox to grab him by the throat and run towards the woods. The entire farmyard chases them. As the fox is about to reach his den, Chauntecleer, recovering, advises the fox to boast to his pursuers. The fox opens his mouth to speak, and Chauntecleer flies to a nearby tree, escaping. The tale ends with a moral about the dangers of flattery and carelessness.

8. The Franklin's Tale

   The Franklin tells a Breton lai, a story of true nobility and honorable behavior. It is about Arveragus, a knight, and his wife, Dorigen, who live in Brittany. They agree to a marriage based on mutual respect and equality, where Arveragus promises never to control Dorigen. While Arveragus is away for two years, Dorigen is courted by a young squire named Aurelius. To discourage him, she jokingly promises to be his if he can remove all the dangerous black rocks from the coast of Brittany. Aurelius, deeply in love, falls into despair. He seeks help from a magical clerk from Orleans, who, for a thousand pounds, creates an illusion that makes the rocks seem to vanish. Dorigen, horrified by her rash promise, tells Arveragus, who, keeping his word, tells her to honor her promise. Aurelius, moved by Arveragus's kindness, releases Dorigen from her vow. The clerk, in turn, is so impressed by Aurelius's generosity that he forgives his debt. The tale explores the meaning of true nobility.

9. The Parson's Tale

   As the pilgrims near Canterbury, the Parson, a truly devout man, is asked to tell a tale. He refuses, saying he cannot tell fables or rhyming verses. Instead, he offers a long, serious prose sermon on sin, penance, and salvation. He details the seven deadly sins – Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, and Lechery – and their various parts, giving examples and remedies for each. He then explains the three parts of penance: contrition (sorrow for sin), confession (admitting sins to a priest), and satisfaction (making up for sins). The Parson stresses the importance of true repentance and living a good life to achieve eternal happiness. This tale provides a spiritual conclusion to the pilgrimage, offering guidance for moral conduct and contrasting sharply with the often-worldly concerns of the other pilgrims and their stories.

10. Chaucer's Retraction

    At the very end of The Canterbury Tales, after the Parson's sermon, Chaucer offers a personal 'Retraction.' In this brief but important epilogue, he apologizes for any parts of his work that might be seen as immoral, worldly, or sinful, including some of the tales he just presented (referring to the more crude or secular ones) and other works he has written. He explicitly asks for God's mercy and forgiveness for these wrongdoings. Conversely, he expresses gratitude for any of his writings that have promoted virtue and led people to salvation. This retraction places a moral judgment on the entire collection, suggesting a final, serious reflection on the spiritual meaning of storytelling and artistic creation, fitting with the religious purpose of the pilgrimage itself.

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