Section 2: Section Summaries
Complete this after each lesson, in order to consolidate your understanding of the poem.
SECTION Key Quotations Summary Comments & Analysis
Lines...
General “A Marchant was ther with a forked berd” Chaucer presents us with an ambivalent
Prologue “Upon his heed a Flaundrish bever hat” description of the merchant: an inscrutable and
(272-286) “I noot how men him calle.” potentially corrupt individual, but equally, a
dynamic and progressive member of the rising
mercantile classes.
1-32 ‘Weping and wailing’ The Merchant tells the pilgrims about his married
‘I have a wyf, the worste that may be’ life and how difficult it is. The Host encourage
‘She is a shrewe at al’ shim to tell a story about marriage instead.
‘We wedded men liven in sorwe and care.’
‘I have ywedded bee/ Thise months two’
33-98 ‘A worthy knight’ The Merchant begins to tell his story about a
‘And folwed ay his bodily delit/ On wommen, knight called January (a sinful man with an
ther as was his appetit,’ appetite for lust) looking for a wife
‘Were it for hoolinesse or for dotage, I kan
nat seye’
‘For wedlock is so easy and so clene, / That
in this world it is a paradis’
‘As God is king/ To take a wif it is a glorious
thing’
Thanne is a wyf the fruit of his tresor’
‘Under his yok of mariage ybounde’
99-149 ‘A wyf is Goddes yifte verraily’ The Merchant speaks about all the benefits of
‘Yiftes of Fortune, / That passen as a shadwe having a wife
upon a wal’
‘O flesh they ben, and o fleesh, as I gesse, /
Hathe but oon herte, in wele and in
distresse’
‘A wyf, to laste unto his lives ende’
‘“Do this,” seith he, “Al redy, sire,” seith she.’
150-187 ‘Lo Judith, as the storie eek telle kan, / By The Merchant continues to give his views on
wise conseil she Goddess peple kepte, / And marriage and uses the Old Testament to support
slow him Olofernus, whil he slepte’ his views
‘Love wel thy wyf, as Christ loved his
church.’
‘The lusty lyf’
‘That is in marriage hony-sweete’
, 1
188-265 ‘For I wol be, certeyn, a wedded man’ January tells his friends that he has decided to get
‘She shal nat passe twenty yeer’ married and starts describing what he wants from
‘“Bet is” quod he, “a pyk than a pikerel, / And a wife - someone young and tender
bet than old boef is the tender veel.’
‘Yet were m levere hounded had me eten, /
Than myn heritage should falle/ In staunge
hand’
‘I fare as dooth a tree / That blosmeth er that
fruit ywoxen bee; / And blosomy tree is
neither drye ne deed.’
266-352 Placebo: Placebo and Justinus give their opinions on
‘To wyvern fro the word of Salomon’ January and his idea of marriage
‘I holde youre owene counseil is the beste.’ Placebo is in agreeance
‘And God it woot, though I unworthy be’ Justinus is in opposition
Yet hadde I nevere with noon of hem
debaat.’
‘A ful greet fool is any conseillour’
‘Youre herte hangeth on a joly pin!’
Justinus:
‘Wher she be wys, or sobre, or dronkelewe, /
Or proud, or elles oortherwyes a shrewe, / A
childestere, or wastour of thy god, / Or riche,
or poore, or elles mannish wood.’
But I woot be where wringeth me my sho’
353-404 ‘Straw for they Senek, and for thy proverbs!’ January turns to Placebo, who agrees with him,
‘Many fair shap and many fair visage / Ther and starts fantasising about his future wife
passeth thurgh his herte night by night, / As
whoso tooke a mirrour, polisshed bright, /
And sette it in a commune market-place.’
‘For love is blind, and may nat see.’
‘Hir fresshe beautee and hir age tender, / Hir
middel smal, hire armes longe and sklendre,’
405-442 ‘That noon of hem none arguments make’ January gathers his friends to tell them he is
‘Ther may no man han parfite bliss two - / getting married but starts to worry if he will reach
This is to seye, in erthe and eek in heaven’ heaven if married life is perfect bliss
‘For though he kepe him fro the sinnes
sevene, / And eek from every branch of thilk
tree.’
443-496 ‘Paraunter she may be youre purgatorie’ Justinius tells January to not worry and that
‘She may be Goddes meene and Goddess having a wife will not make him blissful or happy
whippe / Thanne shal youre shoule up to January finally gets married
hevene skippe / Swifter than dooth an arwe
out of a bowe’
‘But finally ycomen is the day / That to the
church bothe be they went / For to receyve
the hooly sacrament.’
‘And bad hire be lyk Sarra and Rebekke / In
wisdom and in trouthe of mariage’
Complete this after each lesson, in order to consolidate your understanding of the poem.
