‘worthy’ to mock the Merchant. Additionally this character analysis could be reflected upon when the audience judge the validity of the Merchant’s own account of marriage.
From lines 1-31 the listener’s are given a perspective of marriage through the Merchant’s martial status. He begins his prologue with an extract from the ‘Clerks Tale’,
“Weping and wailing, care and oother sorwe
I knowe ynough on even and a-morwe” (line 1,2)
Similarly to the ‘Merchant’s Tale’ its main theme reflects the issue of marriage. The Merchant launches into an account of his own suffering at the hands of his wife, during his brief marriage. He appears to have an unhappy and turbulent relationship revealed through his verdict “I have a wife the worste that may be” (L, 6). It seems that his wife does not comply with the ideal concept of women during this period; she is unlike the submissive and virtuous ‘Grisildis’ (L, 12). The Merchant conjures an image of the exact opposite, his wife is both ill tempered and outspoken. A further comparison includes,
“for thogh the feend to hire ycoupled were, she wolde him overmacche, I dare wel swere”, declaring that she is an evil and cruel wife.
The audience become aware of the Merchant’s disrespectful attitude towards his wife that is reiterated through adjectives such as ‘Shrewe’, and his perception of a women’s position, one that should be subservient and silent is a common perspective shared by men of this era.
Contrarily these negative qualities seem to be balanced through the centre of his prologue when he generalises his suffering shared by other me “we wedded men liven sorwe and care”, like the beginning of his prologue he tries to evoke sympathy from his listeners.
A cunning technique possessed throughout the poem is rhetoric; in this case a biblical icon ‘Sein Thomas of Inde’ (L, 18) is used by the Merchant to support his opinion that married men have terrible lives. Rhetoric plays an effective part in much of the Merchant’s narrative, during this period Christianity had a significant influence on people’s beliefs and opinions, biblical support was valued and taken seriously by the British people.
A further attack on marriage is conveyed through his regretful ness “were I unbounden, also moot I thee, I wolde nevere eft comen in the snare’ (L, 15). The Merchant accuses marriage of being a trap, although he leaves it to the audience to imagine why this maybe. We may assume that one possible reason is the sharing of his wealth with his wife, which in turn links to his concern of trade and profits characterised by Chaucer (L, ).
Ironically the Merchant has told the audience that he has been wedded for two ‘monthes’, revealing his inexperience of married life. This leads us to question the reliability of his adversity in such a short marriage.
Interestingly the Merchant’s account ends on an ambiguous note ‘I telle may na more’, he decides not to speak anymore about his personal experiences; perhaps this is done in order to not appear as too unreasonable about his wife.
The next scene is delivered through the Knight’s expectations of marriage by the Merchant.
The Merchant sets his tale in ‘Pavie’, a city in ‘Lumbardye’ famous at the time for corruption and brothels. It concerns a wealthy Knight sixty years old; who decides to get married after indulging in promiscuous women. (L, 36-38); though he has never hesitated to satisfy ‘his bodily delit’ (L, 37), he now considers matrimony the perfect state and he also wants an heir.
The Merchant suggests that the Knight’s youth was spent in a ‘seculeer state’, but appears uncertain as to whether the Knight’s path to marriage is for ‘hooliness or for dotage’ (L, 41). If viewed by the audience as a holy purpose, this could reflect medieval ideals of marriage which was regarded as a key to heaven and a holy commitment in the eyes of the church. Hence the Knight had ‘greet corage…to be a wedded man’ (L, 42-43).
Ironically the Merchant praises marriage ‘blisful lyf that is bitwixe an housbonde and his wyf’ (L, 57-58); this contradicts his original views, although this could account for another expectation of marriage from the Knight being portrayed by the narrator.
As the tale commences, the Knight becomes progressively more committed to his particular ideas about wedlock; it is a way to avoid sin and fortification. He considers ‘Wedlock so esy and so clene’. His fixed views of what marriage will be like appear far too simplistic and demonstrate his naivety of wedded life.
He desires ‘a yong wif and a heir’ (L, 59) which contrasts with his spiritual justification for marriage, there is a much greater concentration on the material convenience and pleasure to be obtained from a ‘yong wif’. His praise of marriage becomes increasingly unrealistic and therefore almost sarcastic when contrasted with the Merchant’s thorough disenchantment after two months experience.
A continual analysis is introduced through the panegyric of marriage between lines 56-60; we gain a contextual insight into the ‘tresor’ obtained from marriage, this adjective perhaps reveals the dowry obtained from a wife signifying the transaction of property; reiterating the material convenience of marriage. Perhaps Chaucer does this in order to illustrate where the Merchants values lie.
However the Knight refutes prior negativities surrounding marriage; and presents this union positively. He discusses with the audience the useful qualities of a wife; one that would be ‘buxom …… who is so trewe, and eek so entenif’ revealing an obedient and attentive women. He argues that such qualities should be regarded as ‘goddes yifte’ (L, 99), this view is reinforced by rhetoric, a biblical reference of Eve being a gift to Adam, which justifies how valuable women are.
