themes/plot

• romantic fabliau, narrative poem which mocks the institution of marriage; tale considered to be a part of the “marriage group”. As well as dealing with infidelity, the tale considers whether humans have free will or if human behaviour is influenced by fate and the gods. Thus, the poem considers the extent of self-determination within the confines of marital constructs. 
• mer chant who supervises the story-telling game the pilgrims engage in, asks the Merchant to tell a story about marriage. The Merchant is a recently married man, who is already unhappy with his new wife. The cynical Merchant decides to tell a story, instead of relating his own experiences with his cruel wife.
• Januarie, a powerful knight, decides to marry May to create a paradise on earth. He fantasies about young women and believes he can control them. Venus makes Damian fall in love with May, leading to a secret affair. Fearing May will betray him, Januarie builds a garden to be alone with May, alluding to the Garden of Eden. However, May and Damian plan to meet in the garden, using a wax mould of the key= ironic as jan wants to mould his wife like wax
• Chaucer introduces the theme of fate through the Greek gods, Pluto and Proserpina, who intervene in the affair. blindness causes Januarie to keep May closer, while Damian hides in a pear tree. The biblical Tree of Knowledge alludes to May's loss of innocence and Satan's temptation.
• Pluto restores Januarie's sight to reveal May's betrayal, allowing him to see his wife and Damian in a tree. Proserpina, furious with Januarie's attitude, offers May an excuse to protect her from her retribution. states cure is to struggle with a man up a tree, januarie believe her.
• Januarie, explains that—because of his rampant lust and desire—he wants to take a wife to allow him the chance at free, moral sex. This is frowned upon by the morally upstanding character Justinus, but Januarie goes through with the marriage anyway. Additionally, the increasingly perverse acts Januarie undertakes with May are implied to lead to his blindness. May and Damyan, too, fall victim to their lust, and their affair is revealed—though without real consequences.
• Januarie marries not for love but to satiate his lust. Eventually, however, it seems that he grows to love May, as his speech becomes more ornate and flowery, showing metaphors of love as opposed to those of carnal knowledge. Damyan initially professes deep love for May, but they engage in a purely carnal affair. Ultimately, the pair of May and Januarie end up together because they, apparently, are the true lovers. Chaucer takes care to show the vacillations between lust and love and the ways in which relationships can slide between these two spaces.
• Senex Amans 


  an old jealous man married to a young woman and thus often an object of mockery.
• One day, as Proserpine picked flowers with her friends, Pluto, the king of the underworld and ruler of the dead, saw her and fell madly in love with her. Riding a chariot pulled by four black horses, Pluto grabbed Proserpine and dragged her down into the underworld with him.