Chaucer on marriage

Chaucer looks at male and female perspectives on man and wife and shows the entire institution to be a farce, stereotyped by wealthy, piano old hands and five- course-old, beautiful, deceitful wives. January, the old man in the merchants tale, says jointure is so easy and so cline (1264), which is sarcastic as the merchant has al furbish up spoken out against marriage, and women in particular. Yet Januarys motivations to get married ar hardly pure, entirely more practical and shallow.For 60 year a waffles man was heel and followed ay his bodily delete/ on women (1248-50) after sixty years of fooling around with numerous women, he is ready to abide a wife on which he mighty engender anthem an replacement (1272). Rather than choosing a wife who is wise and loving and would heraldic bearing for him in his old age and sickness, he makes his decision as if he were choosing livestock, saying l wool noon Old . Nary Han / she shall Nat passee twenty year /and bet than old beef i s the tender live (1416-20).What is ironic is that January sees this way of approaching marriage as pure because it was so normal and standard. The purity of marriage would come if it were based on fill out and mutual respect, but instead for most men it is about having an heir and a beautiful wife. January cant see that hes leaving himself vulner subject to a young wife that will be deceitful and seek plea sure as shooting from jr. more attractive men, instead thinking he can a young thing may men gee,/ right as men may warm hex with handed Pyle (1429-30).In the wifes tale, she shows that old men cannot very mold their young wives into good, loving creatures. Although the wife of Bath sits she twelve year was of age housebound at creche door she has had five (4-6), she is no innocent. She manipulates and terrorizes her old husbands with her sexuality to gain money and control, until they are her detours and thralls (155). She ends up clay sculpture her old husbands to her will .For her a husband is a source of income, and she always sakes sure she has one lined up on the sidelines. She had her twenty percent husband ready to marry her by the time her fourth housebound was on beer (587), and she wept but small (592), be already purveyed of a make (591). Even though the fifth husband that she takes is younger than her and she is now in the old mans position, she is still able to control her young husband to a certain degree, although it is much harder.It seems similar an innate ability that women have to control their cabanas because its more than a choice method, but a way to find pleasure despite being in a technically submissive role. But a unbowed marriage shouldnt be about control. This is what makes marriage such a clowning to Chaucer, and he is very cynical towards it. The tradition and sanctity of marriage heart nothing because it is based on a foundation of lying and shallowness. work force and women conform to their stereotypes because of h ow society has shaped them and made marriage such a necessity.