“To take a wyf it is a glorious thing”: Januarie's Thesis on Marriage in the Merchant's Tale (IV.1263–1392)

Abstract

Januarie's speech in favour of marriage in Chaucer's Merchant's Tale has been classified under many different genres. This article presents a new reading of the passage as a classical thesis as it was understood in the late medieval period. Januarie uses biblical exempla and language reflecting the marriage vows to present an argument in favour of marriage. Theophrastus, directly quoted, offers a counter-thesis. Januarie's rebuttal underscores the chief virtues of marriage, and concentrates especially on the faith of a wife—the very thing that will be challenged as the Merchant's Tale continues. Through subtle cues, Chaucer invites his audience to compare Januarie's views on marriage to the marriages of the Wife of Bath and the recent marriage of the Merchant. The audience, familiar with the controlling nature of the Wife of Bath and the sad experience of the Merchant-narrator, sees an erudite and sincere thesis issuing from a naive old man who will soon have cause to reconsider his ideas. When read as a polished piece of scholarly rhetoric, Januarie's speech directly engages with other portions of the Canterbury Tales' “marriage group” and evokes new readings of those texts.