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Summary and Analysis of Tale of Melibee
Prologue to the Tale of Melibee: The Host interrupted the Tale of Sir Thopas, pleading with the narrator to desist. He told him that the rhymes were doggerel, and asks him to tell a tale in prose. The narrator agrees and asks for the group's attention once more. AnalysisThe connecting passages between the tales that Chaucer himself tells are more dramatically fulfilling than the stories themselves, which are little more than comic anecdotes. These passages best illustrate the narrative behind the tales themselves. The tales exist as they relate to one another in a complex set of interactions between the various pilgrims; they are not simply a set of free-standing short stories given a rough context. The tales themselves are products of this interaction; the Tale of Melibee that Chaucer will give is a response to the Host's unfavorable reaction to the Tale of Sir Thopas. The Tale of Melibee: A young man called Melibee, mighty and rich, had a wife named Prudence and a daughter Sophie. One day while he was in the fields he left his wife and daughter in his house. Three of his old foes broke into the house, raped his wife and left his daughter for dead by wounding her in five places her feet, hands, eyes, nose and mouth. When Melibee returned he began to weep. Prudence consoled him, then asked him to desist and to be as patient as Job. She tells him to call on the counsel of his true friends. His physicians vowed to cure Sophie. They advice him to set guards at his house, but not to attempt vengeance. The younger men, however, advised him to declare war. Prudence agreed with the elders, who did not want to attack the perpetrators in haste. However, Melibee cites Solomon, who advised that no wife or child should ever have mastery over a husband. Melibee and Prudence continue to debate on the subject, discussing every bit of minutiae in the subject debated. Finally she advises that he delay his attack on his enemies, telling them that if they will accept peace they shall be forgiven. They came to the court of Melibee and he gives them an option: they can put the punishment in the hands of Melibee or Prudence. The wisest of his enemies admits that they are unworthy to come into his court, and submit to his judgment. He tells them to return to the court for their judgment later. Melibee told Prudence that he wished to disinherit his enemies of all of their land and exile them. She tells him that the sentence is cruel and covetous. Melibee was touched by her argument. When his enemies returned to his court, he grants them mercy. Analysis: The Tale of Melibee is an exceedingly dull tale told in a dry prose format that serves as an obvious reaction the Host's distaste for the florid poetry of the Tale of Sir Thopas. It is this quality to the tale that is most interesting, for the tale itself is devoid of any narrative thrust or real character development. The Tale of Melibee is an earnest and noble telling of one woman's capacity for forgiveness, but the tale is bogged down in ponderous discussions concerning how Melibee should deal with his enemies. Even in the question of how Melibee will deal with his enemies there is no drama, for the tale transforms the decision into an academic debate rather than a narrative point. That the tale is unsatisfying and not particularly noteworthy is certainly Chaucer's intention, for the tale fits in with the narrative push of the entire structure of the tales. Chaucer thus sacrifices the literary qualities of this particular tale to serve the larger structure of the Canterbury Tales. The few points in the Tale of Melibee that are notable concern their relation to the other Canterbury Tales. Prudence is another example of the patient and long-suffering wife who demonstrates her virtue through stoicism. Her name is an obvious signifier of one of her prominent qualities. Her role in the story is not as an active agent. She is a passive influence on the other characters. Although the tale celebrates Prudence, the title is apt: it is the tale of Melibee, for he is the character who is able to act and to change.
ClassicNote on The Canterbury Tales
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