The Canterbury Tales

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The Canterbury Tales

• The Merchants Tale
• -Evelyn Kobierowski
• -Allie McPherson

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Merchants in Medieval Times
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Merchants Before and During Medieval Times

• Before
• Sinners
• Shunned and hated by society especially clergy
• Blamed for natural occurrences
• During
• Still hated by some, but much more accepted
• More educated
• Difficult to place in a classMiddle Class

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Dress

• Surcoat that ended just above the knees and was
  of a bright color with possible trim of fox fur
• Belt with a purse
• Sleeves of the surcoat- bagpipe
• Stockings or tights
• Long, pointed shoes

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Daily Life-The Merchant Guild

• Not part of feudal society and fought with it as
  well as the Crafts Guild
• Regulated prices, quality, weights, measures, and
  business practices
• Mostly bartered without using money
• Would trade until the curfew bell
• Could become their own town
• Would celebrate religious occasions with feasts
• Governed themselves

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Trade Routes

• Overseas
• Gone for months at a time
• Prone to robbery, piracy
• Wool
• Europe-Asia
• Groups because of robbery
• Silk Route between China and the Mediterranean
  Sea
• Summer months
• The Black Death

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The Merchant Today

• Middle-Class Businessman
• They both
• trade services or goods for other services or
  goods
• are neither rich nor poor

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Works Cited

• http//www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/d
  web/society/structure/merchant_cult.shtml
• http//www.teacherfiles.com/4t/medieval_dress.htm
  
• http//www.britainexpress.com/History/Townlife.htm
  
• http//medievalhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/ov
  erseas_trade_in_the_middle_ages

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The Canterbury Tales

• The Merchants Tale

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Prologue

• Says he has the worst wife
• Shrew?nagging, ill-tempered woman
• Evil
• Married for only 2 months
• Says people should not marry

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The Tale

• Lombardy
• Knight
• Born in Pavia
• 60 years old
• Never married
• Enjoyed women
• Suddenly decided to get married

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Marriage

• Old man should marry a young woman
• They can have children and be happy
• Theophrastus writes not to take a wife
• Takes half of everything
• Friends will take better care than she
• Wife will stay in the house too long
• Marriage is a solemn sacrament
• Women were made for men as their help and comfort
  
• Knight thinks they should thank God for wives

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Biblical Examples of Good Wives

• Jacob and Rebecca
• Judith and Holofernes
• Abigail and Nabal
• Esther and Mordecai

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• Says that men will love their wives if they love
  themselves
• Says, They are so closely knit that no harm can
  happenand especially from the wifes side.
  Line 1392
• January, the knight, decides to marry
• Calls for his friends and tells them his plan
• Wants a young wife not over twenty
• Says men should lead chaste lives
• Says his limbs are strong and only his hair is
  white

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• Placebo, his brother, agrees with him
• His other brother, Justinus, advises that he
  marry a wise woman and that marriage is not
  always happy
• January disagrees
• January chooses a bride and calls his brothers
• Small waist, long and slim arms, wise demeanor
• Told them she was from a lower class, but pretty
• Happiness either on earth or in heaven

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• Justinus answers Januarys question
• January and May marry
• The wedding is very festive and goes perfectly
  May is very happy
• January thinks about that night
• Damian, Januarys squire ?household foe
• Loves May because of her beauty and youth
• January does not know this
• Night of the wedding
• He labored until morning
• She did not enjoy it

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• Damian writes a letter and puts it into a silk
  purse
• Damian becomes sick and January is worried by his
  illness
• January tells May to go see Damian
• Damian gives the silk purse to May
• May reads the letter, rips it up, and throws it
  away
• May is again not pleased with January and feels
  pity for Damian
• May writes a letter back?they will meet

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• Damian gets well
• January makes a magnificent garden
• Only January has the key to the garden
• He and May go there to be alone

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• http//www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/chaucer/
  translation//ct/11mert.html