Medieval Historical Criticism
Medieval Historical Criticism deals with the interpretation of history, but not facts, so historical accounts are considered narratives and can be analyzed as such. In "The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale" in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, Chaucer expresses this in a couple of places throughout the tale.
“When God created Adam, flesh and bone/ and saw him belly naked and alone/ he and his endless goodness thus began/ Let us now make a help-meet for this man/ like to himself. And he created Eve/ Here lies the proof of what we all believe/ that woman is man’s helper, his resort” (Chaucer 359). An excerpt from The Canterbury Tales descibes how in Medieval Times the woman is not seen as equal to a man but as more of a helper and an object. Also, Chaucer illustrates how many people in the Medieval Times period followed the Catholic Church very religiously and they would use an example in any way they could to emphasize the meaning of something.
“I have a wife, the worst that there could be/ for if a friend were coupled with my friend were coupled to my wife/ She’d overmatch him, you can bet your life/ Why choose a special instance to recall/ her soaring malice? She’s a shrew in all/ There’s a wide difference I’m bound to say/ between Griselda’s patience and the way/ my wife behaves; her studied cruelty/ surpasses everything. If I were free/ never again, never again the snare” (Chaucer 356). In the merchant’s prologue Chaucer explains how the merchant's wife is basically a woman of violent temper and speech and is not patient at all. He also depicts how if he was not married to her he would not have the slightest bit of interest in her. This connects back to how women were not seen as equal, but only as helpers to men. In addition to that, men do not have any respect towards women. Medieval Historical criticism is expressed all throughout the entire The Canterbury Tales in many other places.
“When God created Adam, flesh and bone/ and saw him belly naked and alone/ he and his endless goodness thus began/ Let us now make a help-meet for this man/ like to himself. And he created Eve/ Here lies the proof of what we all believe/ that woman is man’s helper, his resort” (Chaucer 359). An excerpt from The Canterbury Tales descibes how in Medieval Times the woman is not seen as equal to a man but as more of a helper and an object. Also, Chaucer illustrates how many people in the