The Canterbury Tales: The Merchant's Tale

Summary

In the 'Merchant's Tale' from the 'Canab Tales,' an older knight named January, seeking to fulfill God's promise, marries the young May despite his friends' warnings about her potential infidelity. As January becomes blind, May and her lover Damien, a squire, use the knight's garden as their trysting place. When January's sight is restored by Pluto, he catches them in the act but is deceived by May's clever excuse. The tale concludes with the host expressing his disdain for women's trickery and a humorous plea to keep his own wife's shortcomings a secret.

Takeaways

• 🎎 The Merchant's Tale from the Canterbury Tales explores themes of marriage, fidelity, and the dynamics between older men and younger wives.
• 👵 The story features a 60-year-old knight, January, who decides to marry a much younger woman named May, despite his friends' warnings about the potential for infidelity.
• 💔 January's friends express skepticism about the marriage, suggesting that young wives are likely to be unfaithful, but January is convinced of the sanctity of marriage.
• 💍 May is depicted as beautiful and desirable, and January is infatuated with her, while she is less impressed with him but hides her true feelings.
• 💔 A young squire named Damien, who works for January, is secretly in love with May and communicates his feelings to her through a poem.
• 📜 May initially rejects Damien's advances but later falls in love with him and they begin an affair, using January's blindness as an opportunity to meet in secret.
• 🌳 The couple's secret meetings take place in a beautiful garden, which is locked and has a key only January possesses, symbolizing the hidden nature of their affair.
• 👀 January's blindness and his fear of May's infidelity lead him to keep her close, which ironically prevents her from seeing Damien, causing her distress.
• 🔑 May and Damien have copies of the key to the garden, indicating their cunning and the lengths they go to maintain their secret relationship.
• 🌐 The tale concludes with a twist where January's sight is restored by Pluto, the god of the underworld, and he catches May and Damien in the act, but May cleverly convinces him that what he saw was not real.
• 🏰 The story ends with the host of the tale expressing his own desire to avoid women like May, and a humorous plea to keep his own wife's flaws a secret.

Q & A

What is the main theme of 'The Merchant's Tale' from the 'Canab Tales'?

The main theme of 'The Merchant's Tale' revolves around the nature of marriage, fidelity, and the potential for deception and trickery in relationships.

How long has the Merchant been married at the beginning of the tale?

The Merchant has been married for a little over two months.

What is the Merchant's opinion of his wife?

The Merchant does not care for his wife and believes her to be unfaithful, even suggesting that she could outwit the devil.

Why does January, the old Knight, decide to get married?

January decides to get married to fulfill God's promise and his role in life, hoping to have a son and ensure that God smiles upon him.

What is January's age and what criteria does he have for a potential wife?

January is 60 years old and he is looking for a wife no older than 30 years old, believing that someone younger will be more malleable and able to bear children.

How does January's friend Justinian react to the news of his marriage plans?

Justinian is not happy with January's decision to marry and warns him that his wife could be his earthly purgatory, sent by God to prepare his soul for heaven.

Who is the woman that January falls in love with and decides to marry?

The woman that January falls in love with and marries is named May.

What happens to January that leads to May having to hold his hand at all times?

January goes completely blind, and in fear that his wife will cheat on him, he makes her hold his hand at all times to ensure she is always by his side.

How do May and Damian manage to meet secretly in the garden?

May and Damian manage to meet secretly by using a key to access the garden, where they engage in intimate activities, unbeknownst to January until the end of the tale.

What happens when Pluto decides to restore January's sight?

When Pluto restores January's sight, January catches May and Damian in the act of infidelity in the pear tree. However, May convinces January that what he saw was not real, comparing it to the confusion of waking from a deep sleep.

How does the host of 'Let's Get Lit' feel about May's character and women in general after hearing the tale?

The host expresses a desire to stay away from women like May, who he perceives as being full of trickery and deceit.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Introduction to 'The Merchant's Tale'

The script begins with a lively introduction to an episode of a show discussing 'The Merchant's Tale' from the 'Canab Tales'. The host sets the stage for a story that explores themes of marriage, fidelity, and the secrets that can be hidden behind closed doors. The tale is introduced through the perspective of a merchant who has been married for two months and is already disillusioned with his wife, feeling that she is cunning and unfaithful. The merchant contrasts his wife with Griselda from 'The Clerk's Tale', expressing a desire for the freedom of bachelorhood. The host invites the merchant to share a story, leading into the main narrative about a wealthy, older knight named January who, despite his age and successful life, decides to marry to fulfill what he perceives as God's command for him to have a son. January is particular about his choice, seeking a young wife under 30, believing that older women would be less faithful and more set in their ways. His friends warn him of the potential for infidelity, but January remains steadfast in his decision, emphasizing the sanctity of marriage and his youthful spirit despite his age.

