Miller’s Tale is a comedic story that strongly resonates with both a medieval audience and culture and a contemporary audience and culture. Many social problems are raised in this story, and they still exist in modern society. The most outstanding issues are unhappy relationships, misusage of religion, and constant competition. All of them are satirically discussed in Miller’s Tale by presenting different life situations, which also happen in the contemporary world.
The first issue presented by the author is unhappy relationships. People still consider it hard to find the perfect person to spend life with. Other than that, many people stay with someone they do not love until the end of their lives because they think love is not real. This disbelief in love is also shown in Miller’s tale. “To Alison now wol I tellen al My love-longynge, for yet I shall nat mysse” (Chaucer, 2003). Here Absolon is talking about the feeling of love and doubt that it actually exists. He states that this feeling might be a lie, and everything people need is just physical gratification. This is also the common issue of modern society that thinks that love is confused with lust. The question of love and happy relationships have always existed and is a problem in contemporary society.
Misusage of religion is a very controversial topic that was raised in Miller’s Tale. However, the wrong usage of it continues to exist in the modern world in different manifestations. Religion has always been a strong method of power that helps to control people. Moreover, religion is often used as a way to manipulate others. “And al above ther lay a gay sautrie, On which he made a-nyghtes Melodie. So sweetly that all the Chambre rong; And Angelus ad virginem he song” (Chauser, 2003). It is an example of using religion to make other people think Nicholas is praying and feeling pity, which he clearly does not. In modern society, religion is not something completely clear and saint. People continue using it to achieve certain aims, so it remains to be a problem.
People have always wanted and still want to compete with each other and prove that they are better. It is part of human nature, and it is needed to make people feel special. This problem is shown throughout the whole story of Miller’s Tale. Characters have made everything be a competition, no matter if it was social status or love matters. “For som folk wol ben wonnen for richesse, And somme for strokes, and somme for gentilesse” (Chaucer, 2003). Here Alisoun shows that for her, the lover is just a prize that she wants to win. In the contemporary world, competition remains an inevitable part of life. It is present in different spheres and has a strong influence on people.
All in all, issues described in Miller’s Tale continue to exist in modern society. Everybody who is reading this book can find something that is relatable to them and analyze situations that happen every day. That is why it still resonates with contemporary audiences and culture. The crucial issues described in the story are relationship problems, misusage of religion, and constant competition with others. All of them are shown in a comical way which helps to understand all the absurdity of the issues and make the right conclusions.
Reference
Chaucer, G. (2003). The Canterbury Tales. Penguin Books.