SerranoNotes-+Chaucer+-+Plot+summary

The General Prologue
The Tale starts with the return of spring, the narrator describes the weather, and peoples desire to go on pilgrimages. Pilgrimages where journeys made by Pilgrims to shrines in holy lands, Canterbury being the most popular. The Narrator tells us that he is preparing for a journey to Canterbury and is staying in a tavern named the Tabard Inn the night before he sets out on his journey. At Tabard he meets twenty-nine other men who are planning to make the same journey as the narrator and when the narrator asks to join them on their journey they happily accept him. The Narrator describes all twenty nine of these men before continuing on with his tale. After he had described all the men, he continues the tale with the host making them an offer. All the men agree to take his offer, which is that all the men must tell two storied on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back, and the host will be the judge and the winner will receive a free meal paid for by the other men.

The Knights Tale
The tale starts with four women kneeling at foot of Theseus, the ruler of Athens, grieving.because the of the loss of their husbands in a battle at Thesbes. The ruler of Thesbes dishonors the three women by not allowing proper funeral rites for their husbands. The news of this enrages Theseus and he marches to Thesbes and easily conquers the city. He bring the bodies of the husbands back to the women for a proper funeral. While he is leaving Thesbes he notices two wounded solders and heals them just so he can throw them in jail for life.The two prisoners were Palamon and Arcite, they are cousins and sworn brothers. After many years in prison Arcite looks out the window to find the sister in law of Theseus Emily gardening and immediately falls in love. Palamon goes to see what Arcite is watching, and he too falls in love with her. They fight for a long time over who will take her hand in marriage untill they both realize they are in prison for life, and they forget about the whole matter. Arcite has a friend who is also friends with Thesus and is freed from prison but forbid to return to Athens. Later Palamar is freed from jail and runs in to Arcite and they begin to fight for Emily. Theseus sees the two men, he gives them a hundred men and fifty weeks to training and the winner is promised Emily’s hand in marriage. Before the Battle Palamar prays for Emily’s love, and Arcite prays to win the battle, Arcite wins but is killed when he is thrown from his horse because of an earthquake. Since Palamar asks for her love he marries Emily and they enjoy a long happy marriage.

The Millers Tale
The Tale begins when a drunk Miller interrupts the Monk and demands to tell his epic tale. The tale begins with an Oxford student named Nicolas who had a room mate named John. John is a carpenter and is married to a very beautiful young wife whose name is Alisoun. When John is away Nicolas and Alisoun begin to flirt, when Nicolas grabs her, she begins to threaten to cry for help. This made Nicolas break down, but Alisoun assured him that she would sleep with him when she felt it was safe. Nicolas devises a plan so that it would be safe for him a Alisoun to spend an entire night together. The plan works untill Absolon ruins it and makes an embarrassment of Nicolas, John, and Alisoun in front of all the towns people.