The Miller's Tale
Choose one of the characters from the Miller's Tale and explain the significance, if any, of his or her name to the theme of the tale.
posted by Natalie Grinnell @ 9:32 AM
11 comments
English Literature to 1800
This weblog is part of Natalie Grinnell's English 201: English Literature to 1800 course at Wofford College.
11 Comments:
I think that the character John's name is connected with the story's theme of religion. There is definitely a moral strand running through the story, one that seems mostly negative, as Absolon is a church clerk and yet thinks little of trying to woo a married woman. Likewise, Nicholas is a man of science who seems to be favored by Alisoun and generally portrayed as the most clever. Therefore, if one theme is 'Secular society is superior to religious society' then John's name relates him directly with characters from the Bible, which place him on the religious side of the theme. To further this point, John also is the one duped into believing the astronomical prediction about a second flood.
Absolon’s name is significant to his character. His name is close to the word ‘absolve” as in to ‘absolve a sin’. This character is involved in the church as a parish clerk however he is described as spending more time looking at the women that doing any real clerical work. He is also obsessed with his looks and madly in love with Alison who is already attached to Nicholas. These are things that anyone who is involved in the church should be doing. In this case his name is ironic because after his actions he will need to have his sins absolved.
Absalom, meaning prince of peace, had biblical connections and staged a revolt against his father. In the introduction to the Miller's Tale it says that in a "fabliau" there will be satire that decieves and is humorous. Perhaps by giving the character the name "Absolom" he plays with this character connecting a church clerk to a man who was hungry for power and lead his entire army to their death. The Miller's Tale is supposed to contrast the previous story of the Knight and his love. Perhaps Absolom mocks the institution of the church as he, too, is enveloped in love. Instead of a predictable knight who is trying to win a woman, Chaucer uses humor and satire to depict a man of the church more concerned with love than God.
It was hard for me to really find significance in any of the names, but I feel that the name John would be important in present day, because his character blends in, kind of like the name John. His wife is cheating on him and he just falls for whatever they say. He is the John Doe and everyone treats him like he is not very important.
The names of the major characters in The Miller's Tale seem to be primarily satirical. For instance, the name of the schemer, the plotter, "Nicholas," means "the victory of the people." Nicholas does indeed get what he wants from Alisoun, but in the end he is also branded for the deed. His victory comes at a painful yet humorous price.
The name John seems to correlate to Chaucer's cynical view towards religion. John the Baptist in biblical text is not controlling of the group of followers he gathers for Jesus. John in the story is possessive towards his wife. This contrast might be an attempt by Chaucer to mock the religious name of the character in contrast to his actions.
I didnt see any significance in the names and to be quite clear i didnt understand what exactly was going on through out this poem. From reading the introduction gave me the only idea as to what was going on.
The character Nicholas is important because he is able to attract Alisoun through his new scientific knowledge. Nicholas's character also causes him to appear less honorable and traditional. John, on the other hand, represents a more traditional point of view. His instinct to distrust Nicholas's new science proves to be more correct than he expected.
I believe that Absolon may be a character that symbolizes the devil because he holds the poker, which he uses to hurt John. This symbol would contribute to the story's religious theme. Absolon was power-hungry, wanting Alison, just as the Absolom of the Bible wanted the power that his father held. Absolon's action led to the fallen dignity of a man; this parallels the fall of men due to the devil's influence.
I agree with the previous post in that the name Absolon is of significance to the story because of its religious connection. Absolon is a biblical character who indeed wanted to gain power from his father. In "The Miller's Tale," the character Absolon wants "power" over Alison. Even though he is more concerned with gaining this "power" because he is in love with her, he still seeks to take control of her away from Nicholas.
I suppose that John could be significant from a religious point of view. The story does involve a biblical "vision," even if it is false. However, as I was reading, none of the names particularly struck me as being significant.
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