Discuss the husband-wife relationship after ‘The Nun’s Priest’s Tale’.

Answer

Discuss the husband-wife relationship after ‘The Nun’s Priest’s Tale’. [2021, 2019] ✪✪✪

Or, Discuss Chaunticleer and Pertelote as husband and wife. [2017]

Geoffrey Chaucer’s (1340-1400) “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” is a beautiful fable full of humour, wisdom, and domestic life. It tells the story of a proud cock named Chauntecleer and his beloved hen Pertelote. They live in a poor widow’s yard beside a green grove. Through their morning talk, quarrel, and love, Chaucer shows both affection and misunderstanding between husband and wife.

A Loving Couple in the Widow’s Yard: In the widow’s little cottage beside the grove, Chauntecleer and Pertelote live like a royal pair among seven hens. Chaucer rightly remarks about Chaunticleer,

“His coomb was redder than the fyn coral.”

( His comb was redder than the fine coral.)

They love each other deeply. Pertelote is beautiful, wise, and proud. Chauntecleer adores her and calls her,

“Madame Pertelote, my worldes blis.” 

(Madame Pertelote, my world’s bliss.)

Their life seems full of joy and song. They wake together at dawn, sing happily, and share the peace of their simple world. Their love makes the poor yard feel like a palace.

The Dream Disagreement: One morning, Chauntecleer wakes up in great fear after seeing a bad dream about a beast attacking him. Pertelote laughs at him and becomes angry that he feels afraid. She calls him,

“I kan nat love a coward.”

(I can not love a coward.)

She thinks dreams come from food or health problems, not from any real meaning. Chauntecleer, however, believes that dreams can warn of danger. This becomes their first serious disagreement as husband and wife. Pertelote shows a strong and logical mind, while Chauntecleer shows emotion and wisdom. Their quarrel looks very natural, like real married life. Here, love and argument often stay together. Chaucer shows through this scene that even in anger, their care and bond remain