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The Great Gatsby
Hamlet

Merchant’s Tale Gender Quotes

For who kan be so buxom as a wyf?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Who can be so obedient as a wife, asks the Merchant? He is being heavily ironic here in a long passage in praise of marriage that runs to well over a hundred lines. For he himself is unhappily married.

A trewe servant dooth moore diligence
Thy good to kepe than thyn owene wyf.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. The Merchant quotes Theophrastus, author of The Golden Age of Marriage, to back up his own misogynist views. He says that a good servant will guard your goods better than your own wife. The Theophrastus tract, which satirically attacks marriage, is now lost but was excerpted by Saint Jerome in his Letter Against Jovinian, an important source for Chaucer’s Merchant’s Tale and Wife of Bath.

And if thou take a wyf unto thyn hoold
Ful lightly maystow been a cokewold.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Antifeminist author Theophrastus is quoted here, suggesting that if you take a wife into your household she’s very likely to cheat on you.

Deffie Theofraste, and herke me.
A wyf is Goddes yifte verraily;
Alle othere manere yiftes hardily,
As londes, rentes, pasture, or commune,
Or moebles – alle been yiftes of Fortune
That passen as a shadwe upon a wal.
But drede nat, if pleynly speke I shal:
A wyf wol laste, and in thyn hous endure.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. The Merchant urges January to defy the advice of philosopher Theophrastus and his hatred of women and marriage, and instead listen to him. The narrator goes on to describe a wife a gift from God. Comparing her with lands, rents, pasture and personal possessions, he uses the language of commerce and objectifies women. A wife will ensure unlike these gifts of Fortune which pass like a shadow upon a wall, says the Merchant.

Cherisse thy wyf, or thou shalt nevere thee.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Cherish your wife or you will never thrive, says the Merchant. This is foreshadowing of how January in the tale chooses his wife May based entirely on superficiality and objectifies her. And it doesn’t turn out too good for him.

Oold fissh and yong flessh wolde I have fayn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. January has no intention of marrying a woman of his own age but desires "young flesh." Referring to his desire for a young wife in terms of food is especially offensive.

And bet than old boef is the tendre veel.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. January crudely describes women as meat, saying his preference in a wife is for tender veal over old beef. The lustful old knight orders up a wife as if he were ordering up a meal.

And eek thise olde wydwes, God it woot,
They konne so muchel craft on Wades boot.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. January doesn’t want to marry an old widow as they have too much experience and have learned too much trickery for his liking. He prefers a young wife that he can control.

For sondry scoles maken sotile clerkis;
Womman of manye scoles half a clerk is.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. January sees marriage as a form of education with the husband as the teacher. But the more a woman learns, the more tricks she gains, making her a threat to the husband and his authority. So January wants a young woman for a wife whom he can mold.

I feele my lymes stark and suffisaunt
To do al that a man bilongeth to.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Despite his advanced age, January boasts that he has strong limbs and is fully functioning sexually. His self-deception becomes apparent when he needs to be propped up with wine and aphrodisiacs to perform on his wedding night.

The yongeste man that is in al this route
Is bisy ynough to bryngen it aboute
To han his wyf allone. Trusteth me,
Ye shul nat plesen hire fully yeres thre.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Although elder knight January has bragged that he is like a blossoming tree, Justinus warns his brother that young women have demanding sexual appetites and he is not going to please her for very long. This is forewhadowing of his young wife turning to the younger man Damian.

For love is blynd alday, and may nat see.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. When January decides upon a young beautiful girl for a wife, the Merchant comments that love is blind always and cannot see. But it is lust more than love that blinds the self-deceiving January to reality and the truth.

Dispeire yow noght, but have in youre memorie,
Paraunter she may be youre purgatorie!
She may be Goddes meene and Goddes whippe;
Thanne shal youre soule up to hevene skippe
Swifter than dooth an arwe out of a bowe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Justinus to brother January after the old knight expresses fears that marriage will be such a heaven on earth it will supersede the rewards of the afterlife. Justinus, who is against January marrying a woman so much younger than himself, warns him that she may turn out to be his purgatory on earth!

Tendre youthe hath wedded stoupyng age.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. The contrast emphasises the difference in age between old January and young May in this marriage.

This Januarie is ravysshed in a traunce
At every tyme he looked on hir face.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. January’s immediate response to May is that he is overcome by lust for her. He is ravished in a trance every time he looks at her, underlining how superficial and shallow he is when it comes to engaging with the opposite sex. Women are sexual symbols for him.

Ther nys no werkman, whatsoevere he be,
That may bothe werke wel and hastily;
This wol be doon at leyser parfitly.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. The old knight January comically likens himself to a craftsman at work on consummating his marriage on his wedding night. He deceives himself into thinking he is doing a great job. No workman can work both well and hastily, he tells young bride May, this will be done at leisure and perfectly! But his labor of love turns out far from perfect as far as May is concerned.

I am a gentil womman and no wenche.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Promising that she will never be false to him, May tells January that she is a gentil woman and no wench. This is the height of hypocrisy, after May’s decision to cheat on her husband with his young squire Damian.

The tresons whiche that wommen doon to man.
Ten hondred thousand [tales] tellen I kan
Notable of youre untrouthe and brotilnesse.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. In his antifeminist rant, Roman god of the underworld Pluto tells wife Proserpina that he could tell ten thousand tales about women’s lies and fickleness. They are discussing marriage and the situation regarding January and May.

Amonges a thousand men yet foond I oon,
But of wommen alle foond I noon.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Pluto says that among a thousand men he has found one good one, but among all women he has found none that is good.

Al hadde man seyn a thyng with bothe his yen,
Yit shul we wommen visage it hardily,
And wepe, and swere, and chyde subtilly,
So that ye men shul been as lewed as gees.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Proserpina admits that women exploit the power of tears to fool men. Men will see one thing with both their eyes, she says, but women will brazen it out boldly and cry and swear and scold cleverly, so that men will be as ignorant as geese.

I sette right noght, of al the vileynye
That ye of wommen write, a boterflye!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. Proserpina dismisses her husband Pluto’s views that women are full of deceit and villainy. Not worth a butterfly, she says, not valuing any of his criticism of women.

Lo, whiche sleightes and subtilitees
In wommen been! For ay as bisy as bees
Been they, us sely men for to deceyve,
And from the soothe evere wol they weyve.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale Epilogue. After listening to the Merchant’s tale, the Host acknowledges the wiliness and trickery of women. Using a simile, he says they are always busy as bees to deceive innocent men and deviate from the truth.