The Merchant's Tale - Chaucer

Hey I wonder if anyone can help... In The Merchant's tale, when Januarie is telling his friends what sort of wife he wants, the merchant says:
'Bet is, quod he, a pyk than a pikerel
And bet than old boef is the tendre veel'

I am a bit confused... these metaphors are obviously being used to illustrate that Januarie wants a young wife. 'Boef' is old whereas 'veel' is young, so I get that. However, a pyk is old whereas a pikerel is young (I think) so I would have thought he would prefer the pykerel, yet from what I can tell he is saying he would prefer a pyk? (a pyk is better than a pikerel??) I thought the whole point was that he wanted 'noon oold wyf in no manere'. If anyone can settle my confusion I will be so grateful :biggrin:

Reply 1

- im always okay -

what i thought about the pyk/pikerel image (or what i was told by my teacher haha) is that he is stating that a big strong pike is better than a tiny little pikerel, in terms of male sexual organs, rather than it being used to describe the kind of wife he would like.

hope that clears things up.. have a good un x

Reply 2

zoea85

OP

2

Ohh so he is referring to himself. I never thought of it like that, I guess that makes sense. Thanks a lot! :biggrin:

Reply 3

username117158

0

5

zoea85

Hey I wonder if anyone can help... In The Merchant's tale, when Januarie is telling his friends what sort of wife he wants, the merchant says:
'Bet is, quod he, a pyk than a pikerel
And bet than old boef is the tendre veel'

The main point of the pyk and the pickerel is that a pike is a predetory animal and January is comparing himself to a predator in a way, why is this being done. Chaucer is being ironic as January is no predator, the whole predetor pray issue is inverted by Chaucer as it could be said that the image of the courtly lover is satirised.

Also the way in which woman are described in flesh terms furthers the image of woman as commodities in the eyes of men. However chaucer is being proto-feminist, does he really take the male chauvenist perspective. No. The tale is polyphonic, Chuchers voice, the Merchants voice and January's Voice.

+ the pike is a phallic image, swimming in the water.... think about it... grandiose and crude imagery... runs parralel to the and 'doun descende' and 'beard unsofte' imagery of the January later in the poem, it shows how he is frail etc.

Is May the 'tendre veel' is she 'freshe' intially yes... but as the tale progresses the manner in which she acts depicts it less.

Got some more Bio reivision now :-( and then have history and more enlgish.... god...

Reply 4

Eragon452

2

zoea85

Hey I wonder if anyone can help... In The Merchant's tale, when Januarie is telling his friends what sort of wife he wants, the merchant says:
'Bet is, quod he, a pyk than a pikerel
And bet than old boef is the tendre veel'

I am a bit confused... these metaphors are obviously being used to illustrate that Januarie wants a young wife. 'Boef' is old whereas 'veel' is young, so I get that. However, a pyk is old whereas a pikerel is young (I think) so I would have thought he would prefer the pykerel, yet from what I can tell he is saying he would prefer a pyk? (a pyk is better than a pikerel??) I thought the whole point was that he wanted 'noon oold wyf in no manere'. If anyone can settle my confusion I will be so grateful :biggrin:

And apparently in medieval times they ate fish that was really off, and old fish was considered more delicious than young so perhaps he's saying old is best to go with young.

Reply 5

username117158

0

5

Right Ive just spoke to my teacher about the exam.

He says. There only ever going to ask "whats the story, whats behind it, and whats chaucer saying about it?" but in different ways.

Overall

The poem is a fablieu and is part of the canterbury tales, this particular tale revels in crude detail, its a bawdy romp full of sexual innuendo and its entertainment for the masses with its comedy aimed at January. OR IS IT

It would be the foolish reader who reaches the end of the book without realising and hearing Chaucers voice coming through, it is a book of Irony double entendre. Is chaucer really revelling in the bawdy sexual hyperbole... NO... he's calling into question the ideals of medieval marrige. He's turing things upside down and he's satarising courtly love.

Literary Critic

Mikial Bahktin: Was a russian scholer who proposed the ideas which are V. IMPORTANT in a modern reading of the Merchants tale. The idea of POLYPHONY that is that there are many conflicting voices throughout the poem, and even tghe lack of voice i.e Mays shows the lack of feminine perspective. Again this Idea of Chaucer as a protofeminist.

Yes on the surface this is a tale of light hearted amusement, but it is important to remember that beneath the surface there lies an authartorial questioning tone, and the irony prevelent throughout only furthers this notion.

The Merchant's Tale - Chaucer

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