Marriage in the 'Marriage Group Tales' of The Canterbury Tales

Term Paper (Advanced seminar) , 2004 , 29 Pages , Grade: 2,7

English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics

The Canterbury Tales are a collection of twenty-three tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the fourteenth century. A frame tale embraces the different tales which are told by a group of pilgrims on their way from Southwark to Canterbury where the group wants to visit the sacred shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. In order to make their pilgrimage more enjoyable, the pilgrims decide that each pilgrim tells two stories on their way to Canterbury and two on the return trip. The Host will then decide which was the best tale. However, The Canterbury Tales are incomplete. With all of the thirty pilgrims telling four stories, there should have been a hundred and twenty tales in all according to the original plan. But Chaucer only completed twenty-three tales. In the Middle Ages, pilgrimage was a social as well as a religious event. Different social classes were mingled together. All the three strata of fourteenth century English society are represented in the tales – the nobility, the clergy and the commoners. The themes in The Canterbury Tales are as various as the pilgrims are. Some tales deal with the corruption of the Church and religious malpractice. Therefore, a number of churchmen and churchwomen are depicted and often treated ironically. Another important theme in the tales is the corruptness of human nature which can be linked to the theme of the decline of moral values. Chivalry is depicted in some tales, often closely connected to the concept of courtly love. The position of women in the Middle Ages as well as their position in marriage relationships are themes which appear in some way or the other in almost all of the tales. Four of the tales have even been called the “Marriage Group”. The following paper is going to deal with marriage in the “Marriage Group Tales” of The Canterbury Tales. The first part of this paper will examine the importance of marriage in the Middle Ages and the position of women in medieval society. Then, the development of the idea of courtly love will be presented. In a second part, this paper is going to give a short survey about all the tales dealing with marriage. The idea of a “Marriage Group” in The Canterbury Tales will then be presented. The last section of this paper will deal with two of the tales which constitute the beginning and the end of the “Marriage Group”, namely the Wife of Bath’s Tale and the Franklin’s Tale.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Historical Background
  • Marriage in the Middle Ages
  • The Concept of Courtly Love
• Marriage in the Canterbury Tales
  • Tales about Marriage
  • The Constitution of the "Marriage Group"
• The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale as the Initiation of the "Marriage Debate"
  • Sources, Structure and Themes of the Wife of Bath's Prologue
  • The Wife of Bath's Tale
    • Summary of the Tale
    • Sources, Structures and Themes
  • Marriage as Mastery of the Woman
• The Franklin's Tale as the Conclusion of the “Marriage Debate”
  • Summary of the Tale
  • Sources, Structure and Themes
  • Love as the controlling principle
• Conclusion

Objectives and Key Themes

This paper aims to examine the portrayal of marriage in the "Marriage Group Tales" of Geoffrey Chaucer's *The Canterbury Tales*. It will first explore the historical context of marriage in the Middle Ages, highlighting the role of both secular and ecclesiastical models and the position of women in medieval society. The development of the idea of courtly love will also be discussed.
The paper will then analyze the "Marriage Group Tales" in *The Canterbury Tales*, highlighting their key themes and structures. Finally, it will focus on the Wife of Bath's Tale and the Franklin's Tale as the initiation and conclusion of the "Marriage Debate", respectively.
Key themes explored in the paper include:

• Marriage in the Middle Ages
• Courtly Love
• The "Marriage Group" in *The Canterbury Tales*
• The Wife of Bath's Tale and the Franklin's Tale
• The "Marriage Debate"

Chapter Summaries

The introduction provides an overview of *The Canterbury Tales*, highlighting its structure as a frame tale and its themes, including the corruption of the Church, the corruptness of human nature, chivalry, and the position of women in medieval society. The paper's focus on marriage in the "Marriage Group Tales" is then established.
The historical background section explores the secular and ecclesiastical models of marriage in the Middle Ages. It explains how marriage was primarily a civil contract designed to control patrimony and strengthen family bonds. The influence of the Church on marriage, its development into a sacrament, and the role of procreation, fornication, and other acceptable motives are discussed. The section also highlights the unequal power dynamics in medieval marriage, where women were seen as property exchanged between families, with their consent and agency often overlooked.
The chapter on marriage in *The Canterbury Tales* offers a brief overview of tales dealing with marriage, introducing the concept of a "Marriage Group." This section sets the stage for the in-depth analysis of the Wife of Bath's Tale and the Franklin's Tale, which constitute the beginning and end of the "Marriage Debate."
The analysis of the Wife of Bath's Tale delves into the sources, structure, and themes of her prologue and tale. It examines the key elements of the tale, including its narrative structure, its themes of marital power, and the influence of sources like Ovid and the *Roman de la Rose*. The chapter then explores the Wife of Bath's perspective on marriage, emphasizing her views on the control and mastery of women in relationships.
The chapter on the Franklin's Tale examines the tale's summary, sources, structure, and themes, including its use of Arthurian legend and its exploration of love as a controlling principle. The chapter will then discuss the Franklin's perspective on marriage, emphasizing how the tale acts as a conclusion to the "Marriage Debate."

Keywords

The main keywords and focus topics of this paper are: *The Canterbury Tales*, *Marriage Group Tales*, *Medieval Marriage*, *Courtly Love*, *Wife of Bath's Tale*, *Franklin's Tale*, *Marriage Debate*, *Power Dynamics*, *Patrimony*, *Secular and Ecclesiastical Models*, *Procreation*, *Fornication*, *Control and Mastery*, *Subservience*, *Ovid*, *Roman de la Rose*, *Arthurian Legend*.

• College: University of Trier
• Course: Englische Sprachwissenschaft
• Grade: 2,7
• Author: MA Simone Petry (Author)
• Publication Year: 2004
• Pages: 29
• Catalog Number: V60000
• ISBN (eBook): 9783638537766
• ISBN (Book): 9783656798422
• Language: English
• Tags: Marriage, Group, Tales, Canterbury, Tales, Englische, Sprachwissenschaft