Courtly Love In The Miller's Tale

In Medieval English society, courtly love was a literary phenomenon promoting the ideal that only a noble could provide a perfect love to a worthy, altruistic woman. The chivalric romance genre portrayed love as ennobling because of the elements of conquest, heroism, and Christian doctrine in each tale. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Miller’s Tale in The Canterbury Tales, the author questions the romance genre’s fundamental conventions by concentrating on the physical aspect of love and implying that there is more to love than the conventional courtly tradition. Chaucer creates a parody that criticizes the Church’s standards and the nobility that accompanies courtly love. In the tale, the Miller questions the validity of the Knight’s tale as one

The Miller suggests that other forms of sexual activity outside marriage are not fatally sinful. In the prologue to his tale, the Miller claims that “one shouldn’t be too inquisitive in life either about God’s secrets or one’s wife. You’ll find God’s plenty all you could desire, of the remainder, better not enquire” (Chaucer 88). He does not care to know whether or not he is a cuckold, as long as he is satisfied. The tale supports this argument because the carpenter, who cared too much for his wife, was eventually embarrassed in front of the entire

The sexual references and controversial diction introduces a secular perspective on love. Throughout The Miller’s Tale, attention is brought specifically to the most provocative parts of Alison’s body. Chaucer ensures that the reader notices the wife Alison’s “lecherous eye” and “her loins, all gusseted and pleated” (Chaucer 90). The tale bluntly utilizes terms such as “quim” and “haunches” in reference to Alison’s privates and another man’s desire to have her (Chaucer 91). Furthermore, Chaucer uses animalistic imagery to describe Alison. He compares her body to a weasel, her spirit to a colt, and her patience to a playful kid or calf. The comparisons to other animals connect Alison’s animal-like nature to her sexuality. It infers that she is also lustful and does not tame this part of her personality (Forbes 2). The diction of The Miller’s Tale challenges the ideas of a pure love because it exposes that love is not the only possible true intention for sex. The other man, Nicholas the Gallant, is not in love with Alison, but is lustful. She is viewed superficially and used for