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The Merchant’s Prologue part 2

Chaucer uses The Merchant’s character to form the idea of disillusionment within marriages of the Middle England Period. Throughout the Canterbury Tales Chaucer’s literary representation of women is surprisingly positive for instance The Second Nun's Tale and the Wife of Bath's Tale, in regards to the period in which he was writing, he uses the hyperbolic nature of The Merchant’s lament to imply there is a lack of evidence for his wife’s alleged cruelty.

Chaucer shows that The Merchant is dramatic in his depiction of the torment of marriage through the instantaneous employment of “w” alliteration in the couplet, “weping and wailing”, the pair of verbs suggest The Merchant experiences great sorrow and the tonal sound of the words evokes pity in the audience as it stresses the continual sorrow he expresses. Chaucer also employs the imagery of a hunting trap to further accentuate the idea that The Merchant is a victim to his wife’s totalitarian behaviour, he refers to marriage as a “snare” this both creates imagery of the Merchant as prey as well as develops the sense of futility he feels about his situation. Chaucer uses this to create irony, as in the 16th century, marriages were finalised through a contractual agreement that bestowed the wife to her husband as the property of her father, showing how women lacked agency far more than their husbands.

Chaucer uses The Merchant’s comparison of his wife to the devil to strengthen the idea that The Merchant views his wife as the bane of his existence. In fact, he claims she would “overmarche” the “feend” himself, implying The Merchant’s exaggeration of his wife’s power and association of female autonomy with damnation. For a contemporary audience, this illusion would evoke great shock and discomfort as their society was incredibly puritanical, they existed in the era when witch trials were carried out through society's brutal imposition of oppressive standards towards women. In 14th century Ireland a woman named Alice Kyteler, was accused witchcraft through heresy of her step-children, the claims were taken so seriously that although Alice escaped her maid Petronella de Meath was tortured and burnt at the stake. Similarly, The Merchant’s claim poses a very grave threat to his wife’s reputation and in addition his own which implies the falsity of his remarks.

The Merchant's longing for his wife to possess “Griseldis grete patience” rather than her extreme cruelty is bizarre as Griseldis is a character within another one of The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk's Tale. In which Griseldis is depicted as the idealised version of a 14th century wife as she remains loyal to her husband despite him feigning the deaths of her children to prove her commitment to him. Chaucer uses this allusion to Griseldis to captivate the audience and further stress the ridiculousness of The Merchant's rationale, whilst shedding light on the skewed beliefs of how wives should submit to their husband's. Within 14th century marriages husband's held authority over their wives and households as they were responsible for the financial decisions regarding their families, which helped ingrain the concept of the subservience of a wife to her husband within society.

Chaucer expresses the implausibility of The Merchant's grievances regarding his marital tribulations by employing the metaphorical depiction of suffering as akin to a "ryve unto the herte," denoting a profound emotional rupture. The word "ryve" means to tear or rend, suggesting a visceral and painful experience, in fact such a physical action would have incurable effects, thereby accentuating the exaggerated nature of complaints. Chaucer's deliberate use of vivid imagery shows the irrationality inherent in the Merchant's assertions, thereby amplifying the inherent absurdity within his narrative concerning the challenges of married life.

Ultimately, Chaucer's portrayal of The Merchant's plight serves as a microcosm reflecting broader themes of disillusionment and societal expectations within marriages of the Middle English period. Through the lens of the Merchant's exaggerated lamentations, Chaucer navigates the complexities of gender dynamics and power structures inherent in medieval marriages and invites the audience to critically reflect upon the nature of marital relationships within the 14th century.

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The Merchants Prologue part 1

Chaucer uses the Merchant to symbolise the immorality that lies within Middle English society. In this extract Chaucer details the characteristics as well as the appearance of the Merchant, who serves as the narrator of the story of Januarie.

Chaucer details the appearance of the Merchant and how he desperately wishes to present himself as a high status man. By adorning him with a “Flaundrissh” hat, Chaucer implies that the Merchant has done trade within that region, the ability to travel as well as within Europe alludes to the level of privilege the Merchant has as this was not a comfort afforded to the majority of medieval society. His foreign clothing also shows an appreciation for other cultures, however Chaucer uses this to create irony as the Merchant himself harbours rather traditional values when it comes to marriage and the behaviours of women as we see later on. Chaucer also uses the “forked bred” the Merchant has to imply negative aspects of his nature, his inclination to follow the popular fashions of the time so adamantly suggest he is a vain man. The physical imagery of the beard connotes horns, associating the Merchant to the satanic and the morally damned.

Chaucer develops the presentation of the Merchant as a morally flawed man with the mention of his money-orientated mindset. Chaucer critiques the Merchant's behaviour as he speaks "ful solempnely" in order to establish "th'encrees of his winning", Chaucer's use of "ful" emphasises his sarcastic tone and highlights his disapproval of the Merchant's manipulation of language in order to secure monetary gain. Moreover, Chaucer characterises the Merchant as a disreputable man through his ironic repetition of the phrase "worthy man" when describing him.

Chaucer also claims that "I noot how men [The Merchant] calle", E.T Donaldson attributes Chaucer's referral to the Merchant as a job title rather than a personal name to symbolism. Chaucer uses The Merchant as a representative of no individual identity instead he is an amalgamation of social beliefs popular within Middle English Society, thus a representation of the immorality within Middle English Society.

Ultimately, Chaucer characterises The Merchant as vain and untrustworthy man through his physical presentation as well as how he negotiates as a merchant. His simplistic identity as the Merchant alone, suggests that he is representative of general social values and behaviours of the 14th century, Chaucer uses this notion to establish him as the unreliable narrator of the story of Januarie and possibly persuade the audience to adopt a differing conclusion to the story as a whole.

#mini essays #chaucer