Abstract

This essay argues that the Merchant’s Tale uses images of figurative and literal enclosure to suggest the irony of January’s regarding himself master of his young wife, May. Though the old man creates figurative and literal enclosures around his wife in order to keep her to himself in an unreasonable manner, the crafty young woman, aided by her young paramour, Damyan, eventually places the old man in a figurative enclosure, leading her to keep the keeper, in a comedic inversion of the unequal dichotomy of husband/wife and master/servant. Like and unlike January, who is unreasonable—due to hubris and delusion—and who loses control, Chaucer the pilgrim-narrator willingly relinquishes control of the narrative and thereby maintains moderate control. Chaucer the pilgrim-narrator illustrates this reasonable relinquishment by moving out of the static portrayals of pilgrims within the General Prologue—which he narrates—and into tales the pilgrims themselves narrate, in addition to engaging in dramatic episodes with other pilgrims—including Chaucer the pilgrim-narrator, who has relinquished enough control to become a participant in the drama.

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