CHAUCER (quotes, lines and themes)

Created by

Evie Grace

Cards (39)

(line 218) “men may warm wex with handes plye” 
uses the imagery of wax to depict young women as pliable, indicating he wants a naive wife
foreshadows later on in the tale where May deceives him and makes a mold of the key
(lines 413) “she were of small degree” 
COURTLY LOVE
first implication of something romantic about the relationship between Januarie and May
“it oghte to ynough suffise”
COURTLY LOVE
justinus saying that no woman is perfect showing a pragmatic approach to marriage
(line 730) “that ye nat discovere me” 
COURTLY LOVE
dayman is not inspired into great feats of courage for his love for May, offering a mockery of Dayman as a courtly love hero
(line 663) “sik Damyan in Venus fyr” 
COURTLY LOVE
dayman is depicted as love sick through an excess of passion
reference to fire as a metaphor for passion, desire is presented as powerful
(lines 665,667) “he putte his lyf in aventure… a penner gan he borwe” 
COURTLY LOVE
suggests that as a hero of courtly love tales, he (the merchant) puts his life in danger as a trail of his love. (however he is mocked because he writes poetry)
(line 33) “a worthy knight” 
CHARACTER JANUARIE
an idealised figure which is juxtaposed towards the end of the tale (between his nobility and corrupted setting)
(line 36) ”sixty years a wyflees man was hee” 
CHARACTER JANUARIE
characterised as old, not a young, rich, hot bachelor (him being rich knight could lead to a reader to believe he is sexy)
(line 54) “this olde knight, that was so wis” 
CHARACTER JANUARIE
can be viewed as a mockery of the knigh’s idealisation of marriage
his self delusion here anticipates later physical blindness
(line 183) “the lusty lyf, the vertuous quiete” 
CHARACTER JANUARIE
juxtaposition between two different lives, he is contemplating two different life styles
(lines 538) “Januarie is ravished in a trance” 
CHARACTER JANUARIE
demonstrates his entrance with May and the power her beauty has over him
term: ravished 
this has animalistic and sexual connotations of rape indicating Januarie’s underlying carnal and aggressive desires
(lines 454, 455) “wedded man him grace to repent wel ofte rather than a sengle man” 
MEN
justinus suggests that wedded men repent more than single men
continues to imply wives are troublesome and cause ‘sin’ by men
(line 540) “his herte he gan hire to manace” 
MEN
januarie is threatening May in his imagination, revealing his underlying violent misogyny
(line 562) “he was so ravished on his lady may” 
MEN
same adjective used in Damyen’s desire for May. This could suggest that all men have the same violent carnal desires for women
(line 499) “worthy folk upon the deys” 
SOCIAL HIERARCHY
those at the wedding are described as higher class
(lines 112, 113) “womman is for mannes helpe___God, whan he hadde Adam maked” 
WOMEN
edenic reference to the creation of Adam for Eve, the merchant expreesses the view that woman (Eve) was created for companionship and woman is man’s property.
(line 120) “his paradis terreste, and his disport” 
WOMEN
continues with Edenic imagery, a wife is also depicted as a mans earthly pleasure and paradise
(lines 121, 122) “so buxom and so vertuous is she, they most nedes live in unitee” 
WOMEN
suggests that a wife is so obedient and virtuous that she is bound to live in harmony with her husband (can be seen as mockery towards merchants own wife)
(line 132) “that hire housbande, lust liketh weel” 
WOMEN
a wife reflects a husbands lust, so that everything that pleases him, pleases her
(line 216) “womman of manye scores half a clerk” 
WOMEN
januarie suggests that old women make for clever scholars, implying that experienced women are too clever at managing their husbands
(lines 369, 370) “many a fair visage ther passeth thrugh his herte” 
WOMEN
in gis fantasying, Januarie dreams of multiple women, demonstrating his amoral and debauched nature even in marriage
(line 481) “which that mayus highte” 
WOMEN
introduces May for the first time. Her name denotes springtime, connoting youth and freshness. The lateness is mentioning her name reinforces the idea of her being unimportant
(line 760) “alle thing hath time, as seyn thise clerks- to any womman” 
WOMEN
merchant implies that infidelity in women is inevitable, making a generalised comment concerning women’s consistency, degrading their status
(line 725) “in his secree wis his purs and eek his bille” 
DECEIT
through engaging in these secret activities, May and Damyen engage in a Cladestine relationship, becoming deceptive and amoral
(line 791) “sotilly this lettre doun she threste under his pilwe” 
DECEIT
Chaucher juxtaposes the semantics associated with courtly love, such as “gentil” with harsher adjectives such as “threste”, which could be seen as a mockery of May satisfying Damyan’s sexual desires
term: sotilly 
Mays actions are described as this, meaning craftily. This becomes ironic, therefore, as this term has previously been associated with older women with experience, something Januarie wanted to avoid
(line 793) “harde him twiste so secrely that no wight of it wiste”  
DECEIT
inuendo which changes the tone of May’s character from one of blank innocence to one of promiscuity and deception
(line 804) “for craft is al, whoso thar do it khan” 
DECEIT
use of parenthesis contructs the Merchant’s opinion, and equally reiterates May’s experience and deceitfulness
(lines 49,50) “hooly boond… that first God man and womman bond” 
RELIGION
marriage is primarily presented to be a religous sacrament that creates a bond between man and God
(line 99) “a wyf is Goddes yifte verraily” 
RELIGION
a wife is depicted as God’s gift. ”verrailiy” acting as an intensifier
(line 107) “marriage is a ful greet sacrament” 
RELIGION
intersifiers used to emphasise the importance of marriage as a sacrament
(line 189) “God woot, on my pittes brinke” 
RELIGION
suggests that God knows he is at the edge of his grave, hence the haste on his marriage before he dies
pit connotations with hell
(lines 204) “annon in al the haste” 
RELGION
extreme emphasis on speed in the marriage- wants to save his soul and to lead a moral life
(lines 449) “god of his high miracle and of his mercy” 
RELIGION
draws on catholic doctrine of God being merciful
(lines 450) “youre right of hooly chirche” 
RELIGION
refers to last rites received from the church and draws a funerary image of Januarie on his deatb bed. Suggests the marriage is sinful and he needs to repent
(lines 458) “she may be youre purgatorie” 
RELIGION
Justinus implies that a wife will be penance enoug, contary to Januaries idealised concepts of a wife
(lines 460) “youre soule up to hevene skip” 
RELGION
depicts Januaries safe departure to heaven
(lines 192/193) “lyk sarra and rebekke in wisdom” 
RELIGION
may introduced as a modal wife, shown through being compared to wives of the bible