The Canterbury Tales

Overview

The Prologue and Five Chaucer Tales Adapted for the Stage

This adaptation of six Chaucer tales by Gillette Elvgren was devised to be done by an ensemble of only 7-8 actors thus featuring a heightened theatricality. This, combined with a musical score for a balladeer, makes for a visually exciting production. A large cast can extend the roles with ease. The music is optional and mostly performed by a Balladeer.

It should be also noted that though Chaucer never finished writing his Tales, the adapter has written an Epilogue which brings the Pilgrims to the steps of Canterbury Cathedral.

Included from the original Tales are

• The Prologue
• The Wife of Bath’s Tale
• The Miller’s Tale
• The Man of Law’s Tale
• the Pardoner’s Tale
• The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

The Wife of Bath and The Miller are the two bawdiest characters in The Canterbury Tales. Ribald and witty, they tell stories of comic debauchery and pranks. Before the Wife of Bath begins her tale, she shares information about her life by announcing that, having had five husbands, she is an expert and cannot understand Jesus’ rebuke to the woman at the well who also had five husbands. Instead, she prefers the biblical command “to go forth and multiply”.

The Miller’s Tale

The Miller’s Tale is the story of a carpenter, John, his wife Alisoun, something of a local beauty, and two clerks who are eager to get her into bed. To make a bit of extra money, John rents out a room in his house to a poor but clever scholar named Nicholas, who has taken a liking to Alisoun. Another scholar, Absolon the parish clerk, also has his eye on Alisoun. Hijinks ensue.

The Pardoner’s Tale

The Pardoner begins his Prologue by telling the company about his occupation—a combination of itinerant preaching and selling promises of salvation. His sermon topic always remains the same: Radix malorum est Cupiditas, or “greed is the root of all evil.” He gives a similar sermon to every congregation and then breaks out his bag of “relics”—which, he readily admits to the listening pilgrims, are fake.

The Man of Law’s Tale

The Man of Law’s Tale  is the story of a virtuous Roman Christian woman named Custance. When married off into a community of pagans, she undergoes just about every kind of adversity possible at the hands of two evil mothers-in-law. Her lot in life is pretty much the worst. And yet.Despite being twice cast out in a rudderless boat into the open ocean, and twice washing up on foreign shores unprotected, Custance survives with her virtue intact.

The Pardoner tells the company how he tells his congregation “olde stories” from long ago, “for lewed peple loven tales olde”. He will, he says, work with hands and make baskets, but get money, wool, cheese and wheat for himself, even if it is from the poorest page or poorest widow in a village. He will drink “licour of the vyne”, and have a “joly wenche” in every town. “Now hold your pees!” he shouts to the company, and begins his tale.

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale

The Knight asks that someone tell a tale that is the opposite of tragedy, one that narrates the extreme good fortune of someone previously brought low. The Host picks the Nun’s Priest, the priest traveling with the Prioress and her nun, and demands that he tell a tale that will gladden the hearts of the company members. The Nun’s Priest readily agrees, and begins his well-known tale of Chanticleer the rooster.

These tales are followed by an epilogue provided by Elvgren that bring the pilgrims finally to Canterbury.