As we come to the end of the third scene the narrative ends on a phrase that echoes marriage vows;
“O flesh they ben, and o fleesh, as I gesse,
Hath but oon herte, in wele and in distress.” (L, 123 – 124).
Chaucer uses rhyming couplet form to imitate colloquial speech, the rhyme adds emphasis to the knights desire to marry.
A negative light is shone over ‘bacheleris’ (l, 62) who have a life full of ‘allas’ and often live in ‘peyne and wo’ (L, 66). It appears that the Knight present values are a stark contrast to his younger life. Here a bachelor’s life is depicted as one of misery and instability.
One concern of the narrative form is projected through lines 55 and onwards. We cannot establish a clear narrative voice; for example the panegyric to marriage could be the Merchant or the Knight. The narrators attitude intervenes January’s word and thought mediated by a voice opposed to his views perhaps that of the Merchant for example, he ironically displays a bachelors life as one of freedom or ‘libertee’, unlike married life there are no restraints, further criticism of married life is illustrated through the image ‘under this yok of marriage ybonde’ (line 73).
However the Merchant is completely naive, glorifying a wife so much she seems unable of doing wrong. The audience receive an unrealistic image of marriage.
‘To take a wif it is a glorious thing’ (L, 56). The Merchant here maybe mocking the Knight; if this be the case then it could be regarded as a piece of extended irony, since in his prologue he attacks marriage and here he speaks of potential joys and comforts of marriage.
The ambiguity of the narrator is increased further through condescending views of marriage in the fourth scene (95-124). Yet again aspects of this scene could reflect the Merchant’s voicing his opinion, as he smirks a wife will be around longer then u think. (L, 105).The Merchant seems to highlight the negative qualities of a wife whilst the character of the knight voices concerns of a purposeless life without marriage. (L, 108).
Throughout the Merchant’s tale the audience learn about the status held by women in society during 14th Century Britain. In particular the audience learn of misogynistic perspectives which are adhered to by authority figures such as the philosopher ‘Theofraste’ (author of satire, Golden book of marriage). The Merchant skilfully uses rhetoric to balance his argument as he speaks of the potential joys and comforts of marriage, which are rejected by Theofratse who warns,
‘Ne take no wyf……….a trewe servant dooth moore diliqence thy good to kepe’ (L, 84-86)
he claims that women will bring distress, and servants or friends can care more for a man and his property then a wife. In addition to this he highlights the risk of a man being humiliated by becoming ‘cokewold’ (l, 97). Theofraste outlines the concerns of women in the medieval period such as those of betrayal; he completely savages the institution of marriage. These ideas are also inferred to in earlier parts of the poem, for example biblical rhetoric is used to indicate Eve as the fall of mankind from heaven (p 21). This reinforces the image of women being deceitful and behaving badly towards their husbands.
Further expectations of women are evaluated in lines (L, 119-122)
‘So buxom and so vertuous’ these adjectives present the audience with male demands of women.
In contrast to Theofraste (L, 130-141) the narrator argues that a women will cherish the property belonging to her husband and never ‘wasteth’ his wealth. This detailed list of property is revealing as it shows where the Merchants values lie and illustrates a patriarchal society.
In previous scenes the audience are advised that women are untrustworthy; yet here we gain another contradictive view, that presents women in a positive light ‘they been so trewe’ (L, 84-86). The audience are left to form their own judgement; questioning this conundrum of perspectives.
In conclusion it seems that Chaucer has used pilgrimage as the frame on which to hang his stories and characterisations of marriage and women. This allows Chaucer to point out the way in which attitudes and standards of marriage were changing and old values were being lost.
It could be considered by the listeners that the Merchant is playing to the crowd of pilgrims in order to create a sense of balance within his narrative; he praises then subtly attacks marriage similarly to how he presents women. His views appear to stem from an unhappy marriage and are reinforced by rhetoric that depicts the misogynistic values held by many during the 1300’s. Alternatively the Merchant has effectively presented his views in the form of philosophical debate. His language contains a regular rhyme metre that is flexible and enables the words to flow easily as the Pilgrims journey to Canterbury.
In opposition to the Merchant, is the tale of the Knight who begins with a long eulogy in praise of marriage; as the Merchant is himself unhappily married which is quite ironic. The narrative of the Knight seems to entail two ideals; one is a naively exaggerated description the ideal state of holy matrimony for the good of the soul. The other is a darker and more selfish concept of marriage as providing great convenience for an ageing lecher. His wife should be obedient and give him joy; and nurse him when ill as well as be the mother to his heir.
Chaucer effectively outlines the traditional values and characteristics of women and marriage, through these two characters. It could be argued that the character of the Merchant is used to depict some of the dangers that may occur from ‘new women’ emerging in society, those that are bold and outspoken like his wife.
