Question

In this excerpt from "The Nun's Priest's Tale" in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, how is Pertelote, a hen, compared to Hasdrubal's wife?
When they had caught a sight of Chanticleer.
But fair Dame Pertelote assailed the ear
Far louder than did Hasdrubal's good wife
When that her husband bold had lost his life,
And Roman legionaries burned Carthage…

Pertelote's devotion to her husband is compared to that of Hasdrubal's wife.
Pertelote's screams are likened to the laments of Hasdrubal's wife.
Pertelote's beauty is compared to that of Hasdrubal's wife.
Hasdrubal's wife's mannerisms are mimicked by Pertelote the hen.
Pertelote's love for Chanticleer is mocked by Hasdrubal's wife.

Answer 1

My answer: Pertelote's screams are likened to the laments of Hasdrubal's wife.

I drew the conclusion that Pertelote screamed from the phrase "Dame Pertelote assailed the ear". When the ear is involved, it usually refers to what someone hears or is hearing. In this case, Pertelotes' scream was louder than the screams of Hasdrubal's wife. 

The excerpt likened Pertelote's screams to the laments of Hasdrubal's wife but it emphasized that the screams were much louder than the lamentations.

Answer 2

Answer:

Pertelote's screams are likened to the laments of Hasdrubal's wife

Explanation:

Hasdrubal was the Carthaginian Commander who was defeated by Romans under the rule of Scipio Africanus Minor in 150 B. C. According to historical records, his wife after his death threw herself and their two sons in the flames. Chaucer in his 'The Canterbury Tales' portrays Hasdrubal's wife differently in Franklin's Tale and the Nun's Priest Tale. In Franklins Tale she is portrayed as the figure of wifely fidelity whereas in the nun's priest tale she is portrayed as the wife who laments loudly after her husband's death.