A theme that is common in this passage and also in the fabliau genre is the theme of trickery. In order for the guilty or immoral characters to be punished in the eyes of the victims it is often necessary, at least from their perspective, to use tricks to deceive …show more content…
Chaucer uses imagery to explore three different themes: romance, sex and violence, in order to create a complex plot arc. The use of romance and sexual imagery is often carried out together as if to invoke a direct contrast for the audience. Due to Chaucer’s readership being courtly lords and ladies it could be suggested he does this in order to introduce the fabliau in a milder way. In line 16, the no longer virtuous Malyne states ‘God thee save and kepe’ this being a blessing or prayer aimed at her lover Aleyn. This scene of parting lovers at dawn is a typical image seen in many romance tales. However, this is juxtaposed against a later point in the passage with Aleyn’s sexual, bordering on vulgar description to who he thinks is John, in line 35 – ‘swyved the milleres doghter bolt upright’. This line is filled with euphemistic imagery, ‘swyved’ meaning screwed, a slang term for sexual intercourse and ‘bolt upright’ creating the image of an erection both create a disrespectful and bawdy atmosphere surrounding the night’s events. Chaucer may have created this atmosphere in order to show a direct contrast between the traditional love story and the genre of the fabliau. Further, the use of the sexual imagery against that of romantic setting may be carried out in order to show the frivolous nature of women’s romantic ideals as it is Malyne who is being romantic and Aleyn who is being vulgar, yet more earthly in his …show more content…
In order to show that ‘both Symkyn and the students have had a mutual use of each other’s ‘flour’ before its return in the end, kneaded and transformed to its original owner’ (that being that both have used something of the other’s possession in order to gain an equal footing), the ending of this passage needs to have a violent end in order to fit with the classic fabliau context. This passage is no exception to these conventions as seen in line 44: ‘and on the nose he smoot hym with his fest’ suggesting that Symkyn gains some control back from the clerks in the finale as he starts the violent outburst, of course, as common of the fabliau this is not how the fighting continues as the clerks gain power once more. In adding violence into the final part of this tale it shows Chaucer’s primary readers that lower class members of society do act in the way they perhaps believe, as this tale comes from a reeve and is centred around a miller. Chaucer may have done this in order to show the audience members that the lower classes are of a lesser standard to them as noble