05:01

💔 Unfaithfulness and Deception in Marriage

The narrative continues with January's marriage to a young woman named May, whom he falls deeply in love with. The couple enjoys a lavish wedding and reception, after which January is eager to consummate the marriage. Despite January's infatuation, May is less impressed and keeps her true feelings hidden. The story then shifts to a young squire named Damien, who is secretly in love with May. Feeling unwell due to his unrequited love, Damien writes a passionate poem for May and secretly gives it to her. May, after initially rejecting the note, later realizes she shares Damien's feelings and responds with a letter. The plot thickens as January, now blind, suspects his wife's infidelity and demands she hold his hand at all times. May, with the help of a copied key, continues to meet Damien in a secret garden. The tale reaches a climax when January, restored to sight by Pluto, catches May and Damien together in a compromising position. May cleverly convinces January that his sight is still deceiving him, and he believes her, allowing the deception to continue. The episode concludes with the host reflecting on the tale, expressing a desire to avoid women like May and inadvertently revealing his own wife's flaws, humorously asking the audience to keep his comments confidential.

Keywords

💡Merchant's Tale

The 'Merchant's Tale' is a story from Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales', which is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on a journey to Canterbury. In the video, it is used to explore themes of marriage, fidelity, and the dynamics between men and women. The tale is used to critique the merchant's views on women's faithfulness and to illustrate the complexities of relationships.

💡Faithfulness

Faithfulness in the context of the video refers to the loyalty and trustworthiness expected in a marital relationship. The merchant questions the faithfulness of women, particularly his wife, and this theme is explored through the story of January and May, where May's actions challenge the concept of fidelity.

💡January

January is a character in the 'Merchant's Tale' who is an older, wealthy knight. He represents the older generation's perspective on marriage and desire for companionship. His decision to marry May, despite his friends' warnings, sets the stage for the unfolding drama and highlights the theme of age and desire.

💡May

May is a young woman who marries January in the tale. She symbolizes youth and beauty, and her character is used to explore the theme of age and desire. Her actions also raise questions about the expectations placed on women in relationships and the potential for betrayal.

💡Infatuation

Infatuation is a strong but often short-lived passion or admiration for someone. In the video, January's infatuation with May is a central theme, illustrating how love can be blind and lead to overlooking potential flaws or deceptions in a relationship.

💡Blindness

Blindness in the video is a literal condition that January suffers from, but it also serves as a metaphor for his inability to see the true nature of May's actions. It is a key element in the climax of the story, where his blindness is both a physical ailment and a symbol of his lack of insight.

💡Damien

Damien is a young squire who is secretly in love with May. His character represents the potential for betrayal and the conflict between duty and desire. His relationship with May is a central plot point that explores themes of love, loyalty, and deception.

💡Garden

The garden in the story is a symbol of a private, secluded space where January and May's relationship unfolds. It is also the setting for the climax of the tale, where May's infidelity is revealed. The garden serves as a metaphor for the hidden aspects of relationships and the potential for secrets to be kept within them.

💡Sanctity of Marriage

The sanctity of marriage refers to the religious and moral significance of the marital bond. In the video, January's belief in the sanctity of marriage is contrasted with the reality of his wife's actions, highlighting the theme of the gap between idealized expectations and the complexities of real-life relationships.

💡Deception

Deception is a theme that runs throughout the video, as May's actions deceive January about her true feelings and intentions. It is a central element in the narrative, illustrating the potential for betrayal in relationships and the consequences of dishonesty.

💡Epilogue

The epilogue in the video serves as a conclusion to the 'Merchant's Tale', where the host reflects on the story and its implications. It is a narrative device used to wrap up the tale and provide a final commentary on the themes explored, such as the merchant's views on women and the nature of relationships.

Highlights

Introduction to the Merchant's Tale from the Canterbury Tales, exploring themes of marriage, fidelity, and secrets.

The Merchant's disdain for his wife and his longing for bachelorhood, contrasting with the idealized Griselda.

January, a wealthy 60-year-old knight, decides to marry to fulfill God's promise and secure his legacy.

January's friends warn him of the potential infidelity of a younger wife, but he remains confident in the sanctity of marriage.

