If I Were A Rich Man
The Nun's Priest's Tale
The Story:
Chaunticleer, a noble cockerel, is terrified by a nightmare which he relates to his wife Lady Pertilote. She advises him to stop being a coward and to take a laxative to clear his wits.
Later that day, Chaunticleer falls victim to the flattery of a fox and ends up firmly in the fox's jaws. The fox flees with Chaunticleer and is chased by the owner (a poor widow) and the rest of her household.
Realising he can't break free, Chaunticleer speaks to the fox and tells him what a clever fellow he is, encouraging him to insult his pursuers.
Thinking this an excellent idea, the fox opens his mouth to hurl abuse at them and thus drops Chaunticler who, escaping into the nearest tree, has realised that for rich and poor alike, pride comes before a fall.
In The Picture:
Chaunticleer relates the details of his dream to his disgusted wife who holds a bouquet of ivy and hellebore (ingredients of the suggested laxative cure) while the treacherous fox conceals himself... but where?
Behind The Picture:
Chaucer uses this "beast fable" to show that although there are many obvious contrasts between the lives of the rich and the poor, there are also similarities... all have their own responsibilities, all are susceptible to flattery and treachery occurs in all walks of life.
The inhumane attitude of the rich (fueled by the clergy) towards the peasants which led to the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 is referred to with the mention of Jack Straw, a leader of the Peasant's Revolt who is also believed to have supported the Lollards and championed Wyclif's translation of the bible into English which was instrumental in exposing the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the time.
Symbolism:
The avaricious priest coming out of the woodwork holds a piggy-bank and focusses his attention on the peasants trying to escape his clutches with the help of Jack Straw.
Jack Straw stands on a copy of an English bible and the Statute of
Labourers of 1351 and tries to rescue a poppy-headed man (the poppy represents the bloodguilt and heartlessness of the early church).
The priest wears a poke bonnet in reference to the phrase "buying a pig in a poke (basket)", an old English term which means being conned.
The cockerel is shown holding a gold coin... ill-gotten gains from the exploitation of the peasants.
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