The physician is a very smart and loved doctor. The prologue in the smaller book states that he was a doctor like no other. He was very involved with astronomy and loved to continue his study in this subject. He was a member of the everyman social class. It was popular to read the bible in this time but the physician barely ever picks up the bible or studies any sort of religion. The tale that the physician tells is quite gruesome. He tells a tale about a knight who must kill his daughter to protect her honor. He tells her that she can choose death or dishonor. He cuts her head off to kill her. The story relates to the physician because there is a moral struggle between death or dishonor. The last few lines of the tale say to abandon sin before it abandons you this is a view of the physician because he is not very religious so he does not encourage religion.
-David
The physician's tale is about a knight, Virginius, who has a beautiful daughter, Virginia, and no other children. Nature (personified as a character) takes great care of her and the physician goes to great lengths to describe here beauty. She is beautiful, humble, and most of all pure and innocent. Here the physician pauses from his story and lectures parents. He explains for them to take great care in raising there daughters or sons, because it their lives are fully their repsonibility. Don't let your child's life become bad because you set a poor example or won't scold them. As the physician gets back to his story, he tells us the girl had become very famous around town. One day, while she's at temple with her mother, a judge sets his eyes on her and decides she will be with him no matter what it takes. So he contrives a plan with a man named Cladius. While the judge, Appius, is sitting in court one day, Claudius runs in calling Virginius to the court. When Virginius comes, Claudius states that Virginius has kidnapped his servant (Virginia) and he has no proof that she is his daughter. Appius doesn't even hear Virginius' case and orders Virginia to be returned to her rightful owner. Virginius returns home to tell his daughter what has happened. He explains to her that she has two options: death or to live a dishonest life. She chooses death and Virginius beheads his own daughter. When the judge saw the head, he demanded Virginius hanged. But the townspeople had figured out what was happening and swarmed him, throwing him in prison, where he killed himself. Claudius was sent into exile. The physician concludes with a moral. No one knows who God will choose to smite or who not. So forsake sin, before sin destroys you.
This tale makes note of the physician's hypocritical nature. He preaches about religion and morality, when in the prologue it is made clear he is very weak spiritually and greedy. This tale just offers further emphasis to the hypocritical nature of most everyone on this voyage. On the outside, each one preaches moral concepts, but they all have their own ulterior motives.
-David
The physician's tale is about a knight, Virginius, who has a beautiful daughter, Virginia, and no other children. Nature (personified as a character) takes great care of her and the physician goes to great lengths to describe here beauty. She is beautiful, humble, and most of all pure and innocent. Here the physician pauses from his story and lectures parents. He explains for them to take great care in raising there daughters or sons, because it their lives are fully their repsonibility. Don't let your child's life become bad because you set a poor example or won't scold them. As the physician gets back to his story, he tells us the girl had become very famous around town. One day, while she's at temple with her mother, a judge sets his eyes on her and decides she will be with him no matter what it takes. So he contrives a plan with a man named Cladius. While the judge, Appius, is sitting in court one day, Claudius runs in calling Virginius to the court. When Virginius comes, Claudius states that Virginius has kidnapped his servant (Virginia) and he has no proof that she is his daughter. Appius doesn't even hear Virginius' case and orders Virginia to be returned to her rightful owner. Virginius returns home to tell his daughter what has happened. He explains to her that she has two options: death or to live a dishonest life. She chooses death and Virginius beheads his own daughter. When the judge saw the head, he demanded Virginius hanged. But the townspeople had figured out what was happening and swarmed him, throwing him in prison, where he killed himself. Claudius was sent into exile. The physician concludes with a moral. No one knows who God will choose to smite or who not. So forsake sin, before sin destroys you.
This tale makes note of the physician's hypocritical nature. He preaches about religion and morality, when in the prologue it is made clear he is very weak spiritually and greedy. This tale just offers further emphasis to the hypocritical nature of most everyone on this voyage. On the outside, each one preaches moral concepts, but they all have their own ulterior motives.