The Cook’s tale

The Cook’s Tale is an incomplete story in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, published in 1387–1400.

It tells about a apprentice cook who is dismissed from his job. He moves in with a fellow reveler and his wife, who is a shopkeeper by day and a prostitute by night. The end of the story is uncertain and some versions of the Canterbury Tales omit this fragment.

The cook:

his name is Roger of Ware;

he is described as knowing what’s he’s doing in the kitchen, but dirty and sells food;

he also has a large sore in his leg.

PROLOGUE

The cook loved the Revee’s story and he’s excited for his own;

the host comments that it better be good, given how bad his food is;

he also comments that the cook sells old pies and his kitchen is unclean;

the cook replies that he will have a story about a Host on the way back to get revenge for his joking

THE STORY

There was once an apprentice called Perkin reveller, who sold food.

He loved the tavern very much and would often run from work to join revelers.

He also used to steal from his master

THE STORY

There was once an apprentice called Perkin reveller, who sold food.

He loved the tavern very much and would often run from work to join revelers.

He also used to steal from his master

One day, his master said: “It is better to take the rotten apple out of the bag than to have it rot all the other apples” and fired him!

The apprentice went off and met a companion who also enjoyed reveling and had a prostitute as a wife.

The end 

This tale ends abruptly, without being much of a story at all.

Experts are unsure if Chaucer ended short on purpose, or if some of the original manuscript was simply lost.

Some critics argue the tale ends unfinished on purpose. We already know the sort of ending it will have anyway. The apprentice will make some bad choices and get what he deserves.