In the Middle Ages, hierarchies were in place but there were means by which people could enjoy themselves and have fun even at the expense of the ruling classes. Several of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales are permeated with this liberal spirit. The tales are framed within a journey to Canterbury, with a group of pilgrims setting out to entertain themselves by telling a series of stories. The varied company represents the different sectors of English society at the time: there are nobles like the Knight and the Squire, clerks and clergy, peasants, notable women like the Wife of Bath and the Prioress, and enterprising characters who are in the process of pursuing wealth and reputation (Medieval Estates and Orders). One of these is the
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He gives his own tale to pre-empt a sermon from the Lollard priest. The Shipman promises that the tale he tells will be no Gospel-teaching, nor will it be about philosophy. Indeed, he admits that “There is but little Latin in my maw!” True to his word, his story is a rather bawdy one. He tells about a rich merchant from St. Denis who has a pretty and lively young wife. To set the stage for what is to come, he points out that “the silly husband has to pay” for the dancing, the feasting, and fine clothes, or the “decoration” of his wife. In the tale itself, the wife tries to borrow a hundred francs from a handsome young monk named Sir John, who is a friend of the merchant and well-loved in the merchant’s house. In exchange for the loan, the wife promises to lie all night in the monk’s arms. The monk then proceeds to borrow the hundred francs from the clueless merchant, gives it to the wife, and lies with her while her husband goes off to Bruges on business. When the merchant returns, the Sir John tells him that he has given his payment of the loan to the merchant’s wife. The wife tells her husband that she has spent all the money on finery, but promises to settle the tally in bed. The merchant has to accept her terms, although he admonishes her not to be so extravagant next time. The Shipman ends on a double entendre, saying, “May God send us plenty of tallying till death shall end us! Amen.” When the tale is
He gives his own tale to pre-empt a sermon from the Lollard priest. The Shipman promises that the tale he tells will be no Gospel-teaching, nor will it be about philosophy. Indeed, he admits that “There is but little Latin in my maw!” True to his word, his story is a rather bawdy one. He tells about a rich merchant from St. Denis who has a pretty and lively young wife. To set the stage for what is to come, he points out that “the silly husband has to pay” for the dancing, the feasting, and fine clothes, or the “decoration” of his wife. In the tale itself, the wife tries to borrow a hundred francs from a handsome young monk named Sir John, who is a friend of the merchant and well-loved in the merchant’s house. In exchange for the loan, the wife promises to lie all night in the monk’s arms. The monk then proceeds to borrow the hundred francs from the clueless merchant, gives it to the wife, and lies with her while her husband goes off to Bruges on business. When the merchant returns, the Sir John tells him that he has given his payment of the loan to the merchant’s wife. The wife tells her husband that she has spent all the money on finery, but promises to settle the tally in bed. The merchant has to accept her terms, although he admonishes her not to be so extravagant next time. The Shipman ends on a double entendre, saying, “May God send us plenty of tallying till death shall end us! Amen.” When the tale is