Lines 1-78
- See "The Miller's Prologue" in Shmoop's guide to The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue & Frame Story.
Lines 79-112
- A rich carpenter named John lives in Oxford and takes lodgers into his home.
- A poor but clever scholar named Nicholas boards with him.
- The narrator gives us an extensive description of Nicholas's character. (For more on this portrait, see the "Character Analysis" section.)
Lines 113-124
- John has married an eighteen-year-old woman named Alisoun.
- He is apparently jealous about her, and keeps her on a tight leash.
- The reason he is so jealous is that Alisoun is much younger than him, and he fears being made a "cuckold" by Alisoun cheating on him.
- John has never read the proverb by the ancient Greek philosopher Cato, which says that men should marry a woman similar to them in situation and age because youth and the elderly don't mix well.
- Since he has already married Alisoun, though, John must endure his situation.