Marriage In The Merchant's Tale Essay

The story of Januarie's marriage to May and her subsequent infidelity with Damyan allows for not only Chaucer's view of marriage to come through, but also includes the opinions of contemporary writers. Chaucer allows his views to be made known as the narrator and his views could also be said to infiltrate the speeches of the Merchant. Justinus and Placebo's views are also accounted for as the fictional characters also air their opinions on the institution of marriage. In this way, Chaucer has allowed for a fair deal of discussion of marriage.

The Canterbury Tales depict many characters that, although fictionally created by Geoffrey Chaucer, may give the reader the opportunity to analyze and interpret their tales as a way of determining their personalities. The Wife of Bath and her prologue accurately supports this statement, as her intentions become expounded due to her questionable actions. The Wife of Bath exhibits in her prologue that she lacks respect and gratitude towards the men she beguiles into marriage and does so by falsely claiming direction from God. She shows not only deceit towards her many husbands, but also does not possess the ability to care about others before herself.

In Elizabethan Society during the time in which William Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice, many marriages were arranged by the parents of the betrothed couple to ensure the transfer of wealth as opposed to assuring true love. Once married, the woman was expected to be subservient to her husband and not control any matters of the estate. Although not necessarily written as a stance on women’s position in society, it is from this perspective that Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice laying down an underlying theme of marriage for wealth within the play. Love in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is bartered like a tradable commodity in order to gain money, status, and resources.

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem The Canterbury Tales a young Chaucer tells of the people he meets on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Beckett in Canterbury. One of the most vivacious characters on the pilgrimage is The Wife of Bath. Both the Wife of Bath’s prologue and tale share a common theme of a woman’s control in a relationship with a man. The Wife of Bath and the old hag in her tale share a similar perspective on what women want most in life. In the prologue and tale the reader is exposed to the idea that what women most desire in life is to have control over their husbands and lovers. This tale and its prologue are linked through the way that Dame Alice, the Wife of Bath, fashions the old hag in her tale after herself.

The Merchant's Tale tells the story of an old man searching for a wife and finding one, who is ultimately unfaithful to him. Chaucer uses a variety of elements in the poem to show his knowledge of contemporary interests and his story telling capacity through another figure. Irony flows through the poem, laced with allusions to the Bible. Chaucer's use of his astronomical knowledge not only allows modern day scholars to date events, but also adds another dimension of interest for the contemporary audience and of course, the pilgrims.

There are three women in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the prioress, the wife of Bath and the prostitute in the Shipman’s Tale. The prioress and the wife of Bath are the only ones of the three that have a fully developed part of the overall work. They are equal to the male characterizations; the prostitute is only minor player. Women are rarely mentioned in the other pilgrim’s tales. The wife of Bath and the Prioress are examples of strong medieval women. As Chaucer depicts them, they are a departure from the typical sinful daughters of Eve with the exception of the prostitute. The wife Dame Alisoun, and the prioress are both pious, successful females but they are still under the domain of men. Chaucer’s women are still part of the patriarchal world of the late middle ages.

In Geoffrey Chaucer's work, The Canterbury Tales, many travelers gather together to begin a pilgrimage. During their quest, each of the pilgrims proceed to tell a tale to entertain the group. From these stories arise four different tales, in which Chaucer uses to examine the concept of marriage and the problems that arise from this bonding of two people. In the tales of "The Franklin", "The Clerk", "The Wife of Bath", and "The Merchant", marriage is debated and examined from different perspectives. Out of the four tales, The Franklin's Tale presents the most reasonable solution to the marriage debate because the problems are resolved with the least amount of heartache.

Throughout literature, deep relationships can often be discovered between a story and the author who writes it. Relationships can also be found in stories about a husband and wife. In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales many of the characters make this idea apparent with the stories they tell. In “The Pardoner’s Tale”, a distinct relationship can be made between the character of the Pardoner and his tale of three friends. Also, the Wife in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” boldly declares her relationship towards her husband.

Literature is the light that guides us into the insight of a person's secrecy and deepest thoughts. In a world that is always evolving, it is important to reflect upon the literature to create a better idea of the culture. During the time period of 1340-1400, a man named Chaucer created the Canterbury Tales. These tales encompassed the life and perspectives of the everyday people up to the king. Moreover, it can be argued that in the specific Tale, The Wife of Bath’s Tale, Chaucer is able to depict the British society during these difficult time giving the reader insight into the negatives and positive attributes given by characters.

Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath Prologue and Tale” focus on the story telling of a woman who has experienced her fair share of marital issues. She is depicted as a promiscuous woman, married five times and had plenty of male suitors, the Wife was not like any other woman during this era. Although her reputation was how most perceived her, she was not a fan of being scrutinized for what she considered as her duty as a woman; to not remain single. This is seen through the depiction of women in society, how marriage ought to be in the eyes of religion, and how men were to view a woman like her. The language that is used throughout Chaucer’s prologue and tale allude to the evolution of women as well as how they struggled to gain any recognition in

Courtly love as a literary phenomenon reflects one of the most far-reaching revolutions in social sensibility in Western culture-the dramatic change in attitude towards women that began in the late eleventh century, The act of loving was in itself ennobling and refining, the means to the fullest expression of what was potentially fine and elevated in human nature”(Bridenthai and Koonz, 5). Chaucer’s life consisted of wealth that his father inherited from relatives that had passed away from the Black Death. Chaucer himself became a very educated man he worked as a writer, diplomat, politician, as well as a squire in the court of England. Chaucer’s writing provides commentary on the social, philosophical as well as religious framework of medieval

Most often one looks for status and wealth in a partner. However, what happens when this is not the case? When two people choose to marry for reasons of mutual love and loyalty to one another? In the 14th century, this was hardly ever the case. Of the three estates, it was most likely for a woman to marry into the first estate, then the second and rarely the third estate since the wealth reflects onto her. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s edition of, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer goes into great detail through the use of characters from different backgrounds about the role of the estates and status within a marriage. In a tale told by a Franklin, Chaucer introduces this remarkable concept of marriage for not one’s position in the community but love and

William Hogarth THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT, from Marriage a la Mode, 1743-1745, Oil on canvas, 69.9 x 90.8cm. National Gallery, London.

William Hogarth’s “Marriage A La Mode: The Marriage Settlement” shows the shift in status and wealth amongst economic and social groups during 18th century England. The Georgians were more concerned with the “new” wealth, which was geared towards the acquisition of private property. This was accomplished by engaging in arranged marriages where the women of the bourgeois who played an imperative economic role were married off to landowners in quest of capital, while prosperous entrepreneurs sought land property. Often times, many women would engage in clandestine marriages because they did not wish to be part of marriages that were not based on love. As a result, The Marriage Act of 1753 also known as “An Act for Better Preventing Clandestine Marriages,” was put in place and required all marriages to be conducted by a

“I think that people are most comfortable when the world is orderly. I think there's the sense that when you begin questioning basic distinctions, such as the distinction between being male and being female, it represents a threat to the social order.”- Andrew Solomon. When it comes to order Geoffrey Chaucer has an interesting way of portraying the essence of order throughout The Canterbury Tales. His characters seem to follow the social order at first glance, but as we look further into the tales we see just how out of line these characters are. Even the character that is Chaucer is blind to the twistedness of his fellow passengers. Chaucer only sees the good in his travel companions, not the hidden upheaval of the social order that was so strictly in place.