TMT Marriage Flashcards
To take a wif…
To take a wif is a glorious thing
- The merchant had just condemned marriage but starts his tale by condoning it; success
of the tale depends upon the audience accepting this deception and believing that our
narrator is, now, an enthusiastic fan of marriage
She shal nat…
She shal nat passe twenty year, certain
- januarie’s desire for a young bride
The bride was…
The bride was broght abedde still as stoon
And sette it in…
And sette it in a commune market-place
- shopping for his bride
For wedlock…
For wedlock is so esy and so clene/that in this world it is a paradys
- the merchant describes marriage as pure and natural, a natural process, creating a paradise on earth
Churches presents mediaeval attitudes linking marriage to religious devotion
Oxymoron of ‘world’ & ‘paradys’ equates marriage with earthly heaven
Under that hooly boond…
Under that hooly boond/with which that first god man and womman bond
- merchant begins tale describing januarie’s enthusiasm for marriage, says marriage is an institution created by god
The moone…
The moone…in two of Tawr, was into cancre gliden
- merchant describes a ritual may must perform, ritual dictated by the moon & stars (constellations)
Chaucer reference to astrology alludes to beliefs that the alignment of the planets & stars affected individuals on earth, implies consequences to the marriage are foretold in the stars (fate)
