The Merchant's Tale: Key Quotations (OCR A Level English Literature)

The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale: Key Quotations

One of the ways to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the text is through the effective use of quotations and references to the text. This means that summarising, paraphrasing, referencing single words and referencing plot events are all as valid as using direct quotations.

Overall, you should aim to secure a strong knowledge of the text, rather than memorising a list of pre-prepared quotations, as this will better enable you to respond to the question. It is the quality of your knowledge of the text which will enable you to select references effectively. If you are going to revise quotations, the best way is to group them by character, or theme. 

Below you will find definitions and analysis of the best quotations, arranged by the following key themes:

• Morality and sin

• Gender

• Marriage and love

• Fate 

Morality and sin

In The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale, Chaucer examines temptation, specifically lust, which is considered one of the seven deadly sins. The poem explores societal standards of morality advocated by religious teachings of the time. Chaucer hints at hypocrisies within these judgements, and offers, by way of explanation, a depiction of double-standards at play. 

PAIRED QUOTATIONS:

“And for to lyve under that hooly boond/With which that first God man and womman bond.” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Lines 1261–62

“For wedlok is so esy and so clene,/That in this world it is a paradys." The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Lines 1264–65

Meaning and context

• The Merchant begins his tale describing Januarie’s enthusiasm for marriage 

• He says that marriage originates with God:

  • It is described as a holy bond

• Later, he supports this idea when he describes marriage as pure (“clene”) and natural (“esy”), creating a paradise on earth 

Analysis

• Chaucer presents mediaeval attitudes which link marriage to religious devotion 

• Religious language, such as “hooly boond”, contribute to the idea that marriage is an institution created by God

• The adjectives “esy” and “clene” support the idea of marriage as a natural process

• The oxymoron of “world” and “paradys” equates marriage with an earthly heaven

“Paraunter she may be you’re purgatorie!/She may be Goddes meene and Goddes whippe;” Justinus, The Merchant’s Tale, Lines 1670–71

Meaning and context

• Here, Januarie’s friend, Justinus, warns that marriage to a younger woman can be like purgatory, a state of suffering and redemption before entering heaven

• He adds that a young woman can be God’s instrument (“Goddes meene”), as well as delivering his punishments (“Goddes whippe”)

Analysis

• Justinus warns that marrying a younger woman can bring something similar to “religious” turmoil

• Justinus serves as a voice of reason against Januarie’s deluded desires and Placebo’s sycophanticplatitudes 

• This line foreshadows the problems within a dysfunctional marriage:

  • It serves as a warning to Januarie and the pilgrims listening to the tale

• Chaucer challenges Christian marital ideals as Januarie and May corrupt the “holy bond”

PAIRED QUOTATIONS:

“Lyk to the naddre in bosom sly untrewe” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Line 1786

“And thynges whiche that were nat doon abedde,/He in the gardyn parfourned hem and spedde” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Lines 2052–53

Meaning and context

• The Merchant compares Damian to a sly and untrue “naddre” (an adder)

• Later, the Merchant refers to the paradise garden which Januarie builds for May

• He says Januarie enacts (“parfourned” and “spedde”) things not done in bed

Analysis

• Chaucer refers to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in order to explore religious ideas regarding the downfall of man:

  • Specifically, the lines allude to the temptation of Eve (in this case, May)

  • Here, Damian is compared to the serpent who represented Satan

• However, Chaucer offers an alternate view, showing both genders as victims of lust:

  • Januarie’s lustful nature is emphasised from the outset of the tale

  • Januarie is tempted by May and May is then tempted by Damian

Gender

The theme of gender in The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale raises questions about patriarchal attitudes to gender in mediaeval England. Chaucher highlights predominant attitudes through a male speaker whose tale portrays a powerful male who acts out his sexual desires with impunity, while an unfaithful female character is denigrated.

“She is a shrewe at al” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Prologue, Line 1222

Meaning and context

• The Merchant complains about his new wife to the other pilgrims as they ride

• Here, the Merchant describes his new wife as a “shrewe”, a common mediaeval term for an ill-tempered woman 

• The phrase “at al” means “in every way”

Analysis

• Chaucer presents pervasive attitudes to gender through the pilgrim’s colloquial dialogue

• By calling his wife a “shrewe”, the Merchant suggests his wife is not as submissive, patient and obedient as he desires:

  • He emphasises this with “at al”

• Chaucer highlights gender standards dictated by Christian teachings which advocated for women to be obedient to men

PAIRED QUOTATIONS:

"Woman is for mannes helpe ywroght" The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Line 1324

"And thanne he made him Eve” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Line 1329

Meaning and context

• The Merchant states that women are made to help men

• He describes how God made Eve to help Adam

Analysis

• Chaucer focuses in some detail on the Biblical idea that Eve was made from, and for, Adam

• He expresses ideas which suggest that Eve (representing women) was created to help Adam (men), implied by the possessive pronoun “him” 

• In this context, it can be understood that women’s submission to men was seen as a holy doctrine

“I wol no womman thritty year of age/It is but bene-straw and greet forage.” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Line 1421

Meaning and context 

• Here, Januarie specifically states he wants a younger woman as his wife, as a woman over thirty is like straw and “rough ground” in which it is hard to forage (“greet forage”)

Analysis

• Chaucer explores hypocrisies within gender standards by emphasising Januarie’s old age, adding an element of cosmic irony to his desire for a young woman 

• The comparison to an older woman as “bene-straw” and “greet forage” connotes sexuality and fertility

• As Januarie is looking for a wife to bear him an heir, this conveys the attitude that women are seen predominantly in terms of procreation

Marriage and love

The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale explores societal norms regarding marriage which lead to the pilgrims attitude that it is a burden which must be endured. However, The Merchant’s Tale goes on to highlight imbalances within societal codes of conduct which lead to dysfunctional marriages. 