May, a young woman, captures January's heart and they get married in a grand ceremony.

Damien, a squire in love with May, struggles with his unrequited feelings post-wedding.

May's secret encounter with Damien, where he slips a love note into her bosom.

January's blindness and his attempt to keep May close to prevent her from cheating.

May and Damien's secret meetings in the garden, facilitated by a copied key.

Pluto, the god of the underworld, decides to restore January's sight to reveal May's infidelity.

May's clever excuse to January after he regains his sight and catches her with Damien.

The Host's closing remarks on the tale, expressing his desire to avoid women like May.

The Host's humorous plea for secrecy regarding his comments about his wife.

The episode's conclusion with a call to action for viewers to like, share, and subscribe.

Transcripts

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hello and welcome back to let's get lit

in today's episode we're going to be

going over the Merchant's tale from the

canab tales in this tale we're going to

see a man marry a woman if women truly

are faithful in the Merchant's eyes and

what kind of things happen behind

people's backs without them knowing

let's Dive Right In and see what goes on

shall

we the prologue for the Merchant's tale

starts off with the merchant saying that

he has been married for a little over 2

months now and that he really doesn't

care for his wife he actually goes on to

State as an example that his wife and

the devil were to make a pack she would

even be able to get the better of him he

says that his wife is completely

opposite of that of Griselda from the

student Tale the merchant wishes he

could just be a single man again and

after saying all of this the host asks

that he would tell us a story and the

merchant says he would be glad to and

this is where the prologue for the

merchant ends the story starts off with

a merchant telling about a rich older

Knight named January he is 60 years old

and he has had a great life being a

wonderful Knight throughout his 60 years

he has been unmarried and single he gets

it into his head one day that he wants

to marry and fulfill God's promise and

his role in life that is that he should

be married and have a son and that way

God can smile upon him he gathers a

bunch of his friends together and tells

him exactly what he's going to be doing

and what he's looking for he tells his

friends that he wants a wife but that he

will not settle for just anyone to be

his wife he's looking for someone that

is no older than 30 years old he says

this because he thinks that someone

older than this will have ulterior

motives and will be too set in their

ways to be a good wife whereas someone

younger will be able to still bear

children to him and he would be able to

help mold her and shape her into a great

wife one of his friends says this really

is a stupid idea because women are so

unfaithful to begin with that they are

likely to cheat and um to look at other

men specifically especially if they're

younger than him January says nonsense

and then it goes on to give a big spiel

about the importance of sanctity of

marriage and how right it is he says

that though he is old and his physical

features are old as well he's still very

young at heart and still very Green in

love January and his friends begin to

look for a suitable wife for him finally

after some searching he finds the one

woman who steals his heart and her name

is May after January finds her he then

calls a meeting with all of his friends

to tell him of the news when hearing

this news Justinian is not happy with it

he goes on to make a speech about how

January thinks wetted life is going to

be so Blissful but January really should

be careful because his wife could be the

Earthly Purgatory that God gave him and

so that way his soul can go to heaven

after hearing this Outburst from

justinius January is still convinced

that he's going to marry May so without

further fighting everyone gets

everything ready and they all prepare

for the wedding on The Wedding Day

January is very excited and when he sees

May coming in she looks so beautiful as

if Sarah or Rebecca from the Bible

beautiful the priest goes on through all

the rituals and they are ceremoniously

married after this they have a nice

lavis reception with many great

instruments in food the merchant then

goes on to say that January looks upon

May and is completely enraptured by her

looks he also states that January cannot

wait until the party is over that way he

can fulfill his husbandly duty and

please her on many levels the merchant

then also uh talks of a young Squire

called Damien who has worked for January

for a long period of time and how Damien

also is in love with may as the party is

winding down January gets his friends to

clear the castle out so he may go to bed

with his wife the friends all agree and

promptly everyone from their Castle

exits and goes home happily the priest

blesses the bed before they get into it

the merchant then goes on to describe

that January fully and passionately

makes love to his wife all night and in

the morning when the break of day comes

he finally stops and gets some rest

January is fully infatuated with his

wife and is fully in love with her she

however not so thoroughly impressed with

him but she keeps that to herself the

merchant then jumps back to Damian and

how he hasn't been feeling well since

the wedding because of his love

stuckness the merchant says that Damen

writes out a poem of all of his love

that he has for me and he folds it up

and puts it into a purse close to his

heart under his under his shirt the next

day goes by and January and may are

sitting in the Hall feasting January

then quickly realizes that he has not

seen Damian for quite some time the

