Geoffrey Chaucer s The Merchant s Tale - 1434 Words

Geoffrey Chaucer’s the Merchant’s Tale tells the tale of a husband, a wife, and sexual deceit. A narrative nearly identical to that in Chaucer’s work can be found in the Bible. In the Tale, the Merchant depicts the sexual interactions of men and women, whether between husband and wife (i.e. Januarie and May) or adulterers (i.e. May and Damyan). Similarly, Genesis 2 and 3 of the Bible focus on sexual interactions between husband and wife (i.e.. Adam and Eve) and adulterers (i.e. Eve and the Serpent/tree of knowledge). These similarities are identified through the plot itself; the characters’ names and actions; and various key words along with their respective connotations and etymological backgrounds. These similarities are present†¦show more content†¦The origin of Eve’s name simply comes from â€Å"living one† but corresponds to the connotation of May’s name. Like the month of May, May represents youthfulness and fertil ity – providing a stark contrast to her husband. Chaucer’s choice for Damyan’s name also holds a place in the parallelism between the Merchant’s Tale and Genesis. â€Å"Damyan† has held connotations in the English language relating it to â€Å"evil† or â€Å"demonic,† lending it to comparison to the Serpent’s symbolism for the Devil. The overarching parallels between Januarie/Adam, May/Eve, and Damyan/the Serpent are clearest in lines 2346 through 2367, in which May actually commits adultery with Damyan. This same scene is reflected in Genesis, with the presentation of the tree and the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:16-17) and the Serpent’s beguiling of Eve (Genesis 3:1-6). More specifically, throughout the entire Tale but playing the most important role within lines 2346-2367, Chaucer uses key words to parallel the Bible as evident in his description of the garden. The biblical allegation of the garden is derived from Genesis in which the Garden of Eden, an earthly paradise, is presented as a haven for Adam and Eve where the original sin, a sexual sin, is committed. The concept of the garden in the Merchant’s Tale representing paradise can be traced back to the Merchant’s original description of marriage (and ultimately sex) as â€Å"a paradys† (Merchant’s Tale, 1265).