The Canterbury Tales are a collection of twenty-three tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the fourteenth century. A frame tale embraces the different tales which are told by a group of pilgrims on their way from Southwark to Canterbury where the group wants to visit the sacred shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. In order to make their pilgrimage more enjoyable, the pilgrims decide that each pilgrim tells two stories on their way to Canterbury and two on the return trip. The Host will then decide which was the best tale. However, The Canterbury Tales are incomplete. With all of the thirty pilgrims telling four stories, there should have been a hundred and twenty tales in all according to the original plan. But Chaucer only completed twenty-three tales. In the Middle Ages, pilgrimage was a social as well as a religious event. Different social classes were mingled together. All the three strata of fourteenth century English society are represented in the tales – the nobility, the clergy and the commoners. The themes in The Canterbury Tales are as various as the pilgrims are. Some tales deal with the corruption of the Church and religious malpractice. Therefore, a number of churchmen and churchwomen are depicted and often treated ironically. Another important theme in the tales is the corruptness of human nature which can be linked to the theme of the decline of moral values. Chivalry is depicted in some tales, often closely connected to the concept of courtly love. The position of women in the Middle Ages as well as their position in marriage relationships are themes which appear in some way or the other in almost all of the tales. Four of the tales have even been called the “Marriage Group”. The following paper is going to deal with marriage in the “Marriage Group Tales” of The Canterbury Tales. The first part of this paper will examine the importance of marriage in the Middle Ages and the position of women in medieval society. Then, the development of the idea of courtly love will be presented. In a second part, this paper is going to give a short survey about all the tales dealing with marriage. The idea of a “Marriage Group” in The Canterbury Tales will then be presented. The last section of this paper will deal with two of the tales which constitute the beginning and the end of the “Marriage Group”, namely the Wife of Bath’s Tale and the Franklin’s Tale.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Historical Background
2.1 Marriage in the Middle Ages
2.2 The Concept of Courtly Love
3. Marriage in the Canterbury Tales
3.1 Tales about Marriage
3.2 The Constitution of the “Marriage Group”
4. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale as the Initiation of the “Marriage Debate”
4.1 Sources, Structure and Themes of the Wife of Bath’s Prologue
4.2 The Wife of Bath’s Tale
4.2.1 Summary of the Tale
4.2.2 Sources, Structures and Themes
4.3 Marriage as Mastery of the Woman
5. The Franklin’s Tale as the Conclusion of the “Marriage Debate”
5.1 Summary of the Tale
5.2 Sources, Structure and Themes
5.3 Love as the controlling principle
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic paper examines the depiction of marriage within the "Marriage Group" of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, specifically analyzing the social, historical, and literary contexts of marital power dynamics. The primary research focus investigates how these tales initiate and resolve a "marriage debate" regarding sovereignty and gender roles.
- The socio-historical construction of marriage in the Middle Ages.
- The influence of the courtly love tradition on marital relationships.
- The portrayal of gender power dynamics and the concept of "maistrie" (mastery).
- A comparative analysis of the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale versus the Franklin’s Tale.
- Chaucer's synthesis of various viewpoints into a conclusion on ideal marriage.
Excerpt from the Book
4.3 Marriage as Mastery of the Woman
The Wife of Bath is the dominant figure in the marriage debate because it is she who starts the debate and the participants keep her steadily in mind and mention her and her doctrines more than once. She had five husbands which and is also ready to welcome a sixth husband.
Yblessed be God that I have wedded five! Welcome the sixte, whan that evere he shal.43
She is an expert on marriage and presents all of her husbands in her Prologue. The first three husbands are described as good, especially because they have been a lot older than her and easier to control. Her last two husbands are considerably younger than her.
Both her prologue and her tale deal with a wife’s successful bid for ‘maistrie’ over her husband. The traditional role of husbands and wives in medieval society, stated by the Church and society, are reversed in this way. The Wife of Bath argues against virginity, a state glorified by the Church, but not required of all as she says.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Provides an overview of The Canterbury Tales as a collection and outlines the paper's focus on the "Marriage Group" and the impending marriage debate.
2. Historical Background: Examines the secular and ecclesiastical models of marriage in medieval society and defines the conceptual framework of courtly love.
3. Marriage in the Canterbury Tales: Surveys the various marital representations throughout the tales and identifies the specific stories constituting the "Marriage Group".
4. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale as the Initiation of the “Marriage Debate”: Analyzes the Wife of Bath’s arguments for female sovereignty and her challenge to traditional medieval views on marriage and virginity.
5. The Franklin’s Tale as the Conclusion of the “Marriage Debate”: Discusses how the Franklin reconciles courtly love with marriage, presenting an ideal relationship based on mutual respect rather than mastery.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes how Chaucer used these tales to critique and correct contemporary antifeminist prejudices and the rigid constraints of courtly love.
Keywords
Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, Marriage Group, Medieval Marriage, Courtly Love, Fine Amour, Maistrie, Sovereignty, Wife of Bath, Franklin, Gender Roles, Marital Debate, Social History, Literature, Gentillesse.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper explores the representation of marriage in specific chapters of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales known as the "Marriage Group."
What are the primary thematic fields?
The central themes include the historical reality of medieval marriage, the impact of courtly love, the struggle for authority within wedlock, and the evolution of gender power dynamics.
What is the central research question?
The paper addresses how the "Marriage Group" contributes to a debate on sovereignty between husband and wife and whether an ideal marital relationship can exist within the constraints of medieval society.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses literary analysis, historical contextualization, and a comparative study of source materials (such as Ovid, Jerome, and Boccaccio) to interpret Chaucer’s intentions.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body analyzes the initiation of the marriage debate by the Wife of Bath and its resolution by the Franklin, contrasting their differing perspectives on mastery and mutual respect.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include "Marriage Group," "Maistrie," "Courtly Love," "Sovereignty," and "Gender Roles."
How does the Wife of Bath view her own marriages?
The Wife of Bath views marriage as a field for "maistrie," where she actively seeks control, reflecting a deliberate reversal of the traditional submissive role of the medieval wife.
Why is the Franklin’s Tale considered the conclusion of the debate?
The Franklin’s Tale is seen as a resolution because it moves beyond the extreme of complete female dominance or total male subjugation, proposing a partnership based on shared values and mutual consent.
- Quote paper
- MA Simone Petry (Author), 2004, Marriage in the 'Marriage Group Tales' of The Canterbury Tales, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/60000
