GROUP 3 TERM PAPER

LIT 215- SURVEY OF EPOCHS IN

LITERATURE

COURSE LECTURER: DR. KEMI

KEHINDE

GROUP MEMBERS
KASIMU FAVOUR- AUL/ENG/22/010
OLANREWAJU LOVE- AUL/ENG/22/014
FASUYI MARVELLOUS- AUL/ENG/22/008
THE COOK’S TALE (CANTERBURY
TALES)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background………………………………….
Summary…………………………………….
Characters………………………………….
Themes………………………………………
Medieval elements………………………
 THE COOK’S TALE
Background
The cook’s tale is the 4th tale narrated in the Canterbury Tales and
it is narrated after the Reeve’s tale. At the end of The Reeve's Tale, the
host tells the cook to tell a good story to make up for all the bad food he
has sold to them throughout their journey. The Cook, Roger, promises to
tell a true story, but he doesn't complete his tale. Roger, the Cook has a
chancre sore on his shin that runs with pus. The cook is a member of the
lower class/category in the social scale. Others in the lower class include
the haberdasher, carpenter, a Webber, a dyer and a Tapiser.

Many reasons have been given on the reasons why the Cook’s tale
is not complete. One of the reasons is because it is a medieval book. The
medieval period lasted from 475-1066 AD. That was many years ago.
Caesar Barronicus a 20th century cardinal and historian while writing on
the history of the Catholic church in his 12 volume book Annales
Ecclesietica gave a reason why the medieval period is referred to as the
dark ages. He said it was because the medieval period is characterized
by conquests and wars on succession to the throne. Due to this, many
books and materials were destroyed. Also, during the medieval period,
there was no form of technology to store the books some of them were
lost. Another speculated reason was that since the Medieval period
upholded morality. The tale is about the immorality of Perkin, the young
man and his wife and since the church was once the government in the
medieval period, it is speculated that religious leaders intentionally
removed it because its about immorality.

Summary
 Roger, the London cook, rejoices in the Reeve's tale and thinks that
the crooked miller was well repaid for trying to cheat the two students
and ridiculing their education. The Cook promises to narrate a good tale,
and the Host reminds him that he has to tell a very good tale, to
compensate the pilgrims for all of the bad food he has sold to them.

There was an apprentice who worked in London for those who send
supplies to those in the army. He was a good dancer so he was called
Perkin the reveler. He enjoyed dancing, singing, gambling, carousing
(riotous drunken merrymaking), and all types of sinful and immoral
things. He was dismissed by his master so that he would not corrupt
other apprentices. His dismissal gave him freedom to revel and do all
that he wanted. He met another young man like him who was corrupt
and moves his bed and belongings into his place. This young man had a
wife who had a shop for her prostitution and immoral activities.
Although this is not the end of the story, this is where it ends in the
book.

Characters
Perkin Reveler: A young apprentice cook most interested in dancing,
drinking, singing, gambling, and lovemaking and commits sin.

The young man and his wife

Perkin’s master

Themes
Perversion of humans: The character of Perkin the reveler in the
Canterbury tales deviates from what is considered morally acceptable.
The medieval period had God at the center but in the book, Perkin the
reveler, the corrupt young man and his wife all focused on frivolities in
life such as gambling, drinking and merrymaking and immoral
behaviours and their actions throughout the play cannot be considered as
something that pleases God and it does not conform to the ethics of the
society at that time. It was because of his corrupt behavior that Perkin’s
master dismissed him to prevent him from corrupting others as a rotten
apple must be taken out so as not to make others rot.

Theme of deception and the consequences of dishonesty: Perkin the

Reveler is known for being a trickster and a dishonest character. Since a
deceptive and dishonest person is never to be trusted, the consequences
of his actions are revealed in the story. Perkin was sacked because of his
bad character.

Corruption: Just like it is said in science that like poles attract and
unlike poles repel so is it between Perkin and the young man.

Elements of the medieval period in the cook’s tale

The Cook's Tale in "The Canterbury Tales" reflects several features of
the medieval period. However, it's important to note that the Cook's Tale
is incomplete, and there are various interpretations of the existing text.
Here are some features of the medieval period that may be reflected in
the Cook's Tale:

1. Social Hierarchy: The medieval society was characterized by a

strict social hierarchy, and this is often depicted in Chaucer's tales.
In the prologue of the book, the writer when talking about all the
people going on pilgrimage, he classified them into classes. The
Cook, as a lower-class figure, may provide insights into the lives
and concerns of the common people during that time.
2. Pilgrimage: During the medieval period, many Christians went on
pilgrimages. During the medieval period many Christians went on
religious journeys to the Holy lands i.e. Jerusalem. In the
Canterbury tales, all the narrators of the story including the writer-
Chaucer were going on a religious journey.
3. Morality and Ethics: Medieval literature often explored moral
and ethical dilemmas. The Cook's Tale may contain elements that
reflect the moral values and ethical considerations of the time.
 Morality and ethics have to do with the principles that govern the
behavior of people. The writer is trying to pass a message to the
public and the message is that those who there are consequences
for immorality just like Perkin was dismissed for his immorality.
4. Class struggles: There was struggle especially among the lower
class in the medieval period majorly because of the effect of the
black death. There was loss of lives among the labourers so the
number of labourers reduced while the task increased.