The Tale of Gamelyn

The Tale of Gamelyn is a romance written in c. 1350 in a dialect of Middle English, considered part of the Matter of England. It is presented in a style of rhymed couplets and described by Skeat as "the older and longer kind of ballad" and by Ramsey as a "rough and ready romance."The Tale of Gamelyn is one of 25 stories within Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in which it follows the unfinished Cook's Tale. This 900 line romance takes place during the reign of King Edward I and tells the story of Gamelyn, and the various obstacles he must overcome in order to retrieve his rightful inheritance from his older brother. The tale confronts the corruption of the law, illuminating a lack of moral and political consistency. There is no indication as to where exactly this story takes place, given that the text itself has no place names, and Gamelyn's family name of Boundys most likely just signifies a type of boundary.

Though there is no known author, Geoffrey Chaucer had included the character of Gamelyn among his papers, with the intention of rewriting it for a suitable character. It is thought to have been possible that he wanted to construct a version of it for use as the Cook's tale.

The Tale of Gamelyn shares similarities with other stories from English literary and folk traditions. It is of particular interest for its similarities with the English ballad of the legendary outlaw Robin Hood. It was also a source for Thomas Lodge’s prose romance Rosalynde (1590), on which William Shakespeare based his As You Like It. The Tale of Gamelyn is thought to provide a transition between the mid 14th century and the late 15th century world of early romances and Robin Hood ballads .

The tale begins with Sir John of Boundys on his death bed. Knowing the end is near, Sir John calls upon wise knights to assist him in dividing his land among his three sons. He specifically mentions to give an equal amount of land to his son Gamelyn, the youngest of the three. However, the knights ignore his wishes and decide to offer all his estate to the two elder sons, excluding Gamelyn on the premise that he is too young. When the knights disclose their decision to Sir John, he is outraged, reiterating that he wants the three sons to have equal inheritance. Yet Sir John dies shortly after, and the eldest son, Johan, proceeds to charm Gamelyn into a new deal: since Gamelyn is a minor, Johan will be in ownership of Gamelyn’s inheritance, and in return Gamelyn will be clothed and fed. As time passes, Gamelyn realizes he’s fallen victim to foolery and that this deal with his brother is unbearably unfair. When Gamelyn confronts Johan about his injustice, A fight breaks out, resulting in a wrestling match between Gamelyn and an unknown competitor. This is Gamelyn’s opportunity to show his worth; for the winner will receive a ram and a ring of gold.

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