MPT

who was Chaucer influenced by?

Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, whom wrote in the Italian vernacular

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Medieval context
what is courtly love?

Stylised riturals between a Knight and a married lady of high rank

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critics:
Elizabeth Scala

'marriage group of tales'
the clerks tales, franklins tale, wife of baths tale, shipmans tale, Nuns priest tale.
group of scholars

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critics:
David Aers

'marriage is a business transaction'

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Merchants Prologue
Key Quotes

'i have a wyf, the worste that may be,

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Merchants Prologue
Key Quotes

'she is a shrewe at al'

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Merchants Prologue
Key Quotes

'birwix grisildis grete pacience and of my wyf'

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Merchants Prologue
plot

exposition
Merchant tells a story of his bad marriage-linking to wider marraige group of tales

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merchants prologue
theme

theme of marriage and unhappy marriage-links to broader canterbury tales

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section one
searching for a wyf
key quotes

'worthy knight'

'sixty yeer a wyfless man was hee'

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section one
searching for a wyf
key quotes

'in this world it is a paradis'

'when a man is oold and hoor; wyf the fruit of his tresor'

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section one
searching for a wyf
key quotes

'engrendren hym an heir'

'be so buxom as a wyf'

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section one
searching for a wyf
key quotes

'i wol non oold wyf'

'she shal nat passe twenty yeer'

'tendre veel'

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section one
searching for a wyf
key quotes
plot summary

exposition- sets up setting +january
january didnt marry as young man, non marital sex
seeks for proper wife, young,
justification for getting married is that he wants an heir
wife should be 'buxom'

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section 2
january and mays wedding
key quotes

'trendre youth hath wedded stoupyng age'

'januarie is ravysshed in a traunce'

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section 2
january and mays wedding
key quotes

'he was so ravisshed on his lady may'

'he dieth for desir'

'in a lettre wroot he al his sorwe'

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section 2
january and mays wedding
key quotes

'leyde it at his herte'

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section 2
january and mays wedding
plot summary

references wife of bath
wedding- religion and religious figures
january has desire for may- satarising the old character 'oold and hoor'
january delighted, may not

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section 2
january and mays wedding
themes

religion and marriage- 'duty' of husband, marriage debt
sexual desire and gender- women- orginal sin, sexual desire needs to be controlled

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section 2
january and mays wedding
themes

social expecations- hetrosexual marriage, marriage for children 'heir'

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section 3
Damyans not- may falls for him
key quotes

'gentil man'

'this purs hath she inwith hir bosom'

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section 3
Damyans not- may falls for him
key quotes

'this gentil may, fulfilled of pitee'

'sikness and sorwe'

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section 3
Damyans not- may falls for him
plot summary

damyan falls for may- letter motif

plans to meet secretly, may will 'have' damyan

introduction of garder mottif, biblical imagery

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section 3
Damyans not- may falls for him
themes

lust- male/masculine desire female/feminine

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section 4
january loses his sight
key quotes

'lyk to the scorpian so deceyvable'

'for as good isblynd deceyved'

'which into his garden ofte he wente'

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section 4
january loses his sight
key quotes

'come forth and lat us taken oure disport'

i cheese thee for my wyf and my confort'

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section 4
january loses his sight
plot summary

wheel of fortune- january was happy but now has become blind, literally and figuratively

being decieved by may

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section 4
january loses his sight
themes

fate and misfortune- january's pride in may being a dutiful wife is failed has he becomes 'cuckold' which is a comedic fall

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section 4
january loses his sight
themes

his story is used as social commentary on evil and lust and how that can blind a man to manipulate women

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section 5
the garden
key quotes

'blynd as is a stoon'

'i am a gentil womman and no wenche'

'may han tp fruty so greet an appetit'

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section 5
the garden
key quotes

'sodynly anon this Damyan gan pullen up the smok and in he throng'

'than strugle with a man upon a tree'

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section 5
the garden
key quotes

'now swich a wyf i pray god kepe me fro!'

'labbyng shrewe is she'

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section 5
the garden
plot

january and may go to see the garden for sex, Dayman also goes as he has a key 'methoporical'

theme of betryal and lust

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section 5
the garden
plot

Dayman climbs the pear tree and may climbs it claiming she wants to taste the pear

they have sex in the tree

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section 5
the garden
plot

prosperina and pluto appear and help out

january regains his sight and sees them in the tree

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section 5
the garden
themes

blindness- january regains sight sees them in the tree, accuses may of adultery and may uses her 'wit' to argue out of it

he belives this and is then decieved again and carrys on living with may.

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section 5
the garden
themes

womens wit- proserpina aids may in manipulating january. in the medievil period it was typical for women to be decitful as they gave in to temptation.

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epilogue
plot

'resolution'
hooste commnets on how sinful may was
nature/animal imagery
implying all women are by nature deceitful

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epilogue
themes

marriage- final comments summing up the meaning of the merchants tale
hooste agreeing with the merchant on marriage

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epoligue
themes

man and woman- chaucer relfects on different roles of men and women in the medieval period
showing how society sees them

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Other cards in this set

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