SECTION Key Quotations Summary Comments & Analysis
Lines...
General “A Marchant was ther with a forked berd” Chaucer presents us with an ambivalent
Prologue “Upon his heed a Flaundrish bever hat” description of the merchant: an inscrutable and
(272-286) “I noot how men him calle.” potentially corrupt individual, but equally, a
dynamic and progressive member of the rising
mercantile classes.
1-32 ‘Weping and wailing’ The Merchant tells the pilgrims about his married
‘I have a wyf, the worste that may be’ life and how difficult it is. The Host encourage
‘She is a shrewe at al’ shim to tell a story about marriage instead.
‘We wedded men liven in sorwe and care.’
‘I have ywedded bee/ Thise months two’
33-98 ‘A worthy knight’ The Merchant begins to tell his story about a
‘And folwed ay his bodily delit/ On wommen, knight called January (a sinful man with an
ther as was his appetit,’ appetite for lust) looking for a wife
‘Were it for hoolinesse or for dotage, I kan
nat seye’
‘For wedlock is so easy and so clene, / That
in this world it is a paradis’
‘As God is king/ To take a wif it is a glorious
thing’
Thanne is a wyf the fruit of his tresor’
‘Under his yok of mariage ybounde’
99-149 ‘A wyf is Goddes yifte verraily’ The Merchant speaks about all the benefits of
‘Yiftes of Fortune, / That passen as a shadwe having a wife
upon a wal’
‘O flesh they ben, and o fleesh, as I gesse, /
Hathe but oon herte, in wele and in
distresse’
‘A wyf, to laste unto his lives ende’
‘“Do this,” seith he, “Al redy, sire,” seith she.’
150-187 ‘Lo Judith, as the storie eek telle kan, / By The Merchant continues to give his views on
wise conseil she Goddess peple kepte, / And marriage and uses the Old Testament to support
slow him Olofernus, whil he slepte’ his views
‘Love wel thy wyf, as Christ loved his
church.’
‘The lusty lyf’
‘That is in marriage hony-sweete’
, 1
188-265 ‘For I wol be, certeyn, a wedded man’ January tells his friends that he has decided to get
‘She shal nat passe twenty yeer’ married and starts describing what he wants from
‘“Bet is” quod he, “a pyk than a pikerel, / And a wife - someone young and tender
bet than old boef is the tender veel.’
‘Yet were m levere hounded had me eten, /
Than myn heritage should falle/ In staunge
hand’
‘I fare as dooth a tree / That blosmeth er that
fruit ywoxen bee; / And blosomy tree is
neither drye ne deed.’
266-352 Placebo: Placebo and Justinus give their opinions on
‘To wyvern fro the word of Salomon’ January and his idea of marriage
‘I holde youre owene counseil is the beste.’ Placebo is in agreeance
‘And God it woot, though I unworthy be’ Justinus is in opposition
Yet hadde I nevere with noon of hem
debaat.’
‘A ful greet fool is any conseillour’
‘Youre herte hangeth on a joly pin!’
Justinus:
‘Wher she be wys, or sobre, or dronkelewe, /
Or proud, or elles oortherwyes a shrewe, / A
childestere, or wastour of thy god, / Or riche,
or poore, or elles mannish wood.’
But I woot be where wringeth me my sho’
353-404 ‘Straw for they Senek, and for thy proverbs!’ January turns to Placebo, who agrees with him,
‘Many fair shap and many fair visage / Ther and starts fantasising about his future wife
passeth thurgh his herte night by night, / As
whoso tooke a mirrour, polisshed bright, /
And sette it in a commune market-place.’
‘For love is blind, and may nat see.’
‘Hir fresshe beautee and hir age tender, / Hir
middel smal, hire armes longe and sklendre,’
405-442 ‘That noon of hem none arguments make’ January gathers his friends to tell them he is
‘Ther may no man han parfite bliss two - / getting married but starts to worry if he will reach
This is to seye, in erthe and eek in heaven’ heaven if married life is perfect bliss
‘For though he kepe him fro the sinnes
sevene, / And eek from every branch of thilk
tree.’
443-496 ‘Paraunter she may be youre purgatorie’ Justinius tells January to not worry and that
‘She may be Goddes meene and Goddess having a wife will not make him blissful or happy
whippe / Thanne shal youre shoule up to January finally gets married
hevene skippe / Swifter than dooth an arwe
out of a bowe’
‘But finally ycomen is the day / That to the
church bothe be they went / For to receyve
the hooly sacrament.’
‘And bad hire be lyk Sarra and Rebekke / In
wisdom and in trouthe of mariage’
