The Canterbury Tales: Shipman VS. FranklinHe is nearing the end of the pilgrimage. The Host narrowed the contest down to two stories, The Shipman's Tale and The Franklin's Tale. Suspense is in the air, who will win? The Canterbury Tales is about a diverse group of people who set out on an adventure to visit the shrine of Thomas a'Beckett. Along the way, The Host had the bright idea to start a storytelling contest. The competition had the following rules: each competitor had to tell a total of four stories, two on the way out and two on the way back; it has to be funny, it has to be morally sound, and The Host is the one and only judge. The winner is rewarded with a free meal at the Tabard Inn and the loser has the privilege of paying for everyone else's meals. The Shipman's story will undoubtedly win the storytelling competition because it captured the audience's attention with a twist and The Host praised The Shipman for an excellent story. And while The Shipman's Tale isn't very morally sound, it still teaches a lesson that every man should know. The Shipman's Tale is about a wealthy merchant, his wife, and a young monk named Sir John. The merchant is about to leave town for a few days and has invited Sir John to come and celebrate before he leaves. Sir John arrives at the merchant's castle and has fun with him, drinking and eating everything he can. As the merchant prepares to leave, his wife secretly approaches Sir John and asks him for one hundred francs to repay a debt. She agreed to repay Sir John by having sex with him because she is not satisfied with her marriage. Sir John agrees to lend her the hundred francs because he takes pity on the merchant's wife. There is a twist in the story... middle of paper... women steal from men without even realizing it until it's too late. The host even went so far as to warn the men on the pilgrimage to beware of this kind of deception by saying, "Hey, guys, be careful of this joke!" (Chaucer, page 169). The guest appreciated that this point was emphasized through the story. She agrees that all women want is to possess power over men. It's a very long and difficult decision for The Host to make, but he decides that The Shipman is the winner because his story possessed all the necessary qualities. There are many factors that go into creating the perfect story, but The Shipman was successful and told a story that the audience and host loved. The Shipman's Tale, although not very morally sound, was still very entertaining and intrigued the public; he also taught a great lesson that everyone should know.