Nun’s Priest’s Tale Gender Quotes

Of whiche the faireste hewed on hir throte
Was cleped faire damoysele Pertelote.
Curteys she was, discreet, and debonaire
And compaignable, and bar hyrself so faire
Syn thilke day that she was seven nyght oold,
That trewely she hath the herte in hoold
Of Chauntecleer loken in every lith.
He loved hire so, that wel was hym therwith.
But swich a joye was it to here hem synge
Whan that the brighte sonne gan to sprynge,
In sweete accord, "My lief is faren in londe!"

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale. The most beautiful of the hens, Pertelote, is described in courtly terms like fair, courteous, discreet, debonaire and she is in possession of Chauntecleer’s heart. He prizes her for her good looks. He sings to her romantic songs like "My lief is faren in londe" (My love walks through the land) and he loves her above all the other hens.

For certes, what so any womman seith,
We alle desiren, if it myghte bee,
To han housbondes hardy, wise, and free,
And secree – and no nygard, ne no fool,
Ne hym that is agast of every tool,
Ne noon avauntour, by that God above!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale. In her rebuke and put-down of husband Chauntecleer for being frightened of a dream, Pertelote gives him the list of qualities that she demands in a husband. She claims that all women desire their husbands to be hardy, wise, generous, no miser or fool, not a boaster and not to be afraid of every tool. She is basically telling him to man up!

For al so siker as in principio
Mulier est hominis confusio, –
Madame, the sentence of this Latyn is,
"Womman is mannes joye and al his blis."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale. The henpecked Chauntecleer allows his wife Pertelote to manipulate him into dismissing his ominous dream. Here he quotes to her the Latin phrase "Mulier es hominus confusio," as meaning: "woman is man’s joy and all his bliss." But this is an unfortunate mistranslation, as the real meaning would have warned him about his wife’s dangerous advice: "Woman is the ruin of man." He really should have studied his Latin better, then he might not have listened to his wife’s bad counsel.
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