The Canterbury Tales · Chapter
The Manciple's Tale explained
The Manciple tells a fable about Phoebus (Apollo) who keeps a white crow that can speak and sing.
What happens
The Manciple tells a fable about Phoebus (Apollo) who keeps a white crow that can speak and sing. Phoebus has a wife whom he loves jealously, but she takes a lover while he is away. The crow reveals the adultery to Phoebus, who in a rage kills his wife. Overcome with grief and remorse, Phoebus curses the crow, turning its feathers black and taking away its speech, condemning all crows to be black and voiceless. The tale warns against speaking too much and revealing uncomfortable truths.
Themes in this chapter
Corruption and Hypocrisy in the Church
The tale critiques the hypocrisy of those who punish truth-tellers while ignoring the moral failings that prompted the revelation.
Fortune and Providence
Phoebus's rash act and subsequent grief illustrate the unpredictable turns of fortune and the consequences of human folly.
Characters to notice
- The Manciple
Teller of this fable about Phoebus and the crow.
- Chaucer
Narrator who introduces the Manciple's tale.
- Our Host
Host who calls upon the Manciple to tell his tale.
Key passages
“Ther is no werkman, whatsoevere he be, / That may both werken wel and hastily; / This wol be doon at leyser parfitly.”
No craftsman can work both well and quickly; a task done at leisure is done perfectly.
The Manciple's opening reflection on the value of patience and careful work.
“My sone, keep thy tonge, and keep thy freend; / A wikked tonge is worse than a feend.”
My son, guard your tongue and you will keep your friend; an evil tongue is worse than a devil.
The moral of the tale, warning against loose speech and the dangers of revealing painful truths.