How does Chaucer present the Merchant's character in 'The Canterbury Tales'?

Authors Avatar

Lois Mall 13(vi)

Look again at ‘The Merchant’s Prologue’ and the first part of ‘The Merchant’s Tale’. With precise and detailed reference to the text, discuss how Chaucer presents the Merchant’s character.

Chaucer opens ‘The Merchant’s Prologue’ with the words ‘Weping and wailing’ which immediately makes the reader assume that what we are about to read is a story of personal woe and sorrow. As the prologue proceeds, we find that our assumption is correct. Despite speaking to strangers, the Merchant is quick to comment on how his wife is ‘the worste that may be’ and could easily out do the devil. He goes on to describe his wife as a ‘shrewe’ and marriage itself as a ‘snare’. In Chaucer’s time, it would have been frowned upon to speak of your wife in this way; even more so when on a pilgrimage. Taking this into account, Chaucer portrays the Merchant as a clearly thoughtless and disloyal husband who eagerly insults his wife of two months to complete strangers. At this point, the reader may begin to dislike or grow suspicious of the Merchant; he is clearly an arrogant man in claiming to be an expert on marriage on the basis of such limited experience.  

Join now!

 The Merchant compares his wife to ‘Grisildis’, the Clerk’s wife, and mentions how there is a ‘long and large difference’ between the women. He is constantly degrading marriage; at one point he generalises himself to all men and proposes that ‘wedded men liven in sorwe and care.’ This evident criticism of marriage begs the question of why he got married in the first place.  Throughout ‘The Merchant’s Prologue’ Chaucer ensures that the Merchant relates frequently to religion and saints. From this, it could be assumed that the Merchant wedded his wife purely for religious reasons.

However, on closer examination ...

This is a preview of the whole essay