Reeve's Prologue And Tale In The Canterbury Tales

A serf who is a steward of a manor; he sees that the estate’s work is done and that everything is accounted for. He inspects everything and imposes fines on the workers if he finds anything wrong. Old, choleris (bad-tempered) and thin, skinny legs. Wears his hair like a priest- cut above his ears and docked on top. Chaucer starts out by saying that the Reeve does his job well, but he ends by implying that he is mean to the serfs and has become rich by embezzling from his master. He is dishonest and uses people. “A carpenter of first-rate skill” In Line 632.. Rides a dappled-gray horse named Scot. “Rode the hindmost of our cavalcade”- the last pilgrim in line on the journey.
The Minister’s Prologue and Tale should always be read before reading the Reeve’s Prologue because The Minister’s Tale is combined with the Reeve’s Tale due to the Reeve explaining that people “had laughed at this foolish business of Absolon and clever Nicholas” In Lines (3855-56). That’s a confusion to the reader

because the reader won’t know who Absolon and Nicholas are. The Reeve’s real name is Osewold who was angry because he was a carpenter. Osewold begins to explain his old age first due to him probably not able to hurry up with his tale about a carpenter. He starts by explaining how old he is by saying “This white head reveals my old years; my heart is as moldy as my hairs” In Lines (3869-70). Still cunning the qualities of boasting, lying, anger, and greed is Osewold particularly giving sparks to the elderly men. The Host interrupts Osewold, wanting him to hurry up and tell his tale if he wants to speak at all so time wasn’t wasted because of it being almost seven thirty. Osewold somewhat makes a fool by answering him with force by force before he tells his tale.
Osewold first tells “This drunk Miller has told us here how a carpenter was tricked, perhaps in scorn, for I am one” In lines (3913-15).

The Reeve which is Osewold does take offense at the Miller’s tale of a stupid carpenter and counters his tale of a dishonest Miller. Osewold speaks in the Millers churl’s terms to basically lay it on the line for him on basically how he feels about the Miller’s tale, but in a weird, friendly way. Osewold speaks “I pray to God his neck may break into pieces, he can well in my eye see a piece of straw, but in his own he can not see a large piece of timber” In Lines (3918-20). Basically, the Miller and the Reeve don’t like each other at all due to them working with each other as carpenters in the same mill. Osewold is basically, trying to explain that the Miller is a thief and a dishonest miller and not fully honest with the company. Plus, the Miller is drunk so it’s still going to look bad on him because of him still being dishonest with his

tale.
A Miller lived in Trumpington, near Cambridge who was proud he could fish, wrestle and shoot. He carried several kinds of knives with him “ Always by his belt he carried a long cutlass, And very sharp was the blade of the sword. An elegant dagger he carried in his pouch; There was no man, for peril, dared touch him. A Sheffield knife he carried in his hose.” In Lines (3930-33);
and was extremely skilled in the use of these knives as well as getting his achievements. The Millers nickname was Symkyn. He never lost a chance to steal and even stole the corn or meal that came to him for grinding. She had studied in a nunnery “She was fostered in a nunnery; For Symkyn would have no wife, as he said, Unless she were well educated and a virgin, to preserve his state of yeomanry.” In Lines (3946-49). Chaucer hints that the Miller’s wife was the Parson’s daughter and he had to give a large dowry for her marriage. The Miller and his wife had a twenty year old daughter and a six-month-old baby boy.