sexual promiscuity

            
             Sex, it is a beautiful thing, an experience reserved for a man and woman who are in love. Love is often made in lust, and when lust takes over, sex becomes and act of pure pleasure. In The Three Guest of Heile of Bersele and The Miller's tale, sex is promiscuous, prostitution rampant, and disloyalty prominent, which shows how women can affect their own self-respect, and how men take advantage of them. .
             Alison is portrayed in the tale as an unfaithful wife, one who is easily manipulated and seduced by a controlling man. Women during the middle ages were considered to be of a lower class, and they tended to take a subversive rule. Alison, symbolic of the time, took the lower role, even though she didn't want to at first. She said, "Stop Nicholas, Or I will cry out "help, help" and "Alas!" Be good enough to take you hands away." Uncharacteristic of the time she was able to say no to a man; however, Nicholas knew that he could take advantage of her because she was "wild and young and he was old." Her older husband did not satisfy her, so Nicholas seduced her and convinced her to be his "love at last." She, as was common, was reduced to an object of a man's desire. She is also fully aware of her immoral decision. She says, "You must be watchful and take care Or well I know I"ll be good as dead." She knew that her reputation would be hurt by the act, but she succumbed to the pressure of another man. .
             Heile is also portrayed as unfaithful; however she cannot be faithful to anyone because she is a prostitute. The story reads, "[Heile] ofther made love, for a price." Her sexual promiscuity was not driven purely by pleasure, but a need for money, and as a proverb states, "money is the root of all evil." Her need for money forced her to become a whore. Her deires were so great that she was willing to satisfy a priest. In medieval times, a preist not abiding by the bible would have struck fear into the population because the priest was considered to be closest to god.