# The Cook's Tale explained — The Canterbury Tales

> Chapter companion for The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

## What happens

The Cook begins a tale about a young apprentice named Perkyn, who is a reveller and thief. His master dismisses him, and he goes to live with a friend who is also a thief, and whose wife is a prostitute. The tale is incomplete.

## Themes in this chapter

### Corruption and Hypocrisy in the Church

The tale depicts moral corruption in the secular realm, with characters engaged in thievery and prostitution.

## Character check-ins

### The Cook

The Cook is the teller of this tale, which is left unfinished.

## Key lines

> And therefore, for the love of God, beware / Of such a wife, and keep your own life clear.

The Cook warns the audience to avoid such a wife and to live virtuously.

_The Cook ends his fragmentary tale with a moral warning._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/chapters/the-cook-s-tale
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/chapters