ABSTRACT
The Miller’s Tale is the first comic tale in The Canterbury Tales, and the second tale to be told. It follows The Knight’s Tale of Palamon and Arcite, a romantic story of two noble kinsmen engaged in fatal rivalry for the love of Emelye. Once The Miller’s Tale is begun, however, Chaucer has no further use for the Miller or the other pilgrims, until he needs them again for the Reeve’s prologue; and then, a single line is enough to do his business: This tale is doon, and God save al the rowte!. Nicholas thinks to improve on thejest by himself insulting Absolon (the stress in ‘He sholde kisse his ers er that he scape’ suggests his glee, and so does his hasty throwing open of the window), and in his eagerness he overdoes the whole thing (Over the buttok, to the haunche-bon’). Yet the abundant comedy is not wholly at Nicholas’s expense when he presents such a sitting target.
