ABSTRACT
The Miller’s Tale, as critics have rightly emphasized, is a requiting of the Knight’s story of chivalry and romance. The Miller forecasts a “noble tale”; the Reeve implies that it will be “lewed dronken harlotrye”. To an audience familiar with the mystery plays, the title would recall one of the most dramatic situations in biblical history the Annunciation, in which an angel is sent by God to tell Mary of her conception. As the plot develops, the blasphemous burlesque extends its dimension with a striking juxtaposition of the contemporary and the biblical. Living in a centre for mystery plays, belonging to a guild likely to have participated in them, and probably erecting the stages, John might be expected to have such knowledge. Herod, whom Geoffrey Chaucer’s Absolon played in the mystery plays “upon a scaffold hye” to show his “maistry,” had a similar reputation. Chaucer’s references to melody or harmony often contain symbolic undertones.
