'Merchant's Tale - Marriage'

To what extent do you agree that The Merchant's Prologue and Tale is merely a cynical attack on marriage? Geoffrey Chaucer's presentation of marriage throughout The Canterbury Tales is, indeed, varied, abstract and supplemented by dispute over the sincerity of specific works. This literary inconsistency is strongly evident in The Merchant's Tale, making it essential to address the disparity of its message on the topic of marriage. It could initially be assumed that the poem is not solely a cynical attack on marriage; Chaucer offers a somewhat objective overview of the issue, purveyed by the obvious difference in opinion of its characters, for example; the merchant in the prologue - 'we wedded men live in sorwe and care'1 - and Januarie's opinion - 'in this world it [marriage] is a paradis'2 - or the differing judgements of both Justinus - 'it is no childes pley'3 - and Placebo - 'Dooth now in this matiere right as yow leste'4 - after Januarie's consultation with them. By addressing the fact that the message fluctuates it could be argued that Chaucer offers multiple compatible interpretations. Should we interpret the opinion of Placebo in the same way as we should Justinus, or do the subsequent events of the Tale prove to us that we should primarily concern ourselves with the view of the more reasoned, objective character - the name 'Justinus' implies a judicial figure?

  • Word count: 1689
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Compare the presentation of love within the three sonnets studied.

Kayleigh White 11R January 2004 Compare the presentation of love within the three sonnets studied. The three sonnets that I studied were, "How do I love thee?" by Elizabeth Barret-Browning, "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" by William Shakespeare and "Since there's no help let us kiss and part" by Michael Drayton. Of these three there are numerous differences and similarities. It is known that at the time of writing her sonnet, Elizabeth Barret-Browning was happily married to Robert Browning, but without the consent of her father. They moved to Italy where she began to use the Petrachan form of sonnet. At the time when William Shakespeare wrote he was known to have already established himself as an actor and playwright and was working for the leading company, the Lord's Chamberlain's Men. In Drayton's sonnet we see that he was a contemporary of Shakespeare, this poem comes from a long sequence of sonnets called 'Idea's Mirror'. These sonnets were all inspired by his unrequited love for Anne Goodere, although he himself never married. As with Shakespeare his use of personification is extremely effective. Although their styles differ all three poets are speaking of their love for another person. Elizabeth Barret-Browning writes to her husband and as a women writing, it is written in a tender and soft tone. Her language and style used is incredibly dramatic.

  • Word count: 1642
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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With reference to lines 91-112 and 163-290, how are the rivals Nicholas and Absalon presented to us by Chaucer in this section? Focus on Chaucer(TM)s use of language and detail to present this contrast?

With reference to lines 91-112 and 163-290, how are the rivals Nicholas and Absalon presented to us by Chaucer in this section? Focus on Chaucer's use of language and detail to present this contrast? Nicholas and Absalon become rivals in the Millers parody of the Knights tale, fighting for the love of the wife of the carpenter, Alison. The contrast between Absalon's vivacious character and appearance with Nicholas' cunning and quick- wittedness create two opposing characters to represent the aspects of courtly love, yet adapt it to create a comical parody. Chaucer makes clever use of language and diction through the presentation of his characters' actions and behaviour. He also uses the aid of his own opinion of his characters laid subtlety behind the Miller's views of the two rivals in his tale. The initial detail the reader receives about Absalon is his appearance, whereas in Nicholas' case it is the details of his room portraying his lifestyle, which revolves around the seduction of women. The only information we are given about Nicholas' appearance is 'lyk a maiden meek for to see' suggesting his girlish attractive looks, freshness and youth. In contrast, Absalon's looks and clothes are described in great detail to portray his vanity and flamboyancy. His 'Poules window corven on his shoes' draws focus to the intricate details of his appearance so that the reader is

  • Word count: 1614
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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What is love? Compare and contrast Shakespeare's presentation of it's paradox in sonnets 116 and 147.

