CliffsNotes on

The Canterbury Tales

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Summary of the Work

Geoffrey Chaucer Biography

Personal Background
Public Positions and Service
Chaucer's Work

About The Canterbury Tales

Summary and Analysis

The Prologue
The Knight's Tale
The Miller's Prologue and Tale
The Reeve's Prologue and Tale
The Cook's Prologue and Tale
The Man of Law's Prologue and Tale
The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
The Friar's Prologue and Tale
The Summoner's Prologue and Tale
The Clerk's Prologue and Tale
The Merchant's Prologue and Tale
The Squire's Prologue and Tale
The Franklin's Prologue and Tale
The Physician's Tale
The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale
The Shipman's Tale
The Prioress' Prologue And Tale
Chaucer's Tale of Sir Topas
The Tale of Melibee
The Monk's Tale
The Nun's Priest's Tale
The Second Nun's Prologue and Tale
The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue and Tale
The Manciple's Prologue and Tale
The Parson's Prologue and Tale
Chaucer's Retraction

Character List

Character Map

Character Analysis

Harry Bailey, the Host
The Knight
The Miller
The Wife of Bath
The Pardoner

Critical Essays

The Sovereignty of Marriage versus the Wife's Obedience
The Old Man and the Young Wife
The Trickster Tricked

Study and Homework Help

Full Glossary for The Canterbury Tales
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Summary and Analysis

The Monk's Tale

Although the Host demands a merry tale from the Monk, the Monk instead gives a series of cameo tragedies, all of which deal with the role of fortune in a man's life. The Monk catalogues the fickleness of Fortune through a series of abbreviated tales about such people as Lucifer, Adam, Hercules, Samson, Nero, and so on — all who were initially favored but eventually abandoned by Fortune. The Monk concludes when the Knight interrupts him and pleads for a merry tale.

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