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Plot Analysis
This is the situation that leads to all the rest of the action. Were the pilgrims not gathered here, there would be no group pilgrimage, no need for entertainment and hence tale-telling, and no Canterbury Tales. Were Chaucer not to happen upon them at the tavern, there would be no occasion for him to narrate the Tales.
This very obviously creates conflict between the pilgrims because each one wants to win the contest. It also creates a conflict between the Host's goals of an orderly and fun contest, and the natural proclivities of the pilgrims. This is the conflict that will turn out to be most important in the action that follows.
All of these situations – the Miller's drunken obstinance, the Reeve's reaction to the Miller's tale, the Friar and the Summoner's dislike of one another, the appearance of a mysterious stranger in the distance – complicate the Host's plan to have the tale-tellers tell stories in an orderly fashion, and to have fun, because they have the potential to create interruptions and fights.
The things that seemed likely to happen in the complication stage actually happen.
All of these moments represent times when things are about to get very, very bad for the Host's stated goals of having fun and telling tales. If the Miller were to leave in anger, he would definitely not be having fun and the harmony of the group would be further disrupted. The same deal would happen if the Host were to refuse to let the Reeve tell his tale. And what if the Friar took so much offense at the Summoner's story, he decked the Summoner, rather than allowing him to tell his tale? You get the idea.
Here, the conflicts that were getting in the way of the tale-telling and fun are resolved, if not entirely to everyone's satisfaction, then at least enough that the tale-telling can continue.
The end of the journey and the announcement of a winner to the contest would conclude the action that's set in motion in the conflict stage. We would find out not only who wins the contest, but whether the Host's plan for everybody to tell tales and have fun was successful.
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