Canterbury Tales And Marriage Essay, Research Paper

Chaucer?s The Canterbury Tales, demonstrate many different attitudes and

perceptions towards marriage. Some of these ideas are very traditional, such as

that illustrated in the Franklin?s Tale. On the other hand, other tales

present a liberal view, such as the marriages portrayed in the Miller?s and

The Wife of Bath?s tales. While several of these tales are rather comical,

they do indeed depict the attitudes towards marriage at that time in history.

D.W. Robertson, Jr. calls marriage "the solution to the problem of love,

the force which directs the will which is in turn the source of moral

action" (Robertson, 88). "Marriage in Chaucer?s time meant a union

between spirit and flesh and was thus part of the marriage between Christ and

the Church" (Bennett, 113). The Canterbury Tales show many abuses of this

sacred bond, as will be discussed below. One example of corruption in marriage

is The Miller?s Tale. This tale includes a lecherous clerk, a vain clerk, and

an old man entangled in a web of deceit and adultery construed by a married

women. It is obvious in this story that almost each of these characters show

complete disregard to the institution of marriage. The two men, Nicholas and

Absalon, both try to engage in adulterous affairs with Alison, the old man?s

wife. Both of the men are guilty of trying to seduce Alison, which shows their

indifference towards the sanctions and laws of marriage. Still Alison, who

should be the wiser, also breaks the laws of marriage. She takes Nicholas

because she wants to, just as she ignores Absalon because she wants to. Lines

104- 2 109 of the Miller?s Tale show Alison?s blatant disrespect for her

marriage to "Old John" and her planned deceit: "That she hir love

hym graunted atte laste, And swoor hir ooth, by seint Thomas of Kent That she

wol been at his commandment, Whan that she may hir leyser wel espie. Myn

housbonde is so ful of jalousie That but ye wayte wel and been privee?"

On the contrary, Alison?s husband loved her more than his own life, although

he felt foolish for marrying her since she was so young and skittish. This, in

turn, led him to keep a close watch on her whenever possible. The Miller?s

main point in his story is that if a man obtains what he wants from God or from

his wife, he won?t ask questions or become jealous. Apparently the miller

feels that the male is after his own sexual pleasure and doesn?t concern

himself with how his wife uses her "privetee" as pointed out in lines

55-58: "An housbonde shal nat been inquisityf Of Goddes pryvetee, nor of

his wyf. So he may fynde Goddes foyson there, Of the remenant nedeth nat enquere."

Stories like the Miller?s tale are still popular in today?s society, those

which claim that jealousy and infidelity arise from marriages between old men

and beautiful young women. 3 Another story which contains a rather liberal point

of view of marriage is The Wife of Bath?s Tale. The wife of bath clearly has a

carefree attitude towards marriage. She knows that the woes of marriage are now

inflicted upon women, rather, women inflict these woes upon their husbands. In

setting forth her views of marriage, however, she actually proves that the

opposite is true in lines 1-3 in her prologue: "Experience, though noon

auctoritee Were in this world, is right ynough for me To speke of wo that is in

mariage?" The wife of bath, in her prologue, proves to her own

satisfaction that the miller?s perception of marriage is correct, and then

declares that it is indeed acceptable for a woman to marry more than once. She

claims that chastity is not necessary for a successful marriage. She also

claimed that virginity is never even mentioned in the Bible, as is seen in the

lengthy passage of lines 59-72 of her prologue: "Wher can ye seye in any

manere age That hye God defended mariage By expres word? I praye yow, telleth

me. Or where comanded he virginitee? I woot as wel as ye, it is no drede,

Th?apostl, whan he speketh of maydenhede, He seyde that percept therof hadde

he noon: Men may conseille a womman to been oon, But consellyng is no

comandement. He putte it in oure owene juggement. 4 For hadde God comanded

maydenhede Thanne hadde he dampned wedding with the dede; And certes, if ther

were no seed ysowe, Virginitee, thanne whereof sholde it growe?" She later

asks where virginity would come from if no one gave up their virginity. Clearly,

the wife of bath?s prologue is largely an argument in defense of her multiple

marriages than an attempt to prove her idea that "if society was

reorganized so that women?s dominance was recognized, society would be much

improved" (Williams, 72). Her prologue depicts women as "a commodity

to be bought and used in marriage, one whose economic and religious task was to

pay the debt in a society where ?al is for to selle" (Robertson, 209).

