The Manciple's Tale

The Manciple's Tale Summary

"The Manciple's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" is a fable that concerns a white crow that could sing and talk like a human. The Manciple, a shrewd man in charge of buying provisions for a law court, tells this tale.

Here's a summary in modern English:

The Manciple begins with a lesson about the perils of speaking too much, and then he introduces the story of Phoebus Apollo, who had a white crow. This crow could mimic any human voice and was capable of speaking like a human.

Phoebus also had a beautiful wife whom he loved dearly, but he was extremely jealous and kept a close eye on her, not trusting her alone. Despite his watchfulness, his wife managed to have an affair with a man.

The white crow observed the wife's infidelity and, when Phoebus returned home, revealed the wife's betrayal. Furious and heartbroken, Phoebus murdered his wife.

However, Phoebus turned his anger towards the crow for telling him such terrible news. He cruelly plucked it and then cursed it and all its descendants to be black and have harsh voices as punishment for telling him the painful truth.

The Manciple ends his tale with a moral for the other pilgrims: be careful with your words, because the truth can sometimes cause more harm than good.

"The Manciple's Tale" explores themes of jealousy, betrayal, and the power of speech. It also serves as a warning against reckless honesty and the potential harm that words can bring, even if they're the truth.