Chaucer’s actual meditation on dreams can be divided into three main parts. First, there is Chanticleer’s initial explanation of the dream. Chanticleer begins "As a man that in his dreem is drecched soore/And whan that Pertelote thus herde hym roore". Right from the start, Chaucer is drawing a parallel between the way that an animal responds to a stimulus and the way that a man responds to stimulus. It is also worth noting that Chanticleer’s experience of dreams in both negative and disruptive to those around him, and Chanticleer’s entire diatribe about dreams to Pertelote is completely unprovoked on her part. So already, Chaucer is equating dreams with something negative, disruptive and human. However, in the next part, Chanticleer does something strange when he says, "Now God," quod he, "my swevene recche aright, /And kepe my body out of foul prisoun!". Essentially, Chanticleer seems to be asking for divine help to draw something valuable out of something completely unpleasant. However, rather than actually attempt to accept divine intervention, he and Pertelote immediately begin their argument about dreams in general, and this is where Chaucer really seems to be placing a majority of his criticism. Much of Pertelote’s criticism seems to be based on medieval ideas about the humours.
Pertelote initially responds strangely to Chanticleer’s concerns by attacking his masculinity, which is something to consider when analyzing Chanticleer’s response. Then, rather than trying to address the actual contents of the dream she responds by offering a solution "Allas!And Konne ye been agast of sweveyns?/ Nothing, God woot, but vanitee in sweven is/ Swevens engendren of replecciouns/ And ofte of fume and of complecciouns/ Whan humours been to habundant in a wight/ Certes this dreem, which ye han met to-nyght/ cometh of the great superfluytee/ Of your rede colera, pardee/ which causeth folk to dreden in hir dremes". From our modern perspective, we are already skeptical about her argument because of her use of ‘humours’ as explantation for her actions. However, according to scholar Karen Paley “The critics differ on the merits of her treatment plan. Walter Curry argues that Pertelote's diagnosis is "supported by the best medical opinion" (222) and adds, rather patronizingly, "the little hen is wise in her selection of simples". Corinne Kauffman, quoting different authorities, argues that Chaucer, by making Pertelote's remedies so far off the mark, is satirizing women. For example, laurel '''doth vexe and overturn the stomacke very much, and in-flameth, hurteth, and burneth the inwarde partes'". Whether or not the solutions are effective, it is still significant that she suggests ignoring dreams entirely. Something that places her on the opposite end of the spectrum from Chanticleer and allows for Chaucer to show both extremes. Ironically, she appeals to a legendary figure of when she says "Lo Catoun, which that was so wys a man/ Sayde he nat thus, attach no importance to dreams". It is this appeal that leads to Chanticleer structuring his response in the unique way that he does
Chaucer makes two things clear about Chanticleer’s response to Pertelote. First, Chanticleer is overly reliant on the use of historical figures to validate both his opinion and him, something that seems to be done to prove himself to his lover.  He begins simply enough with the claim that some men that are greater “Than Cato ever was, as I may prosper, / Who says all the reverse of this sentence/ and have found well by experience/ that dreams are significations"(2976-2979). Interestingly, Cato also says that “I think the first virtue is to restrain the tongue; he approaches nearest to gods who knows how to be silent, even though he is in the right.”A message that Chanticleer intentionally ignores when he continues his diatribe against Pertelote.  He follows this response up with a serious of stories where men, presumably humans, ignore their dreams and are worse off for it, and the lesson that he takes from this is that "Heere men may see that dreams are to be feared". Chanticleer has now ramped up his argument and appears to be more superstitious than interpretive at this point.  By doing so, Chanticleer has lost sight of his original goal and of the dream itself which leads to the second thing that Chaucer makes clear in this exchange. No one in this argument has taken anything of substance from this exercise of interpretation.
