443-76 Flashcards
“The wyf of bathe” “on hond”
-The narrative construct which separates the characters with the tales appears to break down here as just a character with the tail and therefore located somewhere in Lombardi in the past refers to the wife of Bath one of the Canterbury pilgrims as being on honde
- Suggests that she has made a mistake or maybe lost control of his creation demonstrating that the Canterbury tales is not a full fully realise drama
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“Perhaps she may be your purgatory”
-justinus and allegorical figure represents the plain truth telling and shares views and experience of marriage as well as a certain abruptness of manner which coincide with those of the merchant narrator
Justinus as can be described as the merchant surrogate in the tale
-this contrast the idea of paradise
- Implies marriage is a form of spiritual punishment and purification aligning with the Christian theology. That purgatory is a place of suffering that prepares the soul for heaven reinforce in the idea that marriage is a test rather than a source of happiness.
-just speech aligned with the misogynistic traditions in mediaeval literature which frequently depict wives as deceitful overbearing and punishments for men such as the theophrasts “ golden book on marriage” an Jeromes “against jovinian” which warned against the dangers of marriage depicting women is temptresses or sources of suffering
“The wife of bathe if yea Han understand of marriage” “goddes whippe than shall your soul up to heaven skip”
-The message mockingly delivered to Jan is that God is known to work in mysterious ways. I may have set up this marriage as a trial and an opportunity for Jan to win a place in heaven.
- January I would know this if he had been paying attention to the wife of
- The sophisticated literary joke is that John is not being criticised only for living in his own private fantasy world but for being a character locked within the merchants so lacking the accumulated worldly wisdom of the country pilgrims themselves also fictional characters
-because of the suffering that he will face in this marriage, he’ll be able to earn a spot in heaven
“Waden out” “he would noon authority allegge”
-justice is refused to refer to learn authorities to support argument in order to save time dramatic exercises a certain exasperation with the futility of trying to convince a deluded John by any means and also signals to the audience that the marriage debate is coming to a close
- The desire to finish the tail and waiting out of business may be read as coincidentally shed by justice by the merchant and by choice of recognising the need to get on with the story.
“Goddes meene and goddes whippe” “swifter than Dooth an arwe”
-metaphor suggesting that a wife serves as a divine punishment for a man sins
-Aligned with the mediaeval antifeminist tradition were wise were often depicted as burdens
-The exaggerated claim that marriage will send Jan soul to heaven faster than an hour from a bow is hyperbolic irony as it implies that marriage is such a trial that it cleanses the soul of sin through suffering
“ plese her not to amorously”
The advice not to please head too much suggest that even within marriage excessive sexual pleasure is dangerous reflecting the mediaeval Christian teachings on marital chastity but it is delivered with a sarcastic undertone as justice implies that restraint is unlikely
“The wyf of bathe”
-why introducing the wife of Bath who represents a woman who defies traditional gender expectations celebrating dominance in marriage choices set up a contrast between male and female views of marriage reinforcing one of the Canterbury tales central preoccupations the battle of the sexes
“ god of his high miracle and of his mercy may so for yow wirche”
-his speech is leading with irony mocking January’s naive belief in the bliss of marriage presenting marriage is a form of suffering rather than the joyful union that January imagine
- He often faint praise when he says God by miracle implying the only divine intervention prevent January regret
