Canterbury Tales Love Quotes

This false knyght, that hath this tresoun wroght,
Berth hire on hond that she hath doon thys thyng.
But nathelees, ther was greet moornyng
Among the peple, and seyn they kan nat gesse
That she had doon so greet a wikkednesse.
For they han seyn hire evere so vertuous,
And lovynge Hermengyld right as hir lyf.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. The knight who slit Hermengild’s throat falsely testifies that Constance carried out the murder. But Constance’s reputation for goodness has grown so strong among the people, that they say they cannot believe she could have done so great a wickedness. For they have seen how viruous she is and how she loved Hermengild as much as her own life.

But finally, whan that the sothe is wist
That Alla giltelees was of hir wo,
I trowe an hundred tymes been they kist,
And swich a blisse is ther bitwix hem two
That, save the joye that lasteth everemo,
Ther is noon lyk that any creature
Hath seyn or shal, whil that the world may dure.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. When Constance learns the truth about the forged letters and that Alla is guiltless and was not the cause of her woe, they kiss a hundred times and are blissfully happy.

A wys womman wol bisye hire evere in oon
To gete hire love, ye, ther as she hath noon.
But sith I hadde hem hoolly in myn hond,
And sith they hadde me yeven al hir lond,
What sholde I taken keep hem for to plese,
But it were for my profit and myn ese?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. A wise woman will be constantly busy to get herself loved when she is not, says the Wife of Bath. But since she had her first three husbands wholly in her hand and they had given her all their land, why should she go out of her way to please them? Unless it was for her profit and pleasure, of course! These comments speak to Alison’s greed.

Thou liknest eek wommenes love to helle,
To bareyne lond, ther water may nat dwelle.
Thou liknest it also to wilde fyr;
The moore it brenneth, the moore it hath desir
To consume every thyng that brent wole be.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Her first three husbands would compare women’s love to hell or barren land, the Wife of Bath complains to them. They also compared it to Greek fire that never goes out, the more it burns the more it desires to consume everything that can be burned (the burning fire is used as a metaphor). Did her husbands actually say that? No they didn’t, she later confesses she made it all up to keep them in check!

Yet tikled I his herte, for that he
Wende that I hadde of hym so greet chiertee!
I swoor that al my walkynge out by nyghte
Was for t’ espye wenches that he dighte.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. One of the ways the domineering Wife of Bath achieved control of her first three husbands was to falsely accuse them of adultery and pretend to be jealous. She would swear that her walking out by night was to spy out wenches that they had sex with. And God help their innocence, she says that their hearts would be touched by this, believing it came from her great love for them!

But in oure bed he was so fressh and gay,
And therwithal so wel koude he me glose,
Whan that he wolde han my bele chose;
That thogh he hadde me bete on every bon,
He koude wynne agayn my love anon.
I trowe I loved hym best, for that he
Was of his love daungerous to me.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Although her fifth husband Jankin beat her on every bone, he was the one that Wife of Bath Alison loved the best, seemingly because of his great talents in bed. He gave his love sparingly to her but when he did he was very lively and gay. Even though he beat her he could win back her love straight away.

We wommen han, if that I shal nat lye,
In this matere a queynte fantasye:
Wayte what thyng we may nat lightly have,
Therafter wol we crie al day and crave.
Forbede us thyng, and that desiren we;
Preesse on us faste, and thanne wol we fle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Forbid women something and they will desire it, crying all day and craving for it, the Wife of Bath says. She is referring to women who love men who treat them badly – like her attraction to fifth husband Jankin, who has beaten her and been standoffish with his love.

With daunger oute we al oure chaffare;
Greet prees at market maketh deere ware,
And to greet cheep is holde at litel prys:
This knoweth every womman that is wys.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. As usual the Wife of Bath Alison compares relationships and love to commerce. When you sparingly offer your goods at the market this creates scarcity and makes them more expensive. But too great a supply makes your merchandise too cheap. Every woman knows this, she says.

I seye ther nas no joye ne feeste at al;
Ther nas but hevynesse and muche sorwe.
For prively he wedded hire on morwe,
And al day after hidde hym as an owle,
So wo was hym, his wyf looked so foule.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Tale. Wedding days are normally occasions for great celebration with family and friends, with the stunning bride capturing everyone’s attention with her beauty and style. But there’s no love story or fairytale wedding for the Knight and his hag bride. Married in private in the morning, he hides himself for the day, so miserable is he that his wife looks so ugly.

And whan the knyght saugh verraily al this,
That she so fair was, and so yong therto,
For joye he hente hire in his armes two.
His herte bathed in a bath of blisse.
A thousand tyme a-rewe he gan hire kisse,
And she obeyed hym in every thyng
That myghte doon hym plesance or likyng.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Tale. The Knight is delighted when his old hag of a wife is transformed into someone young and beautiful. His heart filled with bliss, he clasps her in his two arms and kisses her a thousand times in a row. And she obeyed him in everything that might give him pleasure or enjoyment.

For though that evere vertuous was she,
She was encressed in swich excellence
Of thewes goode, yset in heigh bountee,
And so discreet and fair of eloquence,
So benigne and so digne of reverence,
And koude so the peples herte embrace,
That ech hire lovede that looked on hir face.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. When you dress virtue in the finest clothing and expensive jewelry, it becomes even more attractive. Now that Griselda has become Walter’s wife, her stock with the people has shot through the roof. While she was always virtuous, she has grown so much in noble goodness and manners and gentleness that each person who looks upon her face loves her.

But atte laste to speken she bigan,
And mekely she to the sergeant preyde,
So as he was a worthy gentil man,
That she moste kisse hire child er that it deyde.
And in hir barm this litel child she leyde
With ful sad face, and gan the child to kisse,
And lulled it, and after gan it blisse.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. It is clear that Griselda loves her daughter, maybe not enough to defy husband Walter for some explicable reason, but she has the natural love of a mother. She asks the Sergeant to allow her to kiss her daughter before she dies. In a highly emotional final farewell she places her little daughter in her lap, kisses and lulls her, and then blesses her.

Love is noght oold as whan that it is newe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Griselda reproaches her husband Walter, Marquis of Saluzzo, with these words when he tells her to vacate his palace to make way for his new wife. When love is old it is not the same as when it is new, she tells him. Similar sentiments are expressed in the popular Irish ballad:
"For love is teasing and love is pleasing
And love is a pleasure when first it’s new
But as it grows older ach love grows colder
And fades away like the morning dew."

"I have thy feith and thy benyngnytee,
As wel as evere womman was, assayed,
In greet estaat and povreliche arrayed.
Now knowe I, dere wyf, thy stedfastnesse" –
And hire in armes took and gan hire kesse.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter confesses to Griselda about the tests he put her through of her faith, goodness and steadfastness, both in high rank and in poverty. He now knows how steadfast she is, he reveals, and takes her in her arms and kisses her. Is there a glimmer of real love there for somebody else from this selfish and self-centered man?

"Certeyn," thoghte she, "whom that this thyng displese
I rekke noght, for heere I hym assure
To love hym best of any creature,
Though he namoore hadde than his sherte."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. These are the first words of May in the tale. Unhappy with her old husband’s performance between the sheets, she makes up her mind that she wants young Damian. While all he has is the shirt on his back, she will "love hym best of any creature." But it’s clear that pure lust rather than true love is her motivation in accepting her husband’s young squire.
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