The tale of Chanticleer and the Fox is a beast fable popularised by the 14th century Middle English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer's 625 line poem comprises the Nun's Priest's Tale, one of his Canterbury Tales. In its strict sense a fable is a short story or folk tale embodying a moral, which may be expressed explicitly at the end as a maxim. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the... Chaucer: Illustration from Cassells History of England, circa 1902. ... Canterbury Tales Woodcut 1484 The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in prose, the rest in verse). ...

The tale follows the monk's depressing accounts of despots and fallen heroes and, as well as sharing these themes, the tale also parodies them. It also has ideas in common with earlier tales with the marriage between Chanticleer and Pertelote echoing the domestic lives depicted in tales like Franklin's and The Tale of Melibee. These different themes help to unify several tales and offers a lively story from a previously almost invisible character. The Monks Tale is one of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. ... Despotism is government by a singular authority, either a single person or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute power. ... The Franklins Tale is one of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. ... The Tale of Melibee is one of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. ...

Like many of the tales, the date Chanticleer was written cannot be fixed with any accuracy, although 1392 is a frequently considered date. Professor J Leslie Hotson of Harvard believed the work to be an allegory for the murder in 1397 of Thomas of Woodstock by Nicholas Colfox on behalf of Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk and the cause of the subsequent duel between Mowbray and Henry Bolingbroke (later Henry IV) described by Froissart in his Chronicles and Shakespeare in Richard II. This suggests a date after the Parliamentary "outing" of Colfox. Chaucer based his adaptation on Del cok e del gupil, the work of the 12th century French poet Marie de France, and the 13th century French epic Le Roman de Renart. There are also echos of several of Aesop's fables. This blend of fable and beast epic gives the tale much of its liveliness, but the extent to which Chaucer meant it to be an allegory or even to satirise allegorical animal stories is uncertain. Events December 16 - Emperor Go-Kameyama of Japan abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu, ending the nanboku-cho period of competing imperial courts James of Jülich is boiled alive for pretending to be a bishop and ordaining his own priests Korean founder of the Joseon Dynasty General... John Leslie Hotson known as J Leslie Hotson or Leslie Hotson (1897 - 16th November 1992) Please help to update this entry Prolific Shakespearean scholar and sleuth, born at Delhi, Ontario. ... An allegory (from Greek αλλος, allos, other, and αγορευειν, agoreuein, to speak in public) is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than (and in addition to) the literal. ... Events February 10 - John Beaufort becomes Earl of Somerset. ... Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (January 7, 1355 - September 8 (or 9), 1397) was the thirteenth and youngest child of King Edward III of England and Queen Philippa. ... Sir Nicholas Colfox (flourished 1400) is the target of the slanderous accusation in Chaucers Nuns Priests Tale: A colfox, ful of sly iniquitee. ... Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk (22 March 1366–22 September 1399) was an English nobleman. ... Henry IV of England, depicted in Cassells History of England, Century Edition, published circa 1902 Henry IV King of England, Lord of Ireland. ... Jean Froissart (~1337 - ~1405) was one of the most important of the chroniclers of medieval France. ... William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... Marie de France (Marie of France) was a poet evidently born in France and living in England during the late 12th century. ... Reynard the Fox, also known as Renard, Renart, Reinard, Reinecke, Reinhardus, and by many other spelling variations, is a trickster figure whose tale is told in a number of anthropomorphic fables from medieval Europe. ... Aesop, as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle. ... In its strict sense a fable is a short story or folk tale embodying a moral, which may be expressed explicitly at the end as a maxim. ... An allegory (from Greek αλλος, allos, other, and αγορευειν, agoreuein, to speak in public) is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than (and in addition to) the literal. ...

The poem was made into a book by Barbara Cooney that won the 1959 Caldecott Medal. Barbara Cooney (1917–2000) was an American childrens author and illustrator of more than 200 books and double Caldecott Medalist. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. ...

Plot

The tale concerns a world of talking animals who reflect both human insight and error. Its protagonist is Chanticleer, a proud rooster who dreams of his approaching doom in the form of a fox. Frightened, he awakens Pertelote, the only hen who he is infatuated with, who assures him he only suffers from indigestion and chides him for paying heed to a simple dream. After recounting stories of other prophets who foresaw their deaths, and examples of dreams that came true (eg the Somnium Scipionis), Chanticleer is comforted by Pertelote and proceeds to greet a new day. The Dream of Scipio (Latin, Somnium Scipionis) is a dream-vision by the Roman philosopher Cicero in which Scipio Aemilianus Africanus meets his grandfather by adoption, Scipio Africanus Major (236 BC - 184 BC), hero of the Second Punic War against Hannibals Carthage. ...

Unfortunately for Chanticleer, he predicted his doom correctly. A sly fox who has tricked Chanticleer's father and mother to their downfall now awaits Chanticleer's inflated ego. When the fox insists upon hearing the cock crow, Chanticleer sticks out his neck just a little too far and is promptly snatched from the yard. As the fox is chased through the forest, Chanticleer (all the while dangling from the fox's jaws) suggests that the fox should pause to tell his pursuers to give up their chase.

Now the fox's haughtiness rears its ugly head, and as the fox complies, the rooster falls out and proceeds to fly up the nearest tree. The fox tries in vain to convince the wary Chanticleer, who now prefers the safety of the tree and fails to fall for the same trick a second time.

The Nun's Priest elaborates his tale with epic parallels drawn from ancient history and chivalrey and spins it out showing his learning, then wraps up his story with a moral, admonishing his audience to be careful of reckless decisions and of "truste on flaterye," ending with an "Amen!"

Adaptations

• The Nun's Priest's Tale was put to music in 1951 by Gordon Jacob.
• It was again put to music in 1976 as "Rooster Rag" by Michael Hurd.
• Walter Wangerin, Jr. used the characters of Chanticleer and Partlet in The Book of the Dun Cow (1978) .

1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob (July 5, 1895 – June 8, 1984) was an English composer. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Michael Hurd can refer to: Michael Hurd (artist), an American artist, son of artists Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth Hurd. ... Walter Wangerin, Jr. ... The Book of the Dun Cow is a novel by Walter Wangerin, Jr. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Canterbury Tales: The Nun's Priest's Tale

• Read "The Nun's Priest's Tale" with interlinear translation

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