Sonnet Coursework Task:- What is love? Compare and contrast Shakespeare's presentation of it's paradox in sonnets 116 and 147. Shakespeare was born in 1564 on the 23rd of April the same date he died 52 years later. But it was only in 1590's when he started to write sonnets. He mainly wrote them during the plague as all the theatres were closed. (1592) Sonnets are lyrical poems of 14 lines with a formal rhyme scheme, expressing different aspects of a single thought, mood, or feeling, resolved or summed up in the last lines of the poem. Sonnets are generally composed in the standard metre of the language in which they are written - in English this is iambic pentameter. The there are two main forms of sonnet but these two (sonnet 116 and 147) are both written in Shakespearean form of abab, cdcd, efef, gg. Shakespeare's sonnets unlike the Italian (petrarchan) form are not structured as an octave (8 lines) followed by a sestet (6 lines) but as 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet. Yet the first 8 lines of Shakespeare's sonnets still introduce the argument and the final lines conclude it. Within each quatrain lines 1 and 3 would rhyme as would lines 2 and 4, this continued for all 3 quatrains and the final two lines would rhyme. This gives a total of the 14 lines. Sonnets were originally written to show allegiance to a monarch, woman, or a poetic predecessor in the Renaissance.

  • Word count: 1603
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Poems From Other Cultures

Poems From Other Cultures Introduction Both of the poems I have studied have a similar theme. The people who the poem are based on are being treated badly and are fed up at being treated like dirt. They have been treated badly for so long eventually they begin to hate the people who are mistreating them, and want to get some pay back for the way they have been treated over the years In each poem the person who is being treated does something about it. In Charlotte O'Neil's song the servant quits her job and leaves the mistress who treated her with no respect high and dry. Charlotte then immigrates to another country and leaves the trouble behind her. In the poem nothing changed. A black man is being treated badly by the white folk. He is being discriminated against because of the colour of his skin. In the concluded part of the poem the black man gets his own back on the whit people by breaking the glass of an inn he was not welcome in because of the colour of his skin. Both of the poems have powerful endings Paragraph Two The Mistresses life is full of riches she lives in Luxury. The mistress lives in a majestic mansion were she is waited on hand and foot. The lady is extremely wealthy. In thee era this poem was scripted women did not have very influential roles in the working world with very few having a job. Therefore, the rich lady is probably living off somebody

  • Word count: 1587
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Explain what you have discovered about the sonnet form from your reading of three of the following poems: 'After Death', 'Youth Gone, Beauty Gone', 'Two Pursuits', 'Endurance' and 'Remember'- Do you think the content of these poems is well suited to the s

Kate Feld UVL Explain what you have discovered about the sonnet form from your reading of three of the following poems: 'After Death', 'Youth Gone, Beauty Gone', 'Two Pursuits', 'Endurance' and 'Remember'- Do you think the content of these poems is well suited to the sonnet from? The three poems I have chosen are 'After Death', 'Youth Gone, Beauty Gone' and 'Remember'. I have chosen 'After Death' and 'Remember' because they give very different, unstereotypical ideas about death, and 'Youth Gone, Beauty Gone' ties in with these because it is referring to growing old. Reading and examining these poems I have discovered that a sonnet has a very definite structure, which is emphasised by a particular rhyme scheme. Sonnets also have a distinctive rhythm. All three sonnets have the same style of language and imagery, and use of a personal voice. There is a very set structure to a sonnet; each sonnet is fourteen lines long, and has only one stanza. These sonnets are written in the Petrachan sonnet from, which means that within the one one stanza, the sonnet is divided into two sections: the first eight lines are called an octave, the final six lines are called a sestet. These divisions can be clearly shown by the rhyme scheme. In the octave, the rhyme scheme is ABBA ABBA, and then in the sestet, two lines of CD and E are used in any variation, except that there cannot be a

  • Word count: 1563
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Dear Arch Bishop of Canterbury, (letter on Geoffry Chaucer's 'The General Prologue').

