During the medieval period, several aspects of modern society were non-existent. Mercifulness, humility, and consideration, just to name a few, in several aspects life didn't exist. The question of morality is seemingly always a point of major discussion when the medieval period is brought into consideration. The Miller's Tale in The Canterbury Tales is a work that has always wrestled with the question of morality. The question is even more of a problem for those who believe in the courtly love tradition.The biggest threat to both contemporary ...view middle of the document...
Lines 184-189 read:"And spak so faire, and proofed him so faste,That she hir love him granted ate laste,...'Myn housebounde is so ful of jalousyeThat but ye waite wel been priveeI woot right wel I nam but deed' quod she. "Not only does she agree to have sex with him, she also offers to be discreet to keep her husband from knowing. This is just one of the many examples of the many crimes against humanity, even though humanity in this case is John. The infidelities and other immoralities are masked by humorous the ending. Therefore to answer the question is there a moral to The Miller's Tale, is no. Unless of course, you accept this simple paradox as a moral: during medieval times immorality is sociably acceptable as long as it's funny.On the other hand, those who believe in the art of courtly loved, may find that the moral of the tale is that love is bound by nothing: not marriage, not social immoralities, not even by the human conscience. Alisoun used deception and lies all in the name of the courtly love tradition. In fact, in the book, The Art of Courtly Love, there are rules that say that every thing Alisoun did was justified, as long as it was for the pursuit of love. Regardless of modern society, the firm believers of the courtly love tradition regard the tale as a touching love story.
