The character of Chauntecleer in The Nun’s Priest’s Tale

Chauntecleer can be said to be the hero of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Nun’s Priest’s Tale because he is the main character and all the events happen around him. He is a rooster and lives in the house of a widow. The small yard in front of the widow’s house is his kingdom. Under him, there are a few hens who are like his wives. Of them, Pertelote is his most favorite wife. He loves Pertelote more than others. This is Chauntecleer’s description in simple. Though he is a rooster, the features of his character resemble those of the Knights of that age. Chauntecleer thinks in his own way, which is the subject of satire. 

Image Source

Chauntecleer’s physical appearance is narrated beautifully. He is a healthy rooster with beautiful colors. This makes him an attractive rooster among his hens. He can sing beautifully and crows along with the church clock at dawn. From the description of his physical appearance, we can say that he is an attractive rooster. However, nothing is said about his intelligence. Maybe he thinks himself to be very strong and attractive and does not have much intelligence. 

One of the major characteristics of Chauntecleer is that he is very self-absorbed. He is busy with himself all the time. He has many wives, but he only cares about Pertelote. The main reason behind this is that Pertelote is very beautiful and quite intelligent compared to other hens. However, Chauntecleer is busy with himself all the time and thinks that he is very beautiful and he behaves like a king. He is also arrogant and thinks himself to be better than others. We should also keep in mind that his world is limited to that small piece of land lying in front of the house of the widow. He lives in this piece of land and has no idea of the outside world. 

Chauntecleer studied a little bit. We think this way because while talking with his wife about his dream, he mentioned the names of different scholars to show the importance of his dream. It also showed that he was intelligent and could speak in an attractive manner. He beautifully tries to convince his wife that his dreams should be considered seriously. 

However, giving too much importance to bad dreams is a sign of superstition. We dream in our sleep every day. In 365 days of a year, we watch 365 dreams. Of these, there are many dreams that will never come true. So, if we consider all our dreams seriously then our lives will become very complicated. 

Chauntecleer is very intelligent. When the fox catches him, instead of becoming afraid, he starts to think about how to save himself and then devises a way. By tricking the fox, Chauntecleer saves his life. So, Chauntecleer is not entirely foolish. In fact, we see Chauntecleer’s intelligence and foolishness at the same time. On one side, he gives a lot of importance to his dream and becomes worried. On the other hand, his intelligence saves him. On one hand, he takes pride in his physical appearance, on the other hand, he is knowledgeable. So, we cannot say that he is very good or very bad. In another way, he is a round character. In the beginning, we only see him as an arrogant character and a self-absorbed person. At the end of the story, he becomes an intelligent rooster. 

Chauntecleer is not so bad as a husband. Though he remains busy with Pertelote, he respected her a lot, which was a rare quality in those days because men did not show much respect to women in those days. Women did not have any independence and often became victims of discrimination. Compared to that Chauntecleer respected Pertelote a lot. The poem revealed that he treated Pertelote with respect. 

The character of Chauntecleer is an interesting one, but it is also quite advanced compared to the characters of that age.