The Merchant's Tale Quotes Flashcards
What is the description of the merchant?
His bootes clasped faire and fetisly
Ther wiste no wight that he was in dette
There is a duality to the character that is typical of Chaucer - he is conman and corrupt but also uses his intelligence to survive
What is the merchant’s opinion on his marriage?
Page 15
Weping and wailing
The worste that may be
She is a shrewe at al
Merchant expresses his misery in a loud melodramatic manner but the irony is that they have only been married for two months
What is Januarie’s early view of marriage?
Page 17
Describes wedlock as a paradise
Bodily delit
To take a wif it is a glorious thing
Talks about marriage as comfortable but this juxtaposes his obvious lustful motives
Early foreshadowing as marriage as a trap?
Page 19
Line 72 - a yoke can bind unwilling partners
Merchant speaks to the benefits of having a wife?
Page 21
Passen as a shadwe upon a wall
Wife will remain longer than you wish - all the positives are undermined
Examples of marriage from the Bible?
Page 25
Ironic biblical illusion of Rebekke engages and entertains the audience
Blurs paegan and Christian
What does Januarie want in a marriage?
Page 27
References to the old beef, tendre veel and flash
Lustful nature of his marriage - animalistic imagery conveys predatory intent
The wax truductio?
Page 29 line 218
Women can be manipulated by their husbands but foreshadows the actions of Damien
What is Placebo’s advice to Januarie?
Page 33
He sucks up to Januarie using superlative adjectives (278) and self degredation
Double negatives in 284 used for emphasis
What is Justinus’ opinion of marriage?
Page 35
Repeated didactic solemn preaching feels reductive and demeaning through the syndetic listing.
Mercantile imagery in line 326
How does Justinus describe his own marriage?
Page 37
Plosive alliteration in 335 and 336
341 wife is characterised as a shoe that gives him pain
The varied iambic pentameter of Januarie’s response conveys his anger
How does Januarie choose his wife?
Page 39
Line 370 with the mirror is an intertextual allusion to the Deschamp text The Mirror of Marriage - inspiration to the fabliau
Putting the mirror in the market place gives it a transactional implication
Last line acts as foreshadowing
What characteristics does Januarie want in a wife?
Page 41
Line 390 - hir middel smal, hire armes longe and sklendere
Asyndetic listing conveys the idealised female form from the courtly romance genre
What is Januarie’s main worry about being married?
Page 43
He has heard that men cannot experience perfect bliss twice, so he may not achieve heaven when he is dead.
429 truductio of tree - tree was seen as a reference to the seven deadly sins
When does Justinus describe marriage as purgatory?
Page 45
458 - she is a place of penance and suffering
Followed by a semantic field of weaponry
When are Januarie and May married?
Page 47
Line 481 - first time May is mentioned by name
485 - scrit and bond - portrays this marriage as a mercantile transaction.
494 - glosses over the religious aspect of the ceremony
The wedding feast?
Page 49 - presented as a pagan orgy
Presence of Venus emphasises this marriage is based on lust
515 fire imagery represents passion but also dangerous
526 reference to age
How does Januarie feel at the wedding feast?
page 51
531 - enhances idea of fantasy wife
Verb choices like streyne and endure mix sexual desire with desire for physical violence
How does Damien react at the wedding feast?
Page 53
‘ravisshed’ connotes sexuality suggesting he is not different from Januarie
571 - reference to Venus fire
Januarie brings May to the wedding bed?
Page 55
Intertextual reference to De Coitu which gave advice on sexual intercourse. Merchant describes it as cursed due to his resentment towards marriage.
606 simile in the passive voice - as still as stone
They have sex?
Page 57
He apologises for the potential violence of his embraces - ‘trespace’ , ‘greatly offend’
When he orgasms he sings - contrasts to May’s obvious discontent
May’s reaction to the sex?
Page 59
May did not think much of Januarie’s love making
direct address from the narrator + high rhetoric foregrounds the narrator
Motif of Damien’s fire
Januarie notices that Damien is missing?
