Canterbury Tales Sex Quotes

He hadde maad ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen at his owene cost - Friar in The Canterbury Tales

He hadde maad ful many a mariage
Of yonge wommen at his owene cost.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. On first reading, it might appear that the Friar is a generous fellow, as this passage says that he has made many a marriage of young women at his own cost. But far from it! What is implied here that he arranges marriages for these young women because they are his mistresses and are pregnant, so breaking his vow of chastity. So much for the life of piety he is supposed to be leading!

She koude muchel of wandrynge by the weye.
Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye.
Upon an amblere esily she sat,
Ywympled wel, and on hir heed an hat
As brood as is a bokeler or a targe;
A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large,
And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe.
In felaweshipe wel koude she laughe and carpe.
Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce,
For she koude of that art the olde daunce.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The final lines describing the Wife of Bath are very sexually suggestive. She is gap-toothed, sits easily on her horse, wears a wimple overskirt over her broad hips, and sharp spurs on her feet. She is able to give first hand advice on matters of love, Chaucer tells us, going on to describe her sexual expertise with a dance metaphor: For she knew the old dance of that art.

This carpenter hadde wedded newe a wyf,
Which that he lovede moore than his lyf;
Of eighteteene yeer she was of age.
Jalous he was, and heeld hire narwe in cage,
For she was wylde and yong, and he was old
And demed hymself been lik a cokewold.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. Carpenter John loves his new wife Alison more than his life. So much so that the jealous and paranoid guy keeps her locked up in the house fearful that she will cheat on him with other men. For she is young and wild and he is old and he believes that he is will be cuckolded.

Whan Nicholas had doon thus everideel
And thakked hire aboute the lendes weel,
He kiste hire sweete and taketh his sawtrie,
And pleyeth faste, and maketh melodie.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. After Alison signals her agreement to have an illicit affair with him, Nicholas pats her on the bottom and kisses her tenderly. Then he retrests to his quarters, grabs his psaltery (medieval stringed instrument), plays fast and makes melody – not hard to escape the masturbatory clues here!

And hende Nicholas and Alisoun
Acorded been to this conclusioun,
That Nicholas shal shapen hym a wyle
This sely jalous housbonde to bigyle;
And if so be the game wente aright,
She sholde slepen in his arm al nyght.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. The competition for Alison between clever Nicholas and not-so-clever John heats up. Nicholas cooks up a devious plan to trick Alison’s unsuspecting husband John, and if the "game" goes right she will sleep in Nicholas’s arms all night.

Thy wyf shal I wel saven, out of doute.
Go now thy wey, and speed thee heer-aboute.
But whan thou hast, for hire and thee and me,
Ygeten us thise knedyng tubbes thre,
Thanne shaltow hange hem in the roof ful hye,
That no man of oure purveiaunce espye.
And whan thou thus hast doon as I have seyd,
And hast oure vitaille faire in hem yleyd,
And eek an ax to smyte the corde atwo,
Whan that the water comth, that we may go.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. The scheming lovers Nicholas and Alison have an elaborate plan to trick gullible John. It involves hanging three tubs to be used as boats from the roof. When the great flood (a fiction concocted by Nicholas) is about to happen they are to go into the boat-tubs so they will survive the flood waters. What Nicholas won’t do to have a night of sex with Alison!

Aboute corfew-tyme, or litel moore;
For travaille of his goost he groneth soore,
And eft he routeth, for his heed myslay.
Doun of the laddre stalketh Nicholay,
And Alisoun ful softe adoun she spedde;
Withouten wordes mo they goon to bedde.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. With John safely asleep and snoring in a tub in the rafters, Nicholas sneaks down the ladder closely followed by Alison and they head off to bed together without a word. Nicholas’s elaborate ruse involving an invented flood and tubs in the rafters has achieved its goal: a night of hot sex with Alison!

Withouten wordes mo they goon to bedde,
Ther as the carpenter is wont to lye.
Ther was the revel and the melodye;
And thus lith Alison and Nicholas,
In bisynesse of myrthe and of solas,
Til that the belle of laudes gan to rynge,
And freres in the chauncel gonne synge.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. The amorous clerk Nicholas and adulterous Alison are not just content to have sex under her husband John’s nose. But they do it in his bed! And they carry on their pleasure-making until the morning service chapel bells ring and the friars start to sing.

