Chaucer's the Canterbury Tales

Chaucer's 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 Franklin's 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 Chaucer's time meant a union between spirit and flesh and was thus part of the marriage between Christ and the Church. The Canterbury Tales show many abuses of this sacred bond and different views on how a marriage should work.

The Wife of Bath's tale, in which she says that one spouse, preferably the wife, must have mastery over the other. The Wife of Bath obviously has a rather carefree attitude toward marriage. She knows that the woes of marriage are not inflicted upon women; rather, women inflict these woes upon their husbands. In setting forth her views of marriage, however, she actually proves that the opposite is true. "Experience, though noon auctoritee Were in this world, is right ynough for me To speke of wo that is in marriage

..." (Chaucer 105). The Wife of Bath, in her Prologue, proves to her own satisfaction that the Miller's perception of marriage is correct, and then declares that it is indeed acceptable for a woman to marry more than once. She claims that chastity is not necessary for a successful marriage and that virginity is never even mentioned in the Bible.

Wher can ye seye in any manere age That hye God defended marriage

By expres word? I praye yow, telleth me. Or where comanded he virginitee?

I woot as wel as ye, it is no drede, Th'apostl, whan he speketh of maydenhede,

He seyde that precept therof hadde he noon: Men may conseille a womman to

been oon, But conseillyng is no comandement. He putte it in oure owen

juggement. For hadde God comanded maydenhede Thanne hadde he dampned

wedding with the dede; And certes, if ther were no seed ysowe, Virginitee, thanne

whereof sholde it growe? (Chaucer 106)

She later asks where virginity would come from if no one gave up their virginity. Clearly, the Wife of Bath is largely an argument in defense of her multiple marriages than an attempt to prove her idea that if society was reorganized so that women's dominance was recognized. 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 example, 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 Church's 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. "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 woman's 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 connect in different ways to these tales and how the relate to the marriage group.

The Friar's Tale is connected to The Wife of Bath's Tale in that the Wife discusses the problem of authority, that is, the husband or the wife, and the Friar deals with the relative authority in terms of the church and demons. "And somtyme be we servant unto man, As to the erchbisshop Seint Dunstan, And to the apostles servant eek was I" (Chaucer 125). In The Wife of Bath's Tale, authority is given over to a woman--a violation of medieval sense of hierarchy. The Friar continues the theme of authority by first describing the evil machinations of his superior, the archdeacon to whom the summoner is supposedly a vassal. "Disposeth at youre hertes to withstonde this feend thatyow wolde make thrall and bonde. He may nat temper yow over youre might, For Christ wol be youre chamion and knight. And prayeth that thise somonours hem repente Of hir mysdedes, er that the feend hem hente" (Chaucer 128). The summoner, in turn, has his own servants and spies in the form of whores and thieves. Likewise, the demon falls into a hierarchy in that he is assigned by a higher power the responsibility of capturing his prey, the soul of the summoner. Then in the episode of the farmer and his cart of hay, the reader learns that the authority of the demon is limited, just as that of that authority in a marriage, but that authority still has power over that one who has none. "That hadde almost as lief to lese hire nekke As for to yeve a peny of hir good"(Chaucer 127).

The Summoner's tale follows that of the Friar mainly to get back at the Friar for saying what he has about the Summoner and to also show another aspect of marriage in a different way then just talking about a man and a woman. The Summoner's tale relates to marriage in the fact that the Summoner talks about the lies and the adultery that happens in marriages. In the Summoner's tale Thomas wife has an affair with a friar, who is suppose to be good and holy. This is also to get back at the friar for the story that he told about the Summoner. The Summoner shows these lies that are told by the Friar to get the wife to sleep with him. This is how they show the deceitfulness that happens between people especially between a man and women when they are not faithful. "So didde oure sexteyn and oure