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
On the next holiday, Alison goes to the parish church, where another young clerk, Absolon, spies her. Absolon is vain and finely dressed, with curled hair and fashionable tunic. His...
(full context)
Absolon serenades Alison underneath her window, brings her gifts, and showers her with money, but to...
(full context)
That same Monday, Absolon happens to be in Osney, and, inquiring after the carpenter is told that he is...
(full context)
Absolon chews cardamom and licorice to sweeten his breath, and at the first cock’s crow, he...
(full context)
Screaming and cursing, Absolon goes to his friend the blacksmith and borrows a hot iron. He returns to the...
(full context)
...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...
(full context)
Though nearly blinded, Absolon strikes Nicholas’s rear with the hot poker and brands the skin. Nicholas cries for help...
(full context)
...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...
(full context)
