Marriages Canterbury Tales
Throughout Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the marriages in the stories are as different and as intertwined as the pilgrims themselves who told of these tales. The diversity amongst the marriages was well illustrated by the following tales, The Wife of Bath, Alisoun's departure from the standard beliefs, whose principle was that the wife should rule the husband for a happy marriage. The Clerk, Walter, showed the accepted and traditional view of the husband as the master over the wife. The Merchant as depicted by January showed personal bitterness towards women and in the Franklin's Tale, Arveragus and Dorigen idealized mutual love and honor between husband and wife. The Wife of Bath. "Of husbands at church door have I had five" (311), "welcome the sixth whenever come he shall" (312). Alisoun was thought to be a loose woman, almost trampish but her feelings were so, "I am free to wed, in God's name, where it pleases me" (312). She had three good husbands, all of which were old and rich who treated her well and she picked them clean, her other two husbands were bad. Her fourth husband had a mistress so Alisoun pretended to be unfaithful as well, an sent him to his grave. "But certainly I showed so gay a soul that in his own
He choose Griselda the daughter of Janicula a poor farmer. I pray to God that never dawns the day that I'll not die, foully as woman may, If ever I do unto my kin such shame, and likewise damage so my own fair name" (435). Averagus steadfast in Dorigen upholding her word to Aurelius sends his beloved wife to keep her word. Before he takes Griselda for his wife, he says to her, "I say this: Are you ready with good heart to grant my wish, and that I freely may, As I shall think best, make you laugh or smart, and you to grumble never, night or day? And too, when I say "yea" you say not "nay" By word or frown to what I have designed. Bibliography WORKS CITEDChaucer, Geoffrey. May tells Damian to wait for her and January in the garden. In the mean time, Aurelius, a young squire falls in love with Dorigen. May and Damian continue their love affair throughout the tale. "My own true wedded wife, do as you please the term of all your life, guard your own honor and keep fair my state after that day we never had debate" (332). Alisoun believed that the woman should be the master of the relationship, "Who shall be both my debtor and my thrall and have his tribulations therewithal Upon his flesh, the while I am his wife, I have the power during all my life over his own good body, and not he" (315). May tells her husband she desperately wants a pear and asks him to give her a boost up into the tree. Never did any anger come between; He cherished her as if she were a queen; And she to him was true for evermore" (484). thick grease I made him fry for anger and for utter jealousy.
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