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.^[1] 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."^[2]

This 900-line romance is set 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.

Although The Tale of Gamelyn is included among Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in two early manuscripts, where it follows the unfinished Cook's Tale, modern scholars do not consider this to be written by Chaucer, although it is possible that he had included the character of Gamelyn among his papers, with the intention of rewriting it for a suitable character. He may perhaps have wanted to construct a version of it for use as the Cook's tale.^[2] Skeat argued instead that Chaucer intended the tale for the Yeoman, who would presumably be more interested in a tale of country life.

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.^[3] 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 .^[3]