In the Words of the Host to the Monk, the Host laments that his wife is not
nearly as patient as Dame Prudence in The Tale of Melibee, preferring to take
the guise of a nagging fishwife who likes to challenge him, rather than a tolerant spouse. But enough of
that, the Host encourages the Monk to begin his tale, but then proceeds to
characterize him as a pale, but well-cared for monk who is discreet yet wily. He thnks the Monk’s profession is
misplaced as he would be better off helping to populate the world. Without taking offence at the Host’s unwanted comments, the Monk chooses the genre of tragedy and begs pardon if he gets any
of the events chronologically mixed up.
The Monk’s Tale
The Monk states that he will relate of the griefs of people who plunged from high esteem, with no luck to regain their position:
Lucifer: Although he is an angel and not a man, the Monk places him
first. Through sin, he fell and in
Hell he still remains.
Adam: He was distinguished above all, being made directly from God
and not procreated, yet he could not follow one simple decree. His actions brought untold misery and
torment.
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| Hercules fighting the giant Antaeus (1819) August Couder source Wikipedia |
"A warning from his story, old and plain:
Men should keep counsel and not tell their wives
Secrets that it concerns them to retain,
Touching the safety of their limbs and lives."
Hercules: Hercules' strength and fame are beyond renown, and we hear of his famous feats, but his wife, Deianira, made a shirt with poison woven within its strands and Hercules, as his flesh began to rot, died.
Nebuchadnezzar (II): This conquering king met his match in Daniel, who refused to bow to his idol of gold. Because Nebuchadnezzar put himself above God, he lost his sanity, living like an animal for a time until his wits were restored and he recognized God's sovereignty.
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| Belshazzar's Feast (1635) Rembrandt source Wikiart |
"That there's no lordship but is insecure.
When Fortune flees a man is left forsaken.
Of glory, wealth and kingdom; all's past cure."
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| Zenobia before Emperor Aurelianus Giovanni Battista Tiepolo source Wikiart |
King Peter of Spain: Peter of Castile (also known as Peter the Cruel, or Peter the Just) is betrayed and murdered by his own brother. This story is only two stanzas but the second stanza is chock full of information, offered in the form of a riddle, the references emblematic of the details of Peter's betrayal and death. The words would have probably needed no explanation to Chaucer's audience but modern readers would need to consult the notes in their text to make heads or tails of it.
King Peter (I) of Cyprus: Because of his success in battle, his liegemen envied him and plotted his death.
" .... Thus Fortune with a light
Turn of her wheel brings men from joy to sorrow."
It is noted that Chaucer's Knight seems to be in service to him.
Bernabo Visconti of Lombardy: This Duke of Milan appears to be despised for his "indulgence". His own nephew "wrought (his) misery" and death.
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| Torre della Muda (1865) Giovanni Paolo Lacinio source Wikipedia |
Count Ugolino of Pisa: Because of lies told by the Bishop Ruggieri, Ugolino was imprisoned in a tower outside of Pisa together with his children, three of them barely five years old. One day their jailer shut up the tower and their supply of food ceased. Ugolino is condemned to watch his children perish of hunger before his eyes until he, too, also expires. Chaucer suggests a reading of Dante, where this story too, has been told and the great poet (Dante) has all his facts in order. I know Count Ugolino well, as I've met him once before in The Inferno.
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| The Remorse of Nero after the murder of his mother (1878) John William Waterhouse source Wikiart |
Nero: Proud of his outward display of finery, he took great joy in burning, and killing his senators simply for amusement. And that's not the worse of it. He lay with his sister, murdered his brother and carved up his mother's womb, just to find out where he had resided as a baby. But the height of his depravity was that he showed no remorse for his crimes, treating them as daily common occurrences. Seneca was Nero's wise teacher in youth, but because he condemned his wicked actions, Nero disposed of him as well. Well, Nero's treacherous behaviour caught up to him at last, and one night, all the citizens decided to mutiny. Nero search for a friend to shield him, yet all doors were closed on him and even the gods did not deign to hear his prayers. Finding two peasants in a garden, he begged them to behead him and protect his corpse but in the end, he was forced to slay himself and so:
" ..... Fortune laughed, for she had had her joke."
