My group chose the Shipman's Tale, (we actually decided the Skipper's tale, but the closest thing I saw on the site I found was the Shipman's, so I hope that was the same thing. Also, I read it was about a merchant and a monk. So maybe I'm wrong, but I guess I'll learn from my mistake if I am.)
Anyways, the one that I read was about a rich and foolish merchant who married a beautiful woman, who was, in my experience, a gold digger. She only used his money, and didn't love him at all.
One day, she was talking to a monk, telling him about how she is unhappy with her husband, and how she owes someone money which she is afraid to ask for from him. Being the kind monk he was, he said he would loan her the money in exchange for, uh, "sexual activities". She agreed, and then the monk went to the merchant and asked for a loan, not telling him it was for his wife. The merchant loaned the monk the money, who gave it to the merchant's wife, the tricky dude. The monk and the wife had sex, and when the monk went home, the merchant came by to ask for his money. To this, the monk replied, "I gave it to your wife!"
When the merchant went home to his wife, they had sex as well, and he then confronted her for not giving him the money that the monk gave her. All she said to this was that she needed to use it for important things, and that he shouldn't question her since he owns her body. And the foolish merchant agreed.
Weird story, but I liked it. It was funny, for an old tale.
Chaucer's purpose in telling this story, from my perspective, is to give the reader a lesson to learn. The lesson could be different to anyone, but to me it was to not trust anyone. He is definitely satirizing society in this tale. In society, there is both adultery, and lies floating around in every corner. The merchant was lied to by both his wife and the monk.
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