"Allas," quod he, "allas, I ne hadde ybleynt!"
His hoote love was coold and al yqueynt;
For fro that tyme that he hadde kist hir ers,
Of paramours he sette nat a kers,
For he was heeled of his maladie.
Ful ofte paramours he gan deffie,
And weep as dooth a child that is ybete.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. Absolon is completely cured of his "maladie" (sickness): his desire for love-making. And not just with Alison, but with all woman, as he renounces further adventures in love and sex. Amazing what a little humiliation by the right woman can do.

Thus swyved was this carpenteris wyf,
For al his kepyng and his jalousye,
And Absolon hath kist hir nether ye,
And Nicholas is scalded in the towte.
This tale is doon, and God save al the rowte!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. The concluding lines of the tale nicely resolve the story with a reckoning and a kind of justice for the flawed characters involved. The jealous carpenter John has been cheated on by his wife. His wife Alison has been bedded by another man. The foolish parish clerk Absolon has kissed Alison’s backside. And the cheating student Nicholas has had his behind burned by a red-hot poker in revenge by Absolon.

For, John," seyde he, "als evere moot I thryve,
If that I may, yon wenche wil I swyve.
Som esement has lawe yshapen us,
For, John, ther is a lawe that says thus,
That gif a man in a point be agreved,
That inanother he sal be releved.
Oure corn is stoln, sothly, it is na nay,
And we han had an il fit al this day;
And syn I sal have neen amendement
Agayn my los, I will have esement."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Reeve’s Tale. Alan tells John of his plan to have redress for the miller’s theft of their grain. He will set the scale of justice right again by having sex with the miller’s daughter. There is a law he says, that if a man in one point is injured, then in another he shall be relieved.

And up he rist, and by the wenche he crepte.
This wenche lay uprighte and faste slepte,
Til he so ny was, er she myghte espie,
That it had been to late for to crie,
And shortly for to seyn, they were aton.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Reeve’s Tale. Alan creeps into bed with the miller’s daughter Molly and has revenge sex with her to hit back at the miller. There is a debate on whether or not this was consentual or coerced. Molly was asleep when Alan got in beside her and it was too late for her to cry out, the story says.

"Allas!" quod he, "this is a wikked jape;
Now may I seyn that I is but an ape.
Yet has my felawe somwhat for his harm;
He has the milleris doghter in his arm.
He auntred hym, and has his nedes sped,
And I lye as a draf-sak in my bed;
And when this jape is tald another day,
I sal been halde a daf, a cokenay!
I wil arise and auntre it, by my fayth!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Reeve’s Tale. John calls himself a fool and a weakling after seeing Alan pay back the miller for his thievery by having sex with his daughter. His friend took a risk and accomplished his purpose. Encouraged by this John says he will now arise and chance it too, as he hatches a plan to sleep with the miller’s wife.

Withinne a while this John the clerk up leep,
And on this goode wyf he leith on soore.
So myrie a fit ne hadde she nat ful yoore;
He priketh harde and depe as he were mad.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Reeve’s Tale. John has vigorous revenge sex with the miller’s wife to dish out his form of justice for the miller’s theft of the corn. While it says she has a merry experience, she is tricked into another man’s bed thinking she was laying down beside her husband. The image of John stabbing her hard and deep as if he was mad adds to the repulsive nature of the act, which is without doubt rape.

He seyde, "Thou John, thou swynes-heed, awak,
For Cristes saule, and heer a noble game.
For by that lord that called is Seint Jame,
As I have thries in this shorte nyght
Swyved the milleres doghter bolt upright,
Whil thow hast, as a coward, been agast."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Reeve’s Tale. Alan goes to wake John to boast to him about having had sex with the miller’s daughter three times during the night while his friend was a terrified coward. But he has mistakingly gotten into the wrong bed, beside the furious miller, who hears all this.
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