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| Judith beheading Holofernes Artemisia Ghentileschi source Wikipedia |
King Antiochus the Illustrious: Replete with an enormous ego and a mean spirit, he hated "God's own people," promising to clear Jerusalem of the Israelites. But God visited a hideous disease upon him, with a wrenching of his guts and an infestation of worms, which created such a stench that no one wanted to come near him. And so, he perished.
Alexander: The famous Alexander with his dazzling persona, conquered the world. No other can compare with his brilliant command and Fortune followed close at his heels. Yet after twelve years, the fickle Fortune deserted him and he died of poison at the hands of his men.
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| Vercingetorix throws down his arms at the feet of Julius Caesar Lionel Royer source Wikipedia |
".......................... she grew
To be their foe. No man may trust her long,
Beware of her in everything you do
And think of these great leaders, once so strong."
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| Croesus receiving tribute from a Lydian peasant (1628) Claude Vignon source Wikimedia Commons |
"Tragedy is no other kind of thing
Nor tunes her song save only to bewail
How Fortune, ever fickle, will assail
With sudden stroke the kingdoms of the proud,
And when men trust in her she then will fail
And cover her bright face as with a cloud ......."
"Ho, my good sir, no more!" The Knight interrupts the Monk's story in the Words of the Knight and the Host. He is entirely displeased with the tone of the stories and much prefers to hear the opposite: a man of little means, rising in status and prospering. The Host agrees with this protest, saying that he has been so bored that he almost has fallen asleep. Why hear of things that are past care? And if one puts his audience to sleep, who remains to listen to him? He begs him to tell a tale of hunting, but the Monk declines, saying that he is in no mood for fun and that he will tell no more tales. The Host then spots a Priest beside a Nun and states that even though his horse his weak and measly, he must be able to tell a tale of cheer. The Priest promises to do his best.
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| Garrick between Tragedy and Comedy (1760-61) Joshua Reynolds source Wikiart |
In The Monk's Tale, the theme is obvious: do not trust to Fortune as she is just as likely to deserted you as help you. Whether you are an admired leader, like Alexander, or a despised tyrant, such as Nero, your end could be identical. Yet even though the ancient song of Fate echoes through the story, shaping a destiny that is out of human control, there is a definite tension between God's judgement and Fortune. It's actually quite bizarre. You can think of it two ways: luck can stave off God's judgement, or, when God comes to judge, Fortune will flee. The latter would make more sense. I don't quite know what to make of this intermingling of ancient beliefs and Christian faith. I'll have to give it some further thought .....
Keeping up good progress with the Canterbury tales and Hamlet.
ReplyDeleteYou're also reading other books I see via Goodreads!
We're heading for the finishline.....just 10 more weeks then is 2015 over.
Would love to hear from you.."update status challenges" post. You have read so much this year! Keep going....
Thanks for the encouragement, Nancy. It came at a time when I really need it! I have so much going on and am barely keeping my head above water. I have so many posts in draft and so little time to finish them. But I'll just keep plugging along and hope to see some "book reading" sunshine soon. I actually have three days were I have things to do but nothing that needs to be done RIGHT NOW, which is usually a daily occurrence for me. Whooopeee! Now I just have to see if I can fit any reading in! Wish me luck! ;-)
DeleteFantastic that you are ' plugging ' away....to reach your goals.
DeleteI always say:" if the plan doesn't work, change the plan but never your goal"! In a few weeks you can lean back and look at the total list of books read in 2015...and be proud of yourself!
You've done so well with this post! I found it tough to read The Monk and even tougher to write about! Good job :)
ReplyDeletePS - Sorry I'm behind with all your posts - busy few weeks here!
Phew! It was long, wasn't it?
DeleteNo problem ...... I'm putting every tale into a post, so it's an arduous task going through them!