The Nun S Priest Tale

1. An Explanation and Recapitulation
by W. Alexander Huckleberry
Tonnesen and A. Frank Gregory
Sharkey

2. Nun’s Priest’s Social Presence
Priests were of the
upper echelon in
medieval society,
and the nun’s priest
would have been no
exception. He
would have been a
member of the
upper religious
class, i.e. clergy.
He was in a caravan
with two other
priests and two
nuns, who between
them had a great
amount of wealth
and trinkets
“She wore a coral
trinket on her arm, a
set of beads…golden
broach of brightest
sheen” (Chaucer 7)

3. The Nun’s Priest’s Tale
of the Cock and the
Hen, Chanticleer and
the Partlet
Unfortunately, the physical
characteristics of the Nun’s
Priest are nowhere to be
found, or at least such is true
in the life experiences of
both me and Alex. We
apologize, but as
consolation, here is a picture
that represents that, clearly,
someone found more than
we did.

4. The Tale
Itself
Getting Down to the Knitty-Grtty
A rooster named Chanticleer is having
nightmares that he’s being attacked, and
his wife tells him not to worry
Says that he’ll be fine if he just takes some
laxatives
He defeats her logic by citing famous
literature where the prophets of the story
foresaw their own deaths.

5. What happens next?
Moral:
Don’t consume yourself with
imitation, for your true self will
be eaten (metaphorically/literally)
Moral:
Pride thyself only on that which is
accomplished, for thy chickens cannot be
counted as whole before the time of their
hatching.
He ends up getting killed
by a fox while he’s
singing and he hits a
high note.
His eyes were closed when
he tried to crow as loudly
as his father.
The rooster was more
vulnerable in his distraction
Now, the fox gets cocky.
He is being chased, and
opens his mouth to taunt
his pursuers.
As such, Chanticleer is
released from the fox’s
mouth, and is able to fly up
into a tree for safety.
The fox tried to get
Chanticleer to come down,
but he wouldn’t, because
he’s not stupid.

6. Whaddositallmeen?
The story is a fable that is based on
many stories present in the Anglo-Saxon
regions of the time. As mentioned, it
has two major morals contained in it.
The story speaks to the values of the
Anglo-Saxon culture that was present at
the time Chaucer wrote it, even while
the British Isles were under French
Influence.

7. FIN
Enjoy
The
Cake!