39 Mortham Street Stratford London E15 3LS 26th January 2004 To Arch Bishop of Canterbury Canterbury Kent B5 7QP Dear Arch Bishop of Canterbury, I have recently finished studying an anthology of poetry by Geoffry Chaucer called "The General Prologue", having done so I am completely enraged and horrified to discover the appauling and disgusting behaviour of the religious people in the 14th century. Three out of four religious characters were corrupt, and it was shocking that the disgraceful behaviour was not stopped. I am writing to you to share my knowledge of this corruption in the church at this time. The first and maybe the most important point I would like to bring to your attention, is the fact that many of these characters did not perform their religious duties. The monk was expected to spend his whole life in prayer but instead, he spent most of his time outside the monastery, "An outridere." Chaucer uses the word "outridere" and this implies to us that the monk spends most of his time on horseback, this is truly disgraceful because he should be in the church performing his religious duties. This shows he is not a honourable monk that does not want to worship god. The monk is very greedy and self-absorbed he is there just for the money; he does not care about serving the world "Let Austyn have his swynk to hym reserved". The monk is extremely self indulgent

  • Word count: 1520
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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A sonnet is recognised as a poem that consists of fourteen lines, split up into an octave and sestet, has ten syllables in each line and ends with a rhyming couplet.

SONNETS COURSEWORK A sonnet is recognised as a poem that consists of fourteen lines, split up into an octave and sestet, has ten syllables in each line and ends with a rhyming couplet. In a sonnet there is usually an idea or a question introduced in the octave, which is developed or answered in the sestet. The rhyming couplet at the end is there to sum up/round up the end. Comparison of Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? & My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? (Sonnet XVII) and My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun (sonnet CXXX) were written by William Shakespeare. They are both comparisons of Shakespeare's love and his mistress. They are both associated with love and comparisons but differ quite a lot from each other. Shall I compare thee...? was written before My mistresses' eyes are nothing like the sun, which would have influenced the way that Shakespeare thought about love and the style of writing sonnets, would have also changed. Sonnet XVII is split into four quatrains and a rhyming couplet. Each quatrain develops further into the idea of his love being compared to a summer's day. The structure of the sonnet helps to break up the comparisons and make the sonnet more interesting. Sonnet CXXX is not split up into quatrains but does have a rhyming couplet at the end. This sonnet doesn't develop like the first

  • Word count: 1520
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Consider the sonnet as a verse form. With examples, compare Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets and show developments in the form to the twentieth century.

Helen Thompson Consider the sonnet as a verse form. With examples, compare Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets and show developments in the form to the twentieth century. The sonnet originated in Italy and was first written by a man called Giacomo da Lentino. This form soon started to become popular, because it allowed the poet to express a large amount of thoughts or ideas in only fourteen lines. It was then developed by many poets to suit their own needs. It was especially popular with Cavalcanti, Dante and Petrarch. Francesco Petrarch was probably one of the most famous of the Italian sonnet writers and so the Italian form is also known as the Petrarchan form. This type of poem eventually spread to England, brought over by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of surrey. The Petrarchan form is very rigid and is not open to variation in rhyme scheme or sequence (with an octave and then a sestet and a Volta in the middle). It is also very set with subject matter - love, time and change. The sonnet form has changed a great deal since the time of the first Petrarchan sonnets. In this essay I have discussed the changes that have been made to the sonnet form, by whom and for what reason. The Petrarchan form of the sonnet was one of the earliest forms. This type is very rigid in format. It starts with the first eight lines, the octave, which states the problem or question.

  • Word count: 1513
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" - review

As depicted in Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress," for the best affection to flourish between a couple, love must be embraced at its greatest point during the prime of youth and life. The first stanza of the poem, via numerous romantic suggestions, gives the impression that infinite and timeless love can prosper between two consenting lovers. As the poem opens, the speaker's heart tells the object of its desire that once its love is requited, time and majesty will stand still as they endure the simple pleasures in life. Speaking of "passing our long love's day" (4) as a metonym for an actual eternity of a rich love, Marvell surely marvels his prospective lady as he argues that every singly day of their life together could hold an array of joys in a long and plentiful assortment. Continuing on the path to eternal love, an array of imagery begins to awe any prospective lady by further implying that every moment after embracing his love will contain similar blessings as the poet contends that they could walk along the exotic river of "Ganges' side" (5). As if he had not offered enough, the marvelous poet further adds a piece to the imagery-packed picture by saying that along the trek, his lady would "rubies find" (6), and therefore he implies that as well as sophisticated mental pleasures like walking along a beautiful river, his lady shall enjoy the most base yet desired

  • Word count: 1506
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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