After describing her clothes, Chaucer focuses on her physical attributes, claiming that she had a “likerous ye”, that her eyebrows were “ful smale ypulled” and “were bent and blake as any sloo” and that her skin is softer than the “wolle of a wether.” The descriptions of Alison’s eyes, eyebrows and softness of skin stress her sexuality, along with the fact that her fillet that was worn “ful hye”. Among the many other physical details packed into Alison’s physical description, her mouth was described as being “as sweet as bragot…or hoord of apples leyd in hey,” creating an image of sensuality, and later, the reader also learns of how she was also “long as a mast” and “upright as a bolt.” Chaucer alleges Alison to be a far more pleasant thing to look upon than the “newe pere-jonette tree” implying her ripeness. Again, Chaucer makes reference to Alison’s clothing and accessories and talks of how a “purs of lether”, that was beaded and tasseled with silk, hung from her girdle, hinting once more at the expense of these accessories and the implication that Alison married John for his money.
Chaucer goes on to claim through the Miller that no man could imagine Alison, calling her a “popelote”, a, derogatory comment indicating her to be a plaything for men, and a “wench”, which hints at her being available. The shininess of her skin is claimed to be brighter than a “noble yforged newe”. From here it is Alison’s personality that is centred on and the reader is told of how she sings as “loude and yerne as any swalwe sittinge on a berne”, that she liked to dance and also could “play as any kide or calf”.
In Chaucer’s description of Alison, he accentuates her qualities that can be comparable with young animals, such as a kid, a calf and a foal. Similarly, in Absolon’s wooing of Alison, he likens her to a “faire bryd”. It is through these associations with animals that Chaucer hints at her animalistic instincts where she would want to mate with another young animal, namely Nicholas, rather than her elderly husband. Alison is conveyed as fresh and fragrant, associated with things of the country and her description builds up an impression of a rural rather than a courtly setting.
Alison’s characterisation is mainly decorative, but none the less important to the plot for three main reasons. Firstly, her characterisation emphasises the position of her foolish old husband, John, trying to keep in his control the obvious desirability of his attractive young wife. Secondly, it causes her to appear as a natural conquest for Nicholas, and therefore a good reason for the plot of deception and thirdly, as a perfect target for the artificial and ridiculous courtly love of Absolon. Beautiful she may be, but there are glimpses of a shrewd young madam in her love affair with “hende” Nicholas, in the play-acting with her “sely” husband and in her treatment of “joly” Absolon.
As the heroine of ‘The Miller’s Tale’, Alison’s contrast with the heroine of ‘The Knight’s Tale’, Emily, is probably one of the most obvious differences between the two tales. Emilye is the archetypal heroine of romance whilst Alison is much more susceptible to the crude advances of Nicholas. Whilst Emily is aloof, unattainable and doesn’t hint at any sexual interest, Alison relishes Nicholas’s attention, is more than ready to deceive her husband and has no qualms about cuckolding him. Although Alison wears fine clothes, she lacks true refinement, as although she has enough sense to refuse Nicholas’s first advances, she readily accepts him the second time around. Another difference between the two heroines is conveyed in their speech; Emily is ever eloquent, while Alison’s ‘robust earthiness’ comes across in her language. She is capable of being both sarcastic and insulting, uses common phrases such as “Jakke fool” and though Alison doesn’t have much to do in the accomplishment of Nicholas’s scheme, admittedly, she plays her part well when fooling John. What the two heroines do have in common is their beauty and ability to provoke passion. Whilst Emilye’s beauty is more conventional and likened to beautiful flowers, Alison is assimilated with animals.
Alison can be recognised as the binding component of ‘The Miller’s Tale’ acting as a catalyst to the events involving sex and humour, as she brings all of the characters together in the tale and acts as a parody of ‘The Knight’s Tale’. Although a catalyst, she is also there for purposes of decoration since the men listening to ‘The Miller’s Tale’ would have undoubtedly lusted after her. Though she plays the part of the young wife ill-matched in marriage, the classic woman figure in fabliaux, lacking morals and compassion, she is outwardly respectable; however, she doesn’t hesitate at the offer of having harmless fun with Nicholas. To conclude, it is apparent that Chaucer used Alison effectively in order to convey many different ideas and themes in just one character.
Bibliography
- ‘The Miller’s Tale’, Chaucer – Brodie’s Notes
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Spark Notes –
- ‘The Canterbury Tales’, Chaucer – York Notes