Wednesday, September 16, 2015

For Friday: Chaucer, "The Merchant's Tale" (our last Canterbury Tale!)


For Friday: Chaucer, “The Merchant’s Tale”

Answer TWO of the following...

Q1: Since this is yet another tale about marriage and the nature of women, what side does the Merchant take? How is he consciously responding to the Wife of Bath—whom he actually refers to in his tale—and does he champion her views on female power?

Q2: Does the Merchant present the character of January an idealized portrait, or a satirical one? How do we know? How do other characters respond to him in the tale, and where does the Merchant artfully insert himself into the story?

Q3: What did you make of the inclusion of Pluto and Proserpine in the story? How do they comment on the action of the tale, and perhaps change how we read/understand it? Consider in particular Proserpine’s speech on page 384: “What do I care for your authorities?”

Q4: In many ways, “The Merchant’s Tale” sounds like “The Miller’s Tale” if it had been told by the Knight. How are we supposed to take it: as a comedy about women triumphing over men, or a stern Medieval “warning against marriage” treatise? In other words, does the Merchant want us to applaud May or sympathize with January? 

6 comments:

  1. Q1: I believe the Merchant takes the men's side. He begins his tale by talking about his wife, who he has only been married to for two years, yet he calls her "...the worst that there could be" (page 356). He compares her to a villains saying: "For if a fiend were coupled to my wife/ She'd overmatch him, you can bet your life" (356). His view of women and marriage seems quite clear until he begins his tale. Within it, he describes taking a wife as "....a most glorious thing" (357). I think he is being somewhat sarcastic throughout his descriptions. He does, however, reiterate a few things the Wife of Bath said about women's power over men. He makes it clear this is a response to the Wife.

    Q3: At first, I was not sure why the Merchant was throwing them in the tale, but it quickly made my reading of his tale a little different. Pluto begins by talking about "the foul treacheries women do to men/ Ten thousand tales, and multiply by ten" (383). He decides to expose May and Damian by returning January's sight. His queen, however, fights back saying that she will give May "and every woman's after, for her sake" (384) an ready answer; Proserpine basically calls men dumb by saying the answers will always work "as long as men are gullible as geese" (384). By the end of her speech, Pluto is begging her not to be angry and to stop talking, because he will give the queen her way. Even in the world of the gods, the women still rule over the men. This part of the tale dealt a harsh insult to males everywhere.

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  2. Q1: Not gonna lie, when the Merchant referred to the Wife of Bath in this tale, I actually wrote a question mark by it because I wanted to know why. Then I read further, and I still didn't understand. To me, The Merchant is taking the woman's side and is showing just how dumb and gullible a man can really be to the world. I mean, really? She was in a tree to restore his sight? Come on!! Any half intelligent person would know that isn't true. I personally believe the Merchant is taking a woman's side, because I feel that this story is an example of how much he regrets getting married in the first place because of all of the awful things his wife has done to him.

    Q4; I think we are supposed to take this as a comedy and a warning against marriage. It does show the warning and the trickiness of young married women, but you have to laugh at how dumb January really is. If the Merchant is anything like me, he gives May a little praise for being such a quick thinker, thanks to Proserpine of course, but also just wants to slap January across the back of the head for being that dense. I understand he's old and loves his wife very much, but that's a little ridiculous.

    -Jessica Johnson

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  3. Q3: It added the parallel of a bickering marriage. The two gods cannot get along and are conspiring against each other much like May did with Damian. It adds an echoe to the story, supporting the negativities of marriage and going against the ideal of marriage for that time. Pluto says "Do you not see that honourable knight / Who, being blind and old and unobservant, / Is to be cuckolded by his own servant?" (384). This gives an example to what marriage was supposed to look like the wife always serving her master, the husband. Wheras Proserpine rebuttals with “What do I care for your authorities?”, therefore, creating the argument of equallity and lowering his sovereignty.

    Q4: I believe it is a stern Medieval “warning against marriage” treatise, because so much deception is going on between May and January with Damian and also the plot of Pluto and Proserpine. May is sneaking around January for Damian, and Damian actually takes her in the garden, but they quickly deny January's sight due to his sight quickly returning. Also, Pluto wants to restore January's vision to see the deception his wife, but Proserpine already has a counter involvement. It's an ongoing rebuttal between the marriage parallel and deceitfulness.

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  4. #1 - at first I thought it was 50/50 on the sides taken but I kept going back to the beginning where it reads - For wedlock is so easy and so clean - It is a very paradise on earth (pg. 357) - anyone who is married knows that it is a lot of things but easy, clean and a paradise it is not. it is the hardest thing you will ever do in your life. With that being said - I think he is taking the woman's side. The man thinks that he will never have a bad day again if he can only find a wife. All his troubles will be no more for this is the answer he has been looking for. The mans idea of the marriage is almost a fallicy. The answers he is hoping to find are not found in the marriage -

    #4 - I think it is a comedy - the idea of his age and the marrying someone so much younger. She may be happy to do that with the hopes of him passing soon and leaving his belongings to her. His idea of how the woman will be/act is comdeic in itself. The period this was written, there is a better chance of woman to abide by his thoughts/desires than if this was written today. They portrayl is so absurd that it has to be making fun of the idea/illusion of marriage

    Rook Rawls

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  5. q1. I'm pretty confident that the merchant is on the men's side in this story but the whole time he's telling them "this is how gullible you are when you're in love." He is really trying to prove his point that all women, no matter how much they're loved and appreciated, will make you a fool or a cuckhold. Moral of the story: I wish I hadn't gotten married. It literally says that in the epilogue, "to tell the truth, I regret bitterly that I am tied to her [his wife]." Then he goes on to say that he'd tell everyone some stories about her but he knows someone (probably Wife of Bath) would run home and tell her he was saying them!


    q4. I think this is a story that you're supposed to feel bad for January in. The whole time, he has this wife that he's crazy about and she's just trying to get it in with Damien. It is humorous, and I agree that it is made to be a comedy with advice to not get married, but overall I felt a constant sympathy for January. The text wasn't read like a comedy--it didn't have the same style as other comedies we have read so I assume that means it wasn't intended to be read with the same style.

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  6. Q1: I believe he takes the side of men, seeing that he references the Wife of Bath, as well as sarcastically talks highly of his wife. Although, I believe he is more or less saying that the way marriage was viewed was incorrect. At first, marriage seems like a great idea. Once wed, you realize the massive conflict with it. With the example of Pluto and his wife Proserpine, how they cannot agree and influence the outcome, it shows that men and women are on two opposing sides. Women are supposed to be viewed as loving, faithful servant, and a woman wants to be an equal and in love.

    Q3: I think it directly correlates with the uncertainty and disagreement of marriage of the time. There has not been an agreement between men and women of how a marriage should work. As we can see, even the gods cannot agree. I think it better relays to us that this is a common trope we see. Through the tales we have read thus far, all are on disagreements of views of both gender, and the harm they have caused to another. Although, the Merchant does describe Proserpine, as she sees men as gullible, and women can continue to deceive men. Finally Pluto begs her to not be angry and allows her to do what she wants.

    -Casady Burns

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Next Week and the 15-Point Quiz!

 We have ONE MORE class next week, on Monday, when we'll wrap up the class and talk about adaptations. Bring your paper with you IF you ...