.

             The selling of one"s own body does not seem to be very important within the context of this tale. Instead, it is perceived as another way of making money. This can be seen because, "The merchant is not jealous; he gives his wife liberty"(Cooper, 281). This is further demonstrated at the end of the tale when "His rebuke of his wife at the end is a very mild one in what he believes to be the circumstances"(Cooper, 282). His "Wife"s adultery for cash should appear all the more shocking for his forbearance, but moral judgement on any of the characters is entirely lacking"(Cooper, 282). Her disregard for the institution of matrimony and the merchant"s naivete are the two reasons why the wife has the control in their relationship. Basically, Chaucer finds this situation somewhat humorous, thus proving his scorn for marriage.

             The "Merchant's Tale" is yet another example of Chaucer's contempt for this institution. This story is "the irony of a mere man, it is the irony of passion and personal experience"(Kittredge, 19). Here, the noble knight December, at age sixty, decided that it his time to be wed. He chooses the "fresh, young May" (Chaucer, 372) to be his bride. Once they are married, December is thrilled to have such a "tender creature" (Chaucer, 372) as a wife and treats her like a queen. Unfortunately, some time after their consummation, January is suddenly stricken with blindness. This is both noteworthy and ironic because as soon as he becomes blind he can not see that he has lost his power in the relationship. Though he tries to remain dominant by forcing May to stay by his side, she is eventually able to cheat on him and get away with it. Because of his loss of sight, he becomes extremely worried that his wife might cuckold him, so he forces her to remain with him all the time. Nevertheless, she soon gets upset at her husband's jealousy and decides to have an affair with the young and handsome Damian.