Brief Question in “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale”

Brief Question in “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale”

• What is The Nun’s Priest’s Tale?

Ans: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale is a story in verse from The Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer.

• Who told the Nun’s Priest to tell a story?

Ans: The Host, Harry Bailey, asked the Nun’s Priest, whom he called Sir John, to tell a story.

• Where did the widow live?

Ans: The widow lived in a small cottage beside a grove of trees in a valley.

• What type of life did the widow lead?

Ans: The widow lived a simple, patient, and humble life with very little property or income.

• What was the name of the widow’s sheep?

Ans: The name of the widow’s sheep was Malle.

• Name the cock kept by the widow.

Ans: The widow kept a beautiful cock named Chaunticleer.

• How was Chaunticleer’s bill?

Ans: Chaunticleer’s bill was black and shone like jet.

• What did the Nun’s Priest say about the cock’s comb?

Ans: The cock’s comb was redder than coral and shaped like the battlement of a castle wall.

• How was the cock’s colour?

Ans: The cock’s colour was bright and shining like burnished gold.

• Who was Madame Pertelote?

Ans: Madame Pertelote was Chaunticleer’s favourite hen, whom he loved deeply.

• Who was Cato?

Ans: Cato was a Roman statesman and philosopher named Marcus Porcius Cato.

• What is “fevere terciane”?

Ans: “Fevere terciane” means a fever that returns every third day, caused by excess choler.

• Who was Saint Kenlem?

Ans: Saint Kenlem was the King of Mercia who was murdered by his aunt Quenedreda.

• Who was Macrobius?

Ans: Macrobius was a Roman writer who lived in the early fifth century.

• What, according to Chaunticleer, is Macrobius’ idea of dreams?

Ans: According to Chaunticleer, Macrobius believed that dreams warn men about future events.

• Who was Croesus?

Ans: Croesus was the King of Lydia who dreamt of his own death by hanging.

• What did Andromache dream?

Ans: Andromache dreamt that her husband Hector would die if he went to battle that day.

• What is a colfox?

Ans: A colfox is a fox with black fur, often used to mean a sly and treacherous fox.

• Who is “Scariot”?

Ans: Scariot refers to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ with a kiss.

• Who was Sinon?

Ans: Sinon was the Greek who tricked the Trojans into bringing the wooden horse into Troy.

• Who was Genylon?

Ans: Genylon was a treacherous officer who betrayed King Charlemagne, causing his defeat.

• Who is Doctor Augustine?

Ans: Doctor Augustine refers to Saint Augustine, one of the great teachers of the Church.

• What do you know about Boethius?

Ans: Boethius was a Roman philosopher best known for his book The Consolation of Philosophy.

• Who was Bradwardine?

Ans: Thomas Bradwardine was the Archbishop of Canterbury and a learned theologian.

• What is Physiologus?

Ans: Physiologus is a medieval book about animals that teaches moral lessons.

• When did Sir Russell seize Chaunticleer?

Ans: Sir Russell seized Chaunticleer when the cock closed his eyes and began to crow.

• Who was Priam?

Ans: Priam was the King of Troy who was killed by Pyrrhus when Troy was destroyed.

• Who was Hasdrubal?

Ans: Hasdrubal was a Carthaginian leader who was killed when the Romans burned Carthage.

• What moral lesson does Chaunticleer utter?

Ans: Chaunticleer teaches that one who keeps his eyes closed when he should be alert will suffer.

• What moral lesson does Sir Russell utter?

Ans: Sir Russell says that people who speak foolishly instead of keeping silent bring misfortune on themselves.

• What do you know about Reynard the Fox?

Ans: Reynard the Fox is a popular trickster in medieval fables who represents cunning and deceit.

• What is a mock-heroic poem?

Ans: A mock-heroic poem treats a small or comic subject in the grand style of an epic.

• What did Pertelote advise Chaunticleer to take?

Ans: Pertelote advised Chaunticleer to take worms and herbs to cure his illness.

• Who was Andromache?

Ans: Andromache was the wife of Hector who dreamt of his death before the Trojan battle.

• Which incident is The Nun’s Priest’s Tale based on?

Ans: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale is based on a story from the Reynard the Fox cycle.

• What is the extraordinary talent of Chaunticleer?

Ans: Chaunticleer’s greatest talent is his beautiful and accurate crowing.

• What is the job of a Pardoner?

Ans: A Pardoner sold indulgences or pardons from the Pope to forgive people’s sins.

• What is a tale?

Ans: A tale is a short narrative or story, either true or imaginative.

• Why did Chaunticleer pray to God?

Ans: Chaunticleer prayed that his dream would bring good fortune and that he would remain safe.

• Who was Nero?

Ans: Nero was a cruel Roman emperor who ruled when Rome was destroyed by fire.

• What is the moral of The Nun’s Priest’s Tale?

Ans: The moral of the tale is that one should never trust a flatterer.

• What is a beast fable?

Ans: A beast fable is a story where animals talk and act like humans to teach a moral lesson.

• How many pet animals did the widow have?

Ans: The widow had three pigs, three cows, and one sheep.

• What remedy does Pertelote offer to cure Chaunticleer’s nightmare?

Ans: Pertelote advised Chaunticleer to take a laxative to clear his body of choler and bad humours.

• How many wives does Chaunticleer have?

Ans: Chaunticleer had seven wives, and his favorite was Pertelote.

• What is Pertelote’s theory of dreams?

Ans: Pertelote believed that dreams come from overeating and physical disorders, not from fate.

• What kind of poem is The Nun’s Priest’s Tale?

Ans: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale is a beast fable written in a mock-heroic style.

• Who is the Nun’s Priest?

Ans: The Nun’s Priest is one of the three priests who accompany the Prioress.

• What did Chaunticleer dream?

Ans: Chaunticleer dreamt that a red, beastly fox tried to kill him.

• Why did Chaunticleer love Pertelote most?

Ans: Chaunticleer loved Pertelote most because she was beautiful, wise, and graceful.

• What was the name of the Colfox?

Ans: The name of the Colfox was Sir Russell.