Parody and Satire in The Miller's and Merchant's Tale

Guinevere Shaw

Alison in the Miller's Tale and May of the Merchant's Tale are similar in several ways. Both are young women who have married men much older than themselves. They both become involved with young, manipulative men. They also conspire to and do cuckold their husbands. This is not what marriage is about and it is demonstrated in both tales. What makes the Miller's Tale bawdy comedy and the Merchant's tale bitter satire is in the characterization. In the Miller's tale we are giving stereotyped characters. The principals are cardboard cut-outs sent into farcical motion. The Merchant's Tale gives us much more background and detail of the character's lives. The reader is more involved and can feel their situations. Here we will focus on the two women of each tale and how they demonstrate this difference.

Alison is described as young and wild. She is like an animal: " Thereto she koude skippe and make game/ As any kyde or calf folwynge his dame" (I. 3259-60). We know that she would be willing to go along with any idea as long as it is "fun". We can see her childish immaturity in the scenes where she lets Absalom "kiss" her. We do not learn the details of her marriage such as her feeling toward John, her husband. We simply know that it is a mis-matched marriage with a large age gap between them.

May is not described in much detail compared to Alison. She is simply young, meek and beautiful. The disgusting details of her marriage though are clearly shown. January makes speeches about his desire to consummate his marriage and loathingly promises to take his time. We are with May when the real horror she feels at having to sleep with January is described: "But God woot what that May thoughte in hir herte/ Whan she hym saugh up sittynge in his sherte/ In his nyght-cappe, and with his nekke lene" (IV. 1851-53). This quote follows distasteful descriptions of January who eagerly awaits May in bed. The reader is privy to none of this with Alison.

It does not take much persuasion on Nicholas' part to talk Alison into having an affair with her. The idea of tricking her husband is a game for her. With impish delight she conspires with Nicholas the outlandish plot of convincing her husband that a great flood is coming. With her husband safety ensconced in a bathtub hanging from the roof, Alison plays with Nicholas. And it is play for then we have the "kissing" scene with Absalom. Alison is having fun with the whole situation, it is just a great time for her.

May does not love Damien any more than she loves January. He is just a better, convenient alternative. We know she cares not for Damien as when she receives a love-letter from him she easily disposes it in the privy. It is easy to see that her motivation for adultery is really one of revenge and not out of affection for Damien. January assaulted her by the mere fact of marrying her. This is satire on the whole theme of courtly love. This feeling of revenge on her part is further demonstrated in the cuckold scene.

May deceives January quite wickedly in the garden. Yet for the reader we can not fault her for it. January has that garden for the purpose of licentious behavior. It is there so he can have May sexually in the way he wants her. She feigns pregnancy and then steps onto January's back to have sex with Damien in the tree. She has been "stepped on" by January and now she gets to do the same to him. When January's sight is restored by the Gods, he rightfully accuses her of adultery. In response she acts impertinent and insulted: "'This thank have I for I have maad yow see/ Allas,' quod she, 'that evere I was so kinde!'" (IV. 2388-89). How ridiculous and awful that January believes her explanation.

Therefore we can see while both stories have similar elements, the Miller's Tale is straight comedy. The reader is not shown the emotions of the characters. Alison is not a fully developed character. She is and stays what she was described as in the beginning of the tale: an eighteen year old wild girl. The tale is more a parody on courtly love.

In contrast, in the Merchant's Tale the reader is shown the disgusting details of January's motives and subsequent marriage. May's character is more fleshed out, the assaults against her explicitly shown. We may feel sorry for the carpenter but January never gets our sympathy.

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