Dan Moss
English
Is Absolon to be Mocked or Pitied? How far does Chaucer guide our view?
Absolon is a parish clerk and is introduced as a failed courtly lover. We see how he takes great pride in his appearance, so as to impress the women of the area. We see Absolon as a feminine character and there are contrasts drawn between Nicholas and the Miller and himself.
Chaucer presents Absolon as a foolish character. I feel that as a reader you mock Absolon as he appears very differently to men of the time. We see this through his vanity, his hair is described as ‘strouted as a fanne’. This suggests that Absolon takes a great pride in his hair and this is further suggested as we are told ‘gold it shoon’. This suggests that Absolon frequently washes his hair which would be an act associated with the women of the time. Absolon’s biblical namesake also was proud of his hair and he to is shown to be a fool. It was because of his vanity and need to have long hair that Absolon’s namesake was killed. I sense that there is a connection which can be established in the downfall of these characters and their vanity. Absolon is mocked because of his hair and attention to detail in his appearance and therefore he is not taken seriously ending in his final embarrassment at the window. We are also told of Absolon’s shoes which are ‘Poules window carven on his shoes’. This shows us that Absolon has a reasonable amount of wealth which he wastes on overblown gestures; he would see the carving of his shoes as praise to god. However most religious people would find this to be a mockery of their faith and be offended by Absolon’s attempts. I believe this to be true of his attempts with women, he appears one to make gestures which he finds to be magnificent and grand, however I believe that his attempts would repulse women. An example is how he swings the ‘sencer’ which he swings back and forth in the church so as to impress the women of the parish. However, because of the overpowering smell of incense Absolon would be making people wretch rather than for them to fall in love with him. As a reader we see that Absolon is trying to slot into the role of a courtly lover, unlike Nicholas, he is gentle and harmless though because of the ways in which he goes wrong we are drawn to mocking him.
