The Meretricious Miller

Analytical Essay # 23292

English > Analysis
Literature > English
Literature > Poetry

An in-depth character analysis of the Miller in Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales".

1,058 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2001 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the Miller who appears in English author Geoffrey Chaucers "Canterbury Tales". The paper covers the Miller's flaws, his strengths and the character elements revealed through his story, as well as Chaucer's descriptions in the general prologue. It demonstrates how the Miller is a drunken, lavious man, but he is honest in his opinions and avoids affecting a religious or noble pretense like his companions.

From the Paper:

"The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, begins by describing twenty-nine people, each of whom is making a pilgrimage to Canterbury, England. By chance they meet in Southwark and decide to make the journey together. These twenty-nine characters encompass all areas of medieval life. There are religious figures, a pardoner, a prioress, and a monk. Then there are military figures, a knight and his squire. But the most numerous, and perhaps the most eccentric characters are the commoners, the Wife, the Merchant, and especially the Miller. Chaucer includes the Miller in order to contrast him with characters like the Knight and the Parson, who are noble and religious. Chaucer's descriptions of the Miller in the general prologue, when combined with the content of the Miller's tale, portray a character whose perspective is a sharp contrast to nobility. The Miller makes no apologies for his disposition. He is lecherous, outspoken, ostentatious, and a drunk."