other squir who were there tell him that

he is sick and is stayed in bed January

tells his wife that she should go to his

bed chamber and go visit him and make

sure he feels better and comfort him and

to also tell him that he will come by

and visit him as well in due time May

agrees and shortly after she goes to the

chambers with her chambermaids and she

tries to cheer him up and give Damien

kind's words and thoughts while she's

doing this he quickly slips the note

from his purse into her bosom after a

little while later May goes back to her

husband who is sitting in bed waiting

for her he asks her to take off her

clothes so that he may once again enjoy

each other's company they both enjoy

each other's company for the afternoon

and once they are finished she gets back

and puts her clothes on and she goes

away into a smaller room to read the

note Damian had written for her after

she reads this note she immediately

tears it up into little pieces and

throws it away not long after she reads

the note she realizes that she actually

reciprocates the same feelings for Damen

she quickly writes a letter to him and

goes to his room and slips it under his

pillow for him to read the merchant then

jumps back to January and how he is

completely full of bliss still in love

with his wife and how he wants to make

sure that his dwelling place is fully

furnished it even talks about a great

Garden that had been constructed and all

of its beauty the King was so in love

with the garden that he actually had it

locked away and the only person who had

a key for this Garden was January

himself the merchant also says that the

garden was so nice and lovely that

January and may would do things there

that were meant for the bedroom but they

did them in the garden the merchant goes

on to say that very soon after this

January goes completely blind and

January being in fear that his wife will

cheat on him makes her hold his hand at

all times to make sure she's right

beside him this upsets May because she

fully fell in love with Damen and under

these new conditions she was never able

to see him uh this also caused Daman

great distress because he could not get

any time with may as well the author

also gives the audience the information

that may has had a mold made of the

king's key for the garden and that she

had a key for herself it's also stated

that Damien had a copy of a key to get

in the garden himself and that's where

they often would meet up one day January

gets up and he has it in his mind that

he wants to go with May into the garden

and enjoy the day May finds this

alarming because she already told Damien

to sneakily go into the garden and wait

for her there so that the two can play

together Damen is able to get into the

garden unseen and unhe hurt and crouches

beneath a bush to wait for her January

and may make their way to the Garden to

and lock the doors behind them he tells

his wife they are in the garden and that

he wants to make sure that because she's

uh been such a great and honorable wife

that he gives her everything he could

think of he tells her that when they

were wedded they were joined together

and that he knows he's getting older and

will possibly die soon so he's going to

make sure that everything that he owns

is given to her during this conversation

May looks over and can see Damian

underneath the bush their eyes meet and

she gives him a signal to climb a pear

tree he does and after this January and

may begin to roam around the gardens the

merchant then shifts over to Pluto and

his wife who were sitting in the Garden

nearby the two of them have witnessed

everything going on and Pluto decides

he's going to give January his sight

back so that way he can see all the

terrible things may is doing behind his

back Pluto's wife says that men are so

leous that if Pluto does give January

his sight back she will give May a

really credible excuse for her actions

the merchant then shifts back to January

and May and they make it to the pear

tree that Damian is sitting in she tells

January that she really wants a hair or

else she will just die January says that

unfortunately he doesn't have a squire

nearby who can get one down for her to

which may says that's not a problem if

he can help her up she will get inside

the tree and grab one herself January

agrees and she gets on top of his back

and climbs up to the tree where Damen is

waiting for her once she is in the tree

Damen and may begin to have sex upon

this Pluto instantly gives the sight

back to January where he is immediately

filled with anger at what he sees and

just like Pluto's wife says she gives

May a great excuse for her action she

tells January that what he saw was not

actually what he saw she Akins it to

more of like when someone wakes up from

a really deep sleep and how they can't

trust the first thing they see and that

it takes about a day or two for their

sight to fully come back and make proper

sense of what's happening January

believes her and she climbs down out of

the tree and he Embraces her and they go

back to the castle this is where the

Merchant's tale ends in a small epilogue

after the Merchant's Tale the host says

that that he wishes to stay away from

women like May and all their trickery he

goes on to say that he is married to a

woman who is somewhat of a shrew and a

gossip after he says that he immediately

regrets it and says please don't tell

her please don't tell my wife he's like

these things somehow end up finding

their way back to her so let's just keep

it between us this is where the

Merchant's tale ends and the epilog ends

thank you so much for joining us for

today's episode have a wonderful rest of

your day please remember to like share

and subscribe and as always stay

lit

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