Appearance and Reality

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  • Appearance and Reality
    • "mirour, polisshed bright"
      • Not true image of reality but a mere reflection
      • "commune market-place"
        • Commodities based on aesthetic appearance, not true charatcer
          • "oon have beaute in hir face, another stant so in the peples grace"
          • A03= Marriage mercantile contract improve social status
          • A05= Harpine- "commodify women and market their sexuality"
    • "Whan tendre youthe hath wedded stouping age"
      • Januarie deluded in believing his "corage, it is so sharp and keene"
        • "lymes stark and suffisaunt"
          • "many a lectuarie hath he ful fyn"- in reality, aphrodisiacs required!
        • "skin of houndfissh, sharp as brere"
        • A03= Senex Amans
        • Belief "woulde hire streyne harder than evere Paris dide Eleyne"
          • Reality= "she preyseth nat his pleying worth a bene"
        • A05= Lopez- sexual potency "depends upon his reading of May as sexually inexperienced"
      • Appearance of a young and old wife
        • "Bet is..a pyk than a pikerel and bet than old boef is the tendre veel"
          • language of consumption- sexual appetite
            • "tendre veel" vs "tendre flour"
        • "a yong thing may men gye, right as men may warm wex with handes plye"
          • But in reality, May is "as stille as stoon" and "in warm wex hath emprented the clicket"
            • Not controlled as J's perception of appearance of women is not reflective of reality
              • A05= Stevens- "Dimly misogynistic and bitter... intending to show the deceitfulness of women"
    • "trewe servant dooth moore diligence"
      • Theofraste "trewe knave wol kepe thee bet"
      • "cart biforn the knight ful many a day"
        • "no sinne with his wyf, ne hurte himselven with his owne knyf"
      • "Thyn owene squier... entendeth for to do thee vileyne"
        • A03= Feudal system and emergence of Merchant class subverting tradition
      • "He is a gentil squire"
        • Appears the diligent servant but such an appearance is "hoomly foo"
    • Januarie
      • Literal blindness in reality metaphorical all along due to his distorted perception
        • "For love is blind alday, and may nat see"
          • "Heigh fantasye...in the soule impresse"
      • "worthy knight"
        • "Pavie"- A03= context of tyranny and cruelty incongruous with worthiness
        • "folwed ay his bodily delit"
          • A03= Church view sex as necessary evil. Following Epicurean philosophy
    • "Ye maze, maze"
      • Januarie denies the appearance of reality
        • Still metaphorically blind
        • A05= Harrington- "disturbing notion that a level of happiness is possible... through self- deception"
          • "This Januarie, who is glad but he?"
      • "I saugh it with mine yen"
        • "For as good is blind deceyved be as to be decyved whan a man may se"
      • "he that misconceyveth, he misdemeth"

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