Absolon is a vain parish clerk who also tries to woo Alison. Unlike the poor Nicholas, Absolon is able to shower gifts and money on Alison, yet Alison scorns his advances, and she and Nicholas trick the foolish young clerk. Absolon literally kisses Allison’s ass, and Nicholas farts in his face. However, Absolon does get his revenge on Nicholas when he brands him with a hot poker.
Absolon Quotes in The Canterbury Tales
The The Canterbury Tales quotes below are all either spoken by Absolon or refer to Absolon. 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 Miller’s Tale
Quotes
Thus swyved was this carpenteris wyf,
For al his kepyng and his jalousye,
And Absolon hath kist hir nether ye,
And Nicholas is scalded in the towte.
This tale is doon, and God save al the rowte!
Related Characters:
The Miller (speaker), The carpenter, Nicholas, Alison, Absolon
Related Themes:
Get the entire The Canterbury Tales LitChart as a printable PDF.
Absolon Character Timeline in The Canterbury Tales
The timeline below shows where the character Absolon appears in The Canterbury Tales. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Miller’s Tale
...astrology and can also sing well. The carpenter is very jealous of his eighteen-year-old wife, Alison, who is pretty and flirtatious: the Miller describes her as a frisky young flower.
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One day, Nicholas begins to flirt with Alison. Nicholas grabs her, and though she cries out at first in protest, he coaxes her...
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On the next holiday, Alison goes to the parish church, where another young clerk, Absolon, spies her. Absolon is vain...
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Absolon serenades Alison underneath her window, brings her gifts, and showers her with money, but to...
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One Saturday, the carpenter travels to nearby Osney, and Alison and Nicholas form a plan to spend the night together. Nicholas tells Alison to have...
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...he knows a remedy, and that if the carpenter follows his orders, they will all––including Alison––survive the flood.
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...they will not speak a word to each other the entire time. The carpenter and Alison, Nicholas says, must not hang next to each other so that they will not be...
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On Monday night, the carpenter, Nicholas, and Alison climb into their tubs and say their prayers. The carpenter falls asleep, and Nicholas and...
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That same Monday, Absolon happens to be in Osney, and, inquiring after the carpenter is told that he is...
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Absolon chews cardamom and licorice to sweeten his breath, and at the first cock’s crow, he...
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Screaming and cursing, Absolon goes to his friend the blacksmith and borrows a hot iron. He returns to the...
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...who has gotten out of bed to urinate, sticks his rear end out the window. Absolon tells Alison to speak so that she can let him know where she is, and...
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Though nearly blinded, Absolon strikes Nicholas’s rear with the hot poker and brands the skin. Nicholas cries for help...
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...a swoon, his arm broken. The neighbors rush in to see the spectacle. Nicholas and Alison tell everyone that the carpenter is crazy, and no one will listen to the carpenter’s...
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...up the tale: the carpenter’s wife has been “swyved” by Nicholas, despite the carpenter’s jealousy; Absolon has kissed her lower regions; and Nicholas has been scalded in the buttocks. “God save...
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