We are told that January does have a sexual appetite and does regularly feed it mostly with a selection of middle aged women, so when he requires himself a young and “untouched” girl for a wife we are taken aback. Now Chaucer throws age into the mix and we begin to see just how January thinks and more precisely what he desires.
Justinus and placebo’s scene with January for me is more like him talking to himself and there being an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Placebo is the “devil” and the free thinking no conscience side of |January whilst Justinus is the angel who shows conscience and justice. Chaucer has used this scene well to show us exactly the knight’s thoughts. As the characters tell him what they think, inversely it is really what he thinks; by the way he chooses to ignore Justinus we know that he throws the proper thinking aside, and by listening to Placebo he listens to what he wants.and desires.
The folly for January is his great lack of realism. Not only is it portrayed by the way he expects to have a young wife at the age of 60, but by the way he thinks that he “still has it” and that his age has not effected his status with women. This is one of the seven sins that Chaucer uses in all of the Canterbury tales; VANITY. It is reinforced by the way he totally refuses to listen to Justinus, as he is the “truth” that he totally ignores.
“A man can do and be what he wants”
Lawrence of Arabia
Whether you consider the quote to be arrogant or noble it is the way that January is portrayed to think by Chaucer. Although he is a bachelor right unto the point where he meets May and marries her, we have been given little or no real background to his life only where he lives, his age and that he chased women. The total expectation of a “young and fair” wife is surely meant to be interpreted as arrogance. Yet the way January voices his expectation one can perhaps drop the idea of arrogance and even pick up one of empathy. The reason this can be done is because the way which he prays to god for a wife and even remarks,
“True as god is king to take a wife is a glorious thing”.
Chaucer has created two sides to the knight, one of blissful ignorance and total arrogance, the other a noble and respectful god fearing Christian; although the latter is the least pronounced of the two.
May the eventual wife of January really stumbles upon the scene and again we are given little background to her and how they presumed to marry. Chaucer has evidently done this to give the impression of May simply marrying January for his wealth, this is furthermore apt when we learn that she is but barely a woman and a virgin at that. For which woman of this status would want to marry a 60 year old man? She only makes an impact upon the reader shortly after their wedding; when she is perceived to be a victim. The whole scene where January cremates the marriage is graphic and leaves you feeling deep sympathy for May, Chaucer does this well by describing Januarys rough hanging skin upon his neck rubbing her soft fair skin.
GREED has obviously been the major if not only reason as to why May has married January at all. This is her folly. For she regrets it, even though this emotion is not greatly put across by Chaucer it is definitely felt to be true.
Our next character of probing is the squire and pupil of January, Damien. Who as soon as he realizes has married his master goes to his bed and falls ill with woe. Chaucer writes this whole act surely as a reference to courtly love, the true art of romancing etiquette. This by gives our squire a very fresh and immature feel, linking himself and May in their age and adolescence.
When the two realize that each other likes one another they plot to meet up and this is where we first become aware of May deceitful and calculated side of her personality, Chaucer gives her the lead role out of the two, the dominant female.
The use of January’s secret and locked garden is presumably a reference by Chaucer to the Garden of Eden where woman tempted man, ironically the same happens here. The idea of May being the stronger willed of the young pair is made clear here as she guides Damien into the garden and then tells him to get up a tree to which he does with no hesitation. Chaucer then has her getting up to Damien upon her husbands back deep irony is played here as he is helping her cheat on him. Chaucer has also given May a very cruel and sadistic shade also because at this time January is blind and can therefore be portrayed as a victim of May.
