The Merchant’s Tale, Goeffrey Chaucer, 1387
- ‘Oold fissh and yong fleshe’- Januarie’s desire for a young wife
- ‘Warm wax with handes plye’- Januarie’s desire to mould his wife
- ‘Though I do be hoor, I fare as dooth a tree’- Januarie unable to acknowledge his old
age
- ‘She may be your purgatorie’- Justinus about Januarie’s new marriage and wife
- ‘to love and serve’- reminder of womens role in society
- ‘and folwed ay his bodily delyt’- followed his bodily desire (Januarie)
- ‘for who kan be so buxom as a wife?’- obedient women quote
- ‘A wyf is Goddes yifte verraily’- wife as gods gift
- ‘He which hath no wyf, I holde hym shent’- no wife= ruin
- ‘that wyf is manness helpe and his confort’
- ‘do this’ seith he; ‘al redy sire’, seith she
- ‘A wife is kepere of thyn housbondyre’- wife is the keeper of the household
- ‘she shal nat passe twenty yeer’- Januarie’s need for a younger wife
- ‘and eek thise olde wydwes’- widows having power- TDOM link
- ‘th’onour of God above’- honour the god above, marriage comment
- ‘youre owene conseil is the beste’- Placebo about Januarie, pleasing him
- ‘to whom I yeve my body for alwey’- Januarie about loyalty to his wife
- ‘hir fresshe beautee and hir age tendre’- fresh beauty and age, young wife
- ‘thanne shal youre soule up to hevene skippe’- after getting a wife
- ‘whan tendre youthe hath wedded stoupyng age’- tender youth and old age match
- ‘fulfild of alle beautee and plesaunce’- beauty and delight, May
- ‘I am agast ye shul it nat susteene’- I am afraid you wont sustain, Januarie to May
- ‘The bryde was broght abedde as stille as stoon;’- Bride as still as stone, May
- ‘His fresshe May, his paradys, his make’- may as his paradise and mate
- ‘In trewe wedlok coupled be we tweye’- in wedlock they are coupled, ironic
- ‘A man may do no synne with his wyf’- a man can do no wrong with his wife- irony
- ‘She preyseth nat his pleyyng worth a bene’- May’s opinion on Januarie’s prowess
- ‘fresshe May’
- ‘So secrely that no wight of it wiste’- so secretly no one knew- rendezvous with
Damyan
- ‘Is woxen blynd, and that al sodeynly’- goes blind suddenly
- ‘And privee signes wiste he what she mente’- Damyan knew what May’s signs meant
- ‘And Damyan, that knew al hire entente’- Damyan knew her intent
- ‘Com forth, and lat us taken oure disport’- come forth and take our pleasure (J to M)
- ‘Swiche olde lewed wordes used he’- such old ignorant words used he, about J
- ‘This Damyan thanne hath opened the wyket’- Damyan opening the gate, opening M
- ‘Beth to me trewe’- be to me true, J to M
- ‘I am a gentil womman and no wenche’- May to Januarie
- ‘And with hir fynger signes made she’ – May deceiving Januarie to Damyan
- ‘That charged was with fruyt’- loaded with fruit (the tree), fertility imagery
- ‘So I my foot myghte sette upon youre bak’- literally going behind his back, irony,
fabliaux
- ‘if that ye myghte se, Ye wolde nat seyn thise wordes unto me’- May to Januarie,
deception
