One, Placebo, living up to his name, says that he has `never hem contraried' and the other, Justinius, tells January to find out beforehand `wher she be wys, or sobre or drokelewe or a wastour of thy good'. He gives him three years' happiness at most. January decides to follow his own choice and `chees hir of his owene auctoritee', especially as he already seems to have discovered `a mayden in the toun of beautee', who, despite her `smal degree' socially, would appear to have the desired attributes of `a myddel smal, and armes longe and sclendre'. Justinius again urges caution, remarking that `she may be your purgatorie', and God's method for punishing January for his past misdemeanours whilst he is still alive. Justinius concludes gloomily that their `nis no so greet felicitee in mariage'.
January decided to go ahead and, with the help of his brothers, the girl, May, agrees to marry him after she has been given sufficient inducements in the form of endowments of money and conveyances of land. There follows a long wedding ceremony with no expense spared. The `vitaille was the moste deynteuous' in all Italy and every course was accompanied by `loud minstralcye'; no doubt some kind of medieval heavy rock. May looked very pretty, with so `meek a look...like a may morning', as all medieval romantic heroines were supposed to.
Damian, January's squire, immediately falls in love with her, and, because he is a well-brought up young man, knows exactly what to do in order to play the part of the unrequited lover. He takes to his bed; refuses food; sends his friends away; sighs a lot, and composes poems and songs to his beloved. In the meantime, after seeing all the guests off the premises, January, with his `berd unsofte, his cough, and slakke skin aboute his nekke', proves an unattractive and laborious lover.
Four days later, January notices that Damian is missing from the meals in the hall and urges May to visit him. When she does so, Damian seizes his opportunity and gives her a letter in a leather purse, which she reads secretly in the loo. In the best romantic tradition, May feels `pitee' and replies to the letter, hiding her reply under Damian's pillow; giving his hand a good squeeze by way of encouragement.
January's garden is a walled orchard, the symbolism of which has a long tradition in Biblical and Arabian literature. It flows from the original Garden of Eden through other Old Testament references, as in the story of Susannah and the Elders, via the Harems of the East, to the Garden of Delights of medieval romantic fiction.
The word paradise means an orchard. Its purpose was a hidden enclosure where a dominant male could corral all his females to prevent other males from either sight or access, at the same time providing a pleasant environment of scent, blossom, fruit, and water, to beguile his captives. It occurs in other Chaucerian stories, principally in The Knight's Tale. January did not allow anyone else inside his garden and had the only `cliket' to the door.
Fate takes a hand, because January becomes suddenly blind, and his selfishness is even more apparent at the thought of May marrying someone else after his death, expecting her to live `as widwe in clothes blake'. He became intensely jealous of what she was doing and whom she saw, and kept his hand constantly on her shoulder. However, May was equal to the task of deception and made an impression of the key in wax, (which is an ironic second use of the word in the story) and Damian makes a copy.
One day towards the end of June, January coaxes May into the garden, echoing the Song of Solomon from the Old Testament as he does so. `Rise up, my wife, my love, my lady free...' he says, and we realise, with some surprise, that perhaps he has become genuinely fond of her after all. Damian sneaks into the garden ahead of them and, once inside, January offers May even more of his possessions and `al myn heritage, toun, and tour' if she will be faithful to him.
May, doubtless crossing her fingers behind her back, tells him that she is `a gentil womman and no wenche' and offers to accept a ducking in the river otherwise. She also tells January that men `ben ever untrewe' and at the same moment indicates to Damian that he should climb the pear tree they are standing beneath as she had instructed in an earlier letter.
A digression follows in the form of a dialogue between Pluto, king of the underworld and his enforced bride, Proserpine, condemned to live with him for six months of every year. He feels sorry for January and decides to return his sight if May is unfaithful. Proserpine replies that if he does, then she will make sure that any women in `any gilt y-take' thereafter will always find a good excuse, even if `a man seyn a thing with bothe his yen', and both settle down to await events.
May would appear to be pregnant by this time and as `a woman in my plyt' decided she would like a pear from the tree, albeit an unripe one in late June. She asked January to put his hands around the trunk and make a back for her to climb the tree, and up she went. Balancing no doubt precariously, she and Damian make the most of this pre-arranged opportunity and at that moment Pluto returns January his sight.
January is appalled by what he suddenly sees and May, given the gift of conviction by Proserpine, replies that struggling with a man in a tree was the only method of his regaining his sight. January is doubtful about her definition of struggling, but May tells him he ought to be grateful he can see so well, instead of merely `short-sighted glimsing'. In any case, he must wait for a day or two `til that his sighte y-satled be a whyle'. January is slowly reassured and proprietorially patting her pregnant belly, he walks her home to his palays.
Consider Chaucer's view of marriage as presented in The Merchants Prologue and Tale.
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.
Chaucer places the character of Januarie in Pavia, which has a reputation for brothels. In this somewhat uncouth place, Januarie is in a self-imposed race against time to find a wife. At 60 years old, Januarie is getting married simply because he feels that he should before he dies and believes that, like St Paul says, to get married purely in order to avoid sin, is perfectly reasonable. Januarie wants a wife of "warm wex" in order to be able to ply her to his own demands and needs. His friends would have liked to have advised Januarie further on his choice of wife, however there was no time. Januarie sees the marriage very much as a business transaction and he uses his friends to scour the land for suitable women as it is a quicker way of finding the best deal.
Like Januarie, Justinus is concerned with the economic ideals of the union. However he does have further concerns as to the age difference that will occur. He soon sees the possibility of infidelity on the wife's part. Unlike Januarie who quite simply requires a pretty face and a weak character, Justinus advises that the woman should have "Mo goode thewes than hire vices badde". In contrast to these deeper concerns for a trustworthy and honourable union, Placebo sycophantically echoes the only concerns in Januarie's mind for a young and mouldable wife.
While Januarie firmly believes that marriage is the road to a joyful life, Chaucer later allows the bachelor to have a good time while the married man suffers. This is somewhat different from Januarie's belief that marriage ends the small sorrows of love, "Where as thise bacheleris sing ëallasí". However, Damyan is not always the winner in the love triangle. At first he is bedridden with love sickness, burning with love for May. However, it is shown that St Paul believed that it was better to marry than to burn with lust.
The inclusion of Theophrastus, the author of "The Golden Book of Marriage", shows another view that preaches that women lead men to their doom. It can certainly be said that throughout the poem, Chaucer uses imagery of temptation and Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Damyan is described as being "like to the adder in bosom sly untrue". While Januarie is physically blind, it can be said that he was blinded by his love, or lust, for May as they spent time in the garden. It is when Januarie becomes blind that we learn of his much more possessive nature with regard to nature. He would rather have May dead than any other man touch her. Chaucer builds up the dramatic tension by describing May's desperation for a younger partner who is more emotionally in tune with her while concurrently expressing Januarie's desperation to hold on to the piece of youth he owns.
Chaucer considers the aphrodisiacs that Januarie consumes to "increase his corage" to be unnatural, perhaps expressing the view that this marriage has an unnatural age gap. It could be inferred from Chaucer's disapproval of these aphrodisiacs and his preoccupation with the repulsive details of Januarieís sexual brutality and revolting appearance that he believes that this should certainly not be a sexual relationship. Even without the unfavoured drugs, it remains a relationship without any kind of mutual love or love making.
Again, it is Chaucer's focuses that could be said to be a clue to Chaucer's personal view. His emphasis of Januarie's ironic sermon to May about faithfulness while she has already betrayed her husband could be Chaucer's view of the wrongness of infidelity in marriage. It is again the bachelor who has the best time while the reader and pilgrims can perhaps mock the old man who remains oblivious to his wife's inappropriate actions. In the walled garden, as Januarie clasps the pear tree for guidance, his wife and squire hurriedly consummate their relationship, almost symbolically within Januarie's arms, showing the limitations he still held over May.
The Merchant uses many Biblical references in relating his story to his audience and occasionally his own cynical view of marriage can be detected in the narration. However, he seems to pass little judgment on the mercantile nature of the engagement. This matter is left to the reader to judge and wonder at. It is as if the Merchant is comfortable with "every writ and bond" by which [May] was endowed [Januarie's] land.
The Biblical allusions in the poem and the consideration of Heaven play a part in Januarie's decisions and justifications. As May is brought to the marital bed, "as stille as stoon", the priest blesses the bed, thereby condoning the relationship in which Januarie simply uses May as a sexual object and a supplier of heirs. The Merchant makes a point of referring to women in the Bible who have been deceitful in some way, such as Rebecca who deceived her blind husband by gaining his blessing for the wrong son. Abigail saved her husband only to later make a marriage contract with another man. There are suggestions of May's excuse that her behaviour with Damyan in the tree returned Januarie's sight. She claims to have saved Januarie, but cares nothing for him.
Chaucer's view of marriage can sometimes be difficult to distinguish form the views expressed by other characters in the poem, in particular the Merchant as their narration can become entwined. Chaucer appears to have a much more orthodox view of the reasons behind marriage than Januarie can be said to have. While Januarie sees marriage as something he should do to save his soul - and a means for sexual gratification, Chaucer has a more romantic view of marriage, enforcing his belief that infidelity is wrong. The Merchant says little about the business like manner in which the marriage took place, but has more to say about the untrustworthy nature of women, his cynicism from his own relationships showing through his occasional selections of Biblical references to deceitful women such as Rebecca and Judith. The Tale's own deceitful woman, May, yearns for a more emotional relationship and believes that she finds this with Damyan. However, he holds what appears to be a more typical male view of marriage. It is much more enjoyable to be a bachelor and to have no ties. May's only emotional links with him, such as the letters they exchange, have to be disposed of in the privy. The mercantile, unromantic nature of marriage seems to be prevalent in most men's minds as women cannot be trusted unless perhaps under some kind of bond other than purely spiritual.
