The Canterbury Tales

by

Geoffrey Chaucer

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Canterbury Tales makes teaching easy.

Nicholas Character Analysis

Nicholas is a poor young scholar from Oxford who studies astrology and is much cleverer than the foolish carpenter. Nicholas is lively and lusty and likes to play tricks. He sleeps with Alison directly under the carpenter’s nose, cuckolding him in his own house, and he farts in Absolon’s face.

Nicholas Quotes in The Canterbury Tales

The The Canterbury Tales quotes below are all either spoken by Nicholas or refer to Nicholas. 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:
Social Satire Theme Icon
).
The Miller’s Tale Quotes

This Nicholas anon leet fle a fart
As greet as it had been a thonder-dent.

Related Characters: The Miller (speaker), Nicholas

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
Get the entire The Canterbury Tales LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Canterbury Tales PDF

Nicholas Quotes in The Canterbury Tales

The The Canterbury Tales quotes below are all either spoken by Nicholas or refer to Nicholas. 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:
Social Satire Theme Icon
).
The Miller’s Tale Quotes

This Nicholas anon leet fle a fart
As greet as it had been a thonder-dent.

Related Characters: The Miller (speaker), Nicholas

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