PAIRED QUOTATIONS:

“Were I unbounden, also moot I thee,/I wolde nevere eft comen in the snare.” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Prologue, Lines 1226–27

"Me reweth soore I am unto hire teyd.” The Host, The Merchant’s Tale, Line 2420

Meaning and context

• In The Merchant’s Prologue, the Merchant laments his unhappy marriage

• He states that if he were “unbounden” (released) he would never get caught in its “snare” (trap) again

• In the epilogue, the Host expresses his discontent with his wife, saying that he rues (“reweth”) being tied to his wife (“hire” or “her”)

Analysis

• Chaucer discredits marriage in The Merchant’s Prologue in his depiction of a husband disillusioned with marriage after only two months

• He uses language which connotes being restricted and entrapped (“snare”):

  • This implies marriage is not something which is chosen, but which men are tricked into 

• However, the tale the Merchant tells presents a dysfunctional marriage:

  • Chaucer implies the marriage is based on flawed societal norms

  • In this way, Chaucer’s pilgrims become ironic characters

• In the epilogue, the Host describes himself as “tyed” to his marriage

• He emphasises how much he regrets marrying his wife with the adverb “soore”, implying painful regret

“Al that hire housbonde lust, hire liketh weel;/She seith nat ones ‘nay,’ whan he seith ‘ye.’" The Merchant, The Merchant’s Prologue, Lines 1345–46

Meaning and context

• The Merchant describes marriage as Januarie, the knight, prepares to wed

• In these lines he says that in a marriage a wife will do all that her husband desires

• He adds that she will not say “no” (“nay”) when he says “yes” (“ye”)

Analysis

• Critics debate whether these lines are told from the perspective of Januarie or the Merchant:

  • It can be argued they represent the predominant perspective of the time

• The expectation that wives are entirely submissive to husbands is emphasised by “Al”:

  • It is notable the word “lust” is used to describe how a wife should give in to her husband’s desires

  • These lines allude to the idea that a wife allows anything a husband “liketh well” 

• Here, it is made clear that a wife should never disagree with a husband, stressed by the “nat ones”, which means “not once”

“For love is blynd alday, and may nat see.” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Prologue, Line 1598

Meaning and context

• The Merchant says that love is always blind and may not see

• He refers to Januarie’s decision to marry May because of her youth and beauty

Analysis

• The metaphor links to marriage based on lust rather than love:

  • It comments on the way partners are chosen based on appearance

• The symbolism of blindness is ironic as it refers to a choice made on what Januarie “sees”

• The line also alludes to Januarie’s ignorance and lack of foresight 

• It foreshadows Januarie’s actual blindness later in the poem

Fate

The characters in The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale appear to be guided by supernatural forces which manipulate their relationships. In this way Chaucer, perhaps cynically, hints at the futility of humans in their attempt to create successful partnerships. 

PAIRED QUOTATIONS:

“And Venus laugheth upon every wight” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Line 1723 

“So soore hath Venus hurt hym with hire brond,” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Line 1777

Meaning and context

• The Merchant says the gods attended the wedding between Januarie and May

• Venus, one of the gods, laughs at every human (“wight”)

• Later, the Merchant tells the pilgrims that Venus (Roman goddess of love) “hurt” Damian by burning (“brond”) him with a sudden love for May 

Analysis

• Chaucer’s interfering Roman gods complicate themes of love with the theme of fate:

  • That Venus laughs at Januarie and May’s wedding foreshadows her interference with their marriage later

  • It presents human actions as folly, ‘laughed at’ by the gods

• Later, the Merchant says Damian has been hurt badly (“So soore”) by Venus 

• His love for May, therefore, does not seem to be of his free will

• Chaucer portrays how this passionate love is orchestrated by forces beyond Damian’s control:

  • His sickness leads to May’s visit, which leads to their secret affair

“The moone … In two of Tawr, was into Cancre gliden” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Line 1887

Meaning and context

• The Merchant, describing a ritual May must perform, says that on the day she marries the moon is in two degrees of Taurus and gliding into Cancer

• The ritual is dictated by the moon and the stars (constellations)

Analysis

• Chaucer’s reference to astrology alludes to beliefs that the alignment of the planets and stars affected individuals and events on Earth

• Here, Chaucer implies consequences to the marriage are foretold in the stars

PAIRED QUOTATIONS:

“And whan that Pluto saugh this grete wrong,/To Januarie he gaf agayn his sighte,” The Merchant, The Merchant’s Tale, Line 2355

“That I shal yeven hire suffisant answere,/And alle wommen after, for hir sake,” Proserpina, The Merchant’s Tale, Lines 2266–67

Meaning and context

• While May is in the tree with Damian, the god, Pluto, who blinded Januarie for his ignorance, decides to restore his sight:

  • He wants him to see the betrayal which May commits against him

• However, his wife, the goddess Prosperpina, helps May hide the affair

• She says she will give May a good excuse to convince Januarie he has not seen anything

• Prosperpina says she offers this help to all women 

Analysis

• The introduction of meddling gods raises questions about self-determination

• The gods’ interference alters the course of Janarie and May’s marriage, as well as Damian’s emotions and health

• It can be argued that the employment of a god and goddess who are married adds further complications to Chaucer’s views on marriage and love in his society