Chaucer Essay - 2650 Words

Chaucers The Canterbury Tales demonstrate many different attitudes toward and perceptions of marriage. Some of these ideas are more liberal thought such as the marriages portrayed in the Wife of Bath, the Clerk’s and Merchant’s Tales. Then there are those tales that are very traditional, such as that discussed in the Franklins and the Squire’s tales. And lastly there is a tales of that of the Friar and the Summoner which aren’t really involved with marriage but are in the middle of the marriage group to show the fighting between two men and to prove the Wife of bath right. While several of these tales are rather comical, they do indeed give us a representation of the attitudes toward marriage at that time in history. Marriage in†¦show more content†¦She 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 although she claims to have control over this process. For exa mple, 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 Churchs command to pay the debt. The Wife of Bath clearly rebels against male domination with regard 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. â€Å"That nogh wol be governed by hir wyves† (Chaucer 122). Through obstinacy, the Wife of Bath declares that a wife will achieve sovereignty in marriage, which is good for both wife and husband as a womans sovereignty provides for peace. She also sees women as objects and commodities to be purchased, which is probably why she has such a great lack of respect for marriage. The Friar’s and Summoner’s Tales come right in the middle of the marriage groups tales. These two tales come right after the Wife of bath’s tale to connect them to the marriage group. Both of these tales connectShow MoreRelatedEssay on Geoffrey Chaucer778 Words   |  4 PagesGeoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer was a poet, a writer, and of course a diplomat. Geoffrey Chaucer was born in the early hours of 1340s to John Chaucer, a vintner and assistant to the kings butler. As a boy, he was a leaf to the Countess of Ulster. (Lombardi) Chaucer was the most famous for writing his unfinished Canterbury tales. (Geoffrey Chaucer) He was born in London, only problem is, the exact date and place are unknown. 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