The struggle for dominance in canterbury tales
Attitudes of marriage in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales Krupa Desai Period 3-English H IV Ms. Saddik May 24, 1999 1 Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, demonstrate many different attitudes and perceptions towards marriage. Some of these ideas are very traditional, such as that illustrated in the Franklin's Tale. On the other hand, other tales present a liberal view, such as the marriages portrayed in the Miller's and The Wife of Bath's tales. While several of these tales are rather comical, they do indeed depict the attitudes towards marriage at that time in history. D.W. Robertson, Jr. calls marriage "the solution to the problem of love, the force which directs the will which is in turn the source of moral action" (Robertson, 88). "Marriage in Chaucer's time meant a union between spirit and flesh and was thus part of the marriage between Christ and the Church" (Bennett, 113). The Canterbury Tales show many abuses of this sacred bond, as will be discussed below. One example o!f corruption in marriage is The Miller's Tale. This tale includes a lecherous clerk, a vain clerk, and an old man entangled in a web of deceit and adultery construed by a married women. It is obvious in this story that almost each of these characters show
ity Press, 1991. 87-210. Rowland, Beryl. Companion to Chaucer Studies. London: Oxford University Press, 1968. 358. Williams, George. A New View of Chaucer. Durham: Duke University Press, 1965. 72. telleth me. Or where comanded he virginitee? I woot as wel as ye, it is no drede, Th'apostl, whan he speketh of maydenhede, He seyde that percept therof hadde he noon: Men may conseille a womman to been oon, But consellyng is no comandement. He putte it in oure owene juggement. 4 For hadde God comanded maydenhede Thanne hadde he dampned wedding with the dede; And certes, if ther were no seed ysowe, Virginitee, thanne whereof sholde it growe?" She later asks where virginity would come from if no one gave up their virginity. Clearly, the wife of bath's prologue is largely an argument in defense of her multiple marriages than an attempt to prove her idea that "if society was reorganized so that women's dominance was recognized, society would be much improved" (Williams, 72). Her prologue depicts women as "a commodity to be bought and used in marriage, one whose economic and religious task was to pay the debt in a society where 'al is for to selle" (Robertson, 209). However, she ! wel espie. Myn housbonde is so ful of jalousie That but ye wayte wel and been privee..." On the contrary, Alison's husband loved her more than his own life, although he felt foolish for marrying her since she was so young and skittish. This, in turn, led him to keep a close watch on her whenever possible. The Miller's main point in his story is that if a man obtains what he wants from God or from his wife, he won't ask questions or become jealous. Apparently the miller feels that the male is after his own sexual pleasure and doesn't concern himself with how his wife uses her "privetee" as pointed out in lines 55-58: "An housbonde shal nat been inquisityf Of Goddes pryvetee, nor of his wyf. So he may fynde Goddes foyson there, Of the remenant nedeth nat enquere." Stories like the Miller's tale are still popular in today's society, those which claim that jealousy and infidelity arise from marriages between old men and beautiful young women. 3 Another story which contains a rather ! 7 Works Cited Bennet, Henry. Chaucer and the Fifteenth Century. London: Oxford University Press, 1942. 113. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Ed. F.N. Robinson. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1933. 19-314. Robert
Some common words found in the essay are:
Bath's Tale, Franklin's Tale, Thomas Kent, Wife Bath, Canterbury Tales, University Press, Nicholas Absalon, Miller's Tale, Stories Miller's, Tale Alison's, canterbury tales, university press, wife bath, franklin's tale, chaucer's canterbury tales, chaucer's canterbury, oxford university press, wife bath's, london oxford university, oxford university, london oxford, towards marriage, miller's tale, press 1933 19-314, riverside press 1933,
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Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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