However, she claims to have control over this process. For example, her first

three husbands gave her economic security in exchange for the sexual use of her

body. This "degradation of sexual life" in the culture is greatly

evoked, and supported by the Church?s command to "pay the debt"

(Robertson, 210). The wife of bath clearly rebels against male domination with

regards to her first three husbands but still accepts the ways in which she

survives economically. Overall, marriage for the Wife of Bath is much more than

sexual pleasure; it provides her with a "vast sense of power in the

exercise of her sovereignty; it makes her feel the godlike powers which the

serpent promised Eve would follow the eating of the apple?" (Rowland,

358). Through obstinacy, the wife of bath declares that a wife will achieve

sovereignty in marriage, which is good for both, the wife and husband, as a

women?s sovereignty provides for peace. She also 5 sees women as objects and

commodities to be purchased, which is probably why she has such a great lack of

respect for marriage. On the other hand, The Franklin?s Tale is one story

which provides a tale about a marriage where the laws of courtesy rule. For

example, the knight in the tale promised his wife that he would never try to

dominate her or show any form of jealousy, and at the same time he would obey

any command she gave him. This is projected in lines 17-22 in The Franklin?s

Tale: "Of his free wil he swoor hire as a knight That nevere in al his lif

he day ne night Ne shold upon hime take no maistrye Again hir wil, ne kithe hire

jalousye, But hire obeye and folwe hir wil in al, As any lovere to his lady shal."

Arveragus and Dorigen?s love and respect for each other is apparent at many

places throughout the course of the tale. Dorigen reciprocates his vow to her in

lines 25-32 of The Franklin?s Tale: "She thanked hym, and with ful greet

humblesse She seyde, "sire, sith of youre gentilesse Ye profre me to have

so large a reyne, Ne wolde nevere God bitwixe us tweyne, As in my gilt, were

outher werre or strif. Sire, I wol be your humble, twere wyf, Have heer my

trouthe, til that myn herte breste." Thus been bothe in quiete and in reste."

6 The franklin goes on to describe the blissful happiness between Arveragus and

Dorigen and goes as far as to say that married couples share a happiness that

someone who isn?t married couldn?t appreciate or measure. This occurs in

lines 75-77 of The Franklin?s Tale: "Who koude telle, but he hadde wedded

be, The joye, the ese, and the properitee That is bitwixe an housbonde and his

wyf?" However, later in the story, the couple?s happiness takes a turn

for the worse when Dorigen makes a pledge of copulation to Aurelius in jest, and

Arveragus makes the noble decision to make Dorigen stand by her word. While one

might say the knight was foolish not to fight for his beloved Dorigen, it can be

argued that he knew the value of a promise and would go to great lengths to keep

his word and honor; both of these views were appreciated by the franklin. In

summation, comparing Alison?s adultery and infidelity to Dorigen?s faithful

love to Arvegus and the wife of bath?s attitude toward chastity or lack

thereof, we have seen Chaucer?s The Canterbury Tales portray the concept of

marriages in several different ways.

Bennet, Henry. Chaucer and the Fifteenth Century. London: Oxford University

Press, 1942. 113. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. The Complete Works of

Geoffrey Chaucer. Ed. F.N. Robinson. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1933. 19-314.

Robertson, D.W. Concepts of Pilgrimage and Marriage. Critical Essays on

Chaucer?s Canterbury Tales. Ed. M. Andrew. 1st ed. Buckingham: Open University

Press, 1991. 87-210. Rowland, Beryl. Companion to Chaucer Studies. London:

Oxford University Press, 1968. 358. Williams, George. A New View of Chaucer.

Durham: Duke University Press, 1965. 72. 7 Works Cited Bennet, Henry. Chaucer

and the Fifteenth Century. London: Oxford University Press, 1942. 113. Chaucer,

Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Ed. F.N.

Robinson. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1933. 19-314. Robertson, D.W. Concepts of

Pilgrimage and Marriage. Critical Essays on Chaucer?s Canterbury Tales. Ed. M.

Andrew. 1st ed. Buckingham: Open University Press, 1991. 87-210. Rowland, Beryl.

Companion to Chaucer Studies. London: Oxford University Press, 1968. 358.

Williams, George. A New View of Chaucer. Durham: Duke University Press, 1965.

72.