Question

Select one story from "The Monk's Tale" for students to read, and write an introduction that prepares them to understand it. The introduction will explore the story's plot, its related themes, and its rhyme scheme and meter.

Answer 1

Although the Host demands a merry tale from the Monk, the Monk instead gives a series of cameo tragedies, all of which deal with the role of fortune in a man's life. The Monk catalogues the fickleness of Fortune through a series of abbreviated tales about such people as Lucifer, Adam, Hercules, Samson, Nero, and so on — all who were initially favored but eventually abandoned by Fortune. The Monk concludes when the Knight interrupts him and pleads for a merry tale.