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The Wife of Bath
In medieval society, a Reeve is a manager of an estate. This Reeve is slender, old, and crabby. Everyone is afraid of him because he knows all the tricks of the trade. The Reeve squirrels away the money that he earns from his landowner; indeed, at this point, he’s wealthier than his boss. The Reeve is also a talented carpenter and is extremely offended when the Miller tells his story about a foolish carpenter.
The Reeve Quotes in The Canterbury Tales
The The Canterbury Tales quotes below are all either spoken by The Reeve or refer to The Reeve. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Reeve’s Prologue
Quotes
This dronke Miller hath ytoold us heer
How that bigyled was a carpenteer,
Peraventure in scorn, for I am oon.
And, by youre leve, I shal him quite anoon.
Related Characters:
The Reeve (speaker), The Miller
Related Themes:
The Reeve’s Tale
Quotes
Thus is the proude miller wel ybete,
And hath ylost the gryndynge of the whete,
And payed for the soper everideel
Of Aleyn and of John, that bette hym weel.
His wyf is swyved, and his doghter als.
Low, swich it is a millere to be fals!
And therefore this proverbe is seyd ful sooth,
“Hym thar nat wene wel that yvil dooth.”
Related Characters:
The Reeve (speaker), Symkyn, Aleyn, John, The miller’s wife, The miller’s daughter
Related Themes:
Get the entire The Canterbury Tales LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Reeve Quotes in The Canterbury Tales
The The Canterbury Tales quotes below are all either spoken by The Reeve or refer to The Reeve. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Reeve’s Prologue
Quotes
This dronke Miller hath ytoold us heer
How that bigyled was a carpenteer,
Peraventure in scorn, for I am oon.
And, by youre leve, I shal him quite anoon.
Related Characters:
The Reeve (speaker), The Miller
Related Themes:
The Reeve’s Tale
Quotes
Thus is the proude miller wel ybete,
And hath ylost the gryndynge of the whete,
And payed for the soper everideel
Of Aleyn and of John, that bette hym weel.
His wyf is swyved, and his doghter als.
Low, swich it is a millere to be fals!
And therefore this proverbe is seyd ful sooth,
“Hym thar nat wene wel that yvil dooth.”
Related Characters:
The Reeve (speaker), Symkyn, Aleyn, John, The miller’s wife, The miller’s daughter
Related Themes:
