Resumo de The Canterbury Tales (about 1386)

Chaucer?s Dirty Old Man

The Merchant, in The Canterbury Tales, introduces his tale with a very brief characterization of his own marriage of two months as utter misery in the servitude of an impatient and cruel young wife. As a fine example of the emerging rich and powerful Medieval middle class, the Merchant naturally designs his tale to dispute the supposed high Christian morality adopted by the Knight January. The aging Knight is contemplating marriage and so elicits the opinions of his brothers Placabo and Justinius. The brothers? names will first foreshadow the course of the tale. From the beginning the Knight cites his designs on marriage as to make right his soul by God?s plan and procreate. ?A wife is truly a gift of God.?(67) [For] ?Marriage is a very great sacrament.?(75) Placabo?s support is sufficient for his resolve that he is correct to marry. January is already experiencing youthful exuberance in contemplating the qualities his bride will possess. ?She will not be over twenty.?(173) And she must be attractively pleasing to him so that he may desire to fulfill his husbandly duties to her, by God. Also, he does not want an old wife of thirty that may possess just enough experience as to cause him anxiety. ?Many a fair shapes and many a pretty face passed through his heart night by night.?(337-338) So Maius, or May, ?as hastily as ever she could,?(450) was married to January.
By the end of the tale the Merchant?s Knight January is not an admirable Christian, but a foolish old man. His fate in marriage is corrupted from the very beginning by his true reason to marry. He is a lustful old man that wishes to have a young, pretty wife at his beckon call sexually whenever he desires. In contemplating her age his is sure that ?but tender veal is better than old beef.? (176) This is the third metaphor he uses in succession viewing his wife-to-be as a piece of meat or consumable. The couple soon enjoys a very formal marriage celebration. During which, January is ?mad? with impatience to be done of the festivities and get her to their marriage bed. Our fine, gallant knight is very worried for her of whether she will survive the night of his ?violent assail.? He regrets, ?but God forbid that I should do all I can!? (517) He wantonly labored in such duty to his wife often during their marriage. May is not impressed as she watches his neck waddle in singing celebration of his vainglorious satisfaction. January manipulates his true lustful reasoning to marry. He proclaims the necessity of saving his soul in old age by following God?s plan. This reasoning is a facade for his true motivation that in marriage the wrinkled, sixty-year old January will lawfully be afforded to continue his lustful desires. For The Merchant?s Tale, Chaucer once again alludes to that true Christianity lies in one?s heart that only God knows and that is what we will be judged upon.

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