ghter bolt upright, Whil thow hast, as a coward, been agast, revealing that he was unaware John had been with the wife the entire night (I 4265-4267). And when Symkyn hears this, he becomes enraged, this being the first he learns of it also, since he did not hear the two couples either. This lack of noise in such an in-timate act may appear peculiar, but it is related to the Reeve just as Alison and Nicholass enthusiasm is to the Miller. One clear reason for this silence is connected to the Reeves aversion to the Miller. Since his tale is told to reprise Robin, little else matters. Just like the two-dimensional char-acterization, the actions appear to be performed by rote, done only to make the plot progress to the desired ending. This explains the simplicity of the tale; the Reeve is only interested in the quickest method of revenge. The mother and daughter do not speak or struggle after learning the intentions of the clerks because it is inconvenient for them to do so. Their pur-pose in existing is to be disparaged. Any efforts against this may cause the miller to wake, dis-rupting the greater scheme. They are as quiet during the sexual act as the clerks because any type of sound would expand their characterization at the expense of the plot. The daughter does speak the next morning, but only to further the narrative by divulging the location of the stolen corn so the students can reclaim it. Unexpectedly, Malyne begins to cry at the thought of Alans departure. This is actually done for the sake of his reputation. The Reeve wants to make Robin appear foolish, but knows that turning his protagonists into rapists will only cause the audience to turn against himself. Because Malyne despairs that the night has ended, the audience assumes that she enjoyed the experience. The s...
