Final answer:
The Physician's Tale ends in tragedy, with Virginia being killed by her father to protect her honor. The company reacts with shock and sorrow, prompting the host to hurry on to the next tale.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ending of "The Physician's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is quite tragic. The tale concludes with Virginia, a young and virtuous woman, being killed by her own father, Virginius, to protect her from the corrupt judge Appius, who wrongfully condemns her to be taken from her father under the pretense that she is a slave. Virginius would rather see his daughter dead than dishonored, and so he follows through with this heartrending decision. The company's reaction to the tale is one of shock and dismay. The host, Harry Bailey, is especially upset, declaring the tale invokes such woe that he'd rather have his scrotum be cut off than have his own daughter suffer such a fate. He quickly moves to the next tale to lift the spirits of the group.