The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue & Frame Story
The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue & Frame Story Lies and Deceit Quotes
How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used the line numbering found on Librarius's online edition.
The Summoner believes that the opportunity to tell his tale is the appropriate response to lies. As Chaucer has done in the General Prologue, then, he links tale-telling and lying.
Lo, whiche sleightes and subtilitees
In wommen been! for ay as bisy as bees
Been they, us sely men for to deceyve,
And from the soothe evere wol they weyve.
(Merchant's Epilogue 1209 – 1212)
Of the powers the Reeve attributes to the elderly, the one they share with women is deceit. The other thing these two groups have in common is that they have less power in medieval society.