The Nun's Priest's Tale

Nightmares are often manifestations of fears we already have, whether they’re subconscious or conscious. This means that we could very well have dreams about the typical irrational fear, such as vampires sucking our blood, but the nightmare Chauntecleer has about getting attacked in the yard is a very rational fear. I mean, he’s a helpless chicken. Getting eaten should be his number one fear. Pertelote tries to say he should never fear a dream, and there’s an entire argument with proof for why you should or shouldn’t take dreams seriously. I’m so annoyed by this! Humans (or, in this case, chickens) are so binary, thinking you either fear or don’t fear something. The in-between exists, and I think Pertelote forgets that dreams can serve as reminders. For example, if you have a nightmare where your mother dies, you don’t need to fear her death, but you might remind yourself to tell her you love her more often. Chauntecler’s nightmare could have served as a reminder to watch out for predators. I knew damn well that once she convinced him to extinguish his fear, he’d get attacked. Boom, it happened. However, the Nun’s priest gives it a little twist: the final lesson is to never trust a flatterer. Okay, we got a little far away from the dream thing, and I’m slightly confused, but it's still a good lesson. Also, the Nun’s Priest mentions the idea that women’s counsel is often fatal. Actually, anyone’s counsel might be fatal, but a chicken’s counsel definitely is. Thanks Chaucer.