marriage in the canterburry ta

The "Shipman's Tale" exemplifies the sarcastic view of marriage taken by Chaucer. Here, his wife along with his cousin, Sir John the monk, cuckolds a noble merchant. The merchant is completely trusting of his wife and his cousin, but still they take advantage of him. Money is the underlying theme in this tale. First, Sir John asks the merchant if he'd "contrive to lend [him] a hundred francs" (Chaucer, 164) which would actually be used to seduce the merchant's wife. The merchant gladly loans him the money; not knowing his cousin had ulterior motives. Then, the merchant leaves on a business trip and leaves his wife alone in their home, along wit

Howard, Donald R. Chaucer: His Life, His Works, His World. New York: E.P. Dutton,

Essentially, Geoffrey Chaucer’s belief that marriage is an institution, which cannot be upheld, is proven by his attitude in his book The Canterbury Tales. The plot summaries of the Miller’s Tale, the Merchant’s Tale, the Shipman’s Tale, and the Wife of Bath’s Prologue are all stories about the domination that exists within marriage. Chaucer’s scornful and ridiculing descriptions of these incidents show his disdain for the institution of marriage.

The whole situation is described as ludicrous and Chaucer's sarcastic view is evident once again.

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