Mythological Allusions in The Canterbury Tales

Lawyer's Tale

The stars did Hector and Achilles warn,

Long winters ere their deaths, that they should die;

Pompey's and Julius' deaths, ere they were born,

The strife of Thebes, were mirrored in the sky.

Socrates, Samson - both were doomed on high,

Turnus and Hercules. But men are dull;

None has the wit to read these things in full.

Nuns' Priest's Tale

Lo, Croesus, that in Lydia was king -

Did he not dream he sat upon a tree,

Which signified his hanging that should be?

And lo, Andromache, Dan Hector's wife -

Before the day that Hector lost his life

Dreams gave her warning that should Hector go

With day to join the fight against the foe,

The life of Hector would be lost, and she

Warned him of this, but unsuccessfully.

He went to fight, holding her vision vain,

And so was shortly by Achilles slain.

But this tale is too long to tell, and dawn

Draws near already; I may not go on.

In brief, and for conclusion, I assert

That of this vision I shall have some hurt.

And, Madam, I will tell you furthermore

That on these laxatives I set no store,

For they are venomous, I'll never try them;

I love them never a jot, and I defy them!

Squire's Tale

And other people wondered at the sword

That had a strength to pierce through everything;

And fell in speech of Telephus the king,

And of the wondrous spear Achilles bore;

For he could wound, or heal the wound once more,

Just as was possible with this sword as well

Of which but now yourselves have heard me tell.

They spoke of methods for the hardening

Of metals, and drugs men used to do this thing,

And how and when to harden properly;

But this is all unknown, at least to me.