Page 61
Continue to ironic epithets
Ironic positive description of Damien - ‘gentile’, ‘descreet’, ‘servisable’
May and her women go to visit Damien?
Page 63
She hides the letter from Damien, which shows a defiant side of May who will not obey Januarie - intimate hiding place
May flushes the letter down the toilet?
Page 65
Ludicrous parody of courtly love
Januarie forces May to take off her clothes - scene of marital rape
751 - the Merchant decides not to describe the sex - creating an inconsistency as he was previously very graphic
May decides she will start an affair with Damien?
Page 67
766 - truductio
May is portrayed as gentile and kind for taking pity on Damien
Comedically hyperbolic - saying that it would be murder if she did not
Courtly love parody
Damien is cured when May agrees?
Page 69
Sudden energy shown through the triplet of dynamic verbs 799
Subservient simile 802
817 - he builds a garden - allusion to Eden
820 - allusion to Romance of the Rose
Januarie and his garden?
Page 71
836 - Mercantile way of describing sex
846 scorpion - symbolism of treachery + polyptoton of decieved
859 - he is made blind
Januarie starts to get really jealous and won’t let May out of his sight?
Page 73
860 pleonasm in reminiscent of the Merchant
868 comparison to turtle dove shows he wants may to never remarry after his death
Hyperbolic tone creates humour
Damyan makes a spare key to the garden?
Page 75
896 rhetorical question
905 truductio + wicket and clocket sexual innuendo
May and Januarie enter the garden?
Page 77
Januarie uses the Song of Solomon to invite May into the garden
937 - the Merchant uses the word ‘lewd’ to describe this - could mean obscene, but also unlearned and ignorant
Song of Solomon is a series of erotic poems which have been interpreted about being about Christ and the Church but Januarie fails to understand this as he is too lustful
Januarie confesses his love to May in the garden?
Page 79
‘as blind as is a stoon’ - unintelligent
Hyperbole - would rather die on a knife than offend her - ironic due to horrible sex
965 + 66 he is very jealous- ironic reference to truductio
The first words May says?
Page 81
All ironic - ‘I am a gentil woman and no wench’
Her speech undermines religion as she prays to God that she will never be a bad wife
Sexual imagery when Damyan climbs up the tree
Pluto talks about women’s deceit?
Page 83
Anachronistic as Gods quote the bible at the bottom of the page
Sexual violence - he ‘ravisshed’ Proserpina out of Edna
1027 - describes the deceit of women as treason
Pluto and Proserpina continue their domestic argument?
Page 85
Misogyny on several levels (Merchant, Justinus, Pluto)
Pluto cites evidence from the bible - ironic description of Januarie in 1047 - ‘blinde, worthy knight’
Proserpina in 1063 - ‘lewd as gees’ - insult to men
Proserpina rejects Pluto’s arguments?
Page 87
Women standing up to the authority of men
1064 - ‘What rekketh me of youre auctoritees?’
From 1080 - rampant use of rhetorical questions
Pluto and Proserpina agree to disagree?
Page 89
First line - she undermines his king like authority by saying she doesn’t care what he thinks
1110 - comparison of Januarie to a parrot - the parrot is associated with a tame pet lover in Ovid
Final line - proxemics with Damyan
May and Damyan have sex?
Page 91
1138 - 39 - Direct address from the Merchant - unreliable as he is usually euphemistic
1141 - ‘in he throng’ - grotesque sexual imagery
Deux ex machina - Januarie can see again
Januarie sees May and Damyan have sex?
Page 93
1152 - childlike reaction - somewhat hyperbolic
Ambiguous whether May came up with the excuse by herself - could imply that women are more capable than men
Januarie accepts May’s excuse?
Page 95
1194 - May suggests that she will continue to have sex with Damyan
Dramatic irony with the positive and intimate verbs ‘kisseth’ and ‘stroketh’
The Host’s reaction to the tale?
Page 97
1216 - reference to shrew
1221 - vice connotes imprisonment
Reinforcement of misogamous and misogynistic view - overlooks the more complex aspects of blame
