The Canterbury Tales · Character
The Miller
A red-bearded, ale-soaked miller who steals corn and breaks down doors, he barges in with a bawdy tale about a carpenter's wife.
supporting
First appearance: The Prologue
As a supporting figure in The Canterbury Tales, The Miller is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Tells this ribald tale, interrupting the Knight's story.
Drunk on the pilgrimage and proud of his strength, he insists on telling the second tale despite the Host's protests, and his story of Alison, Nicholas, and Absolon mocks the Reeve's trade and the Knight's courtly manners alike. His tale's crude energy and its target — an old carpenter — set off a chain of retaliatory stories that turns the pilgrimage into a contest of insults. He matters because he shatters the decorum the Knight established and reveals how quickly the fellowship can turn on itself.
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Character Web
22 connectionsA slice of how The Miller sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Lower-class and bawdy characters
- Diverse pilgrims and tale characters
+17 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the story's dramatic climax because it shifts the focus from the external, ritualistic acts…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingIn the story
The Miller appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for The Miller unlock in the free preview.
See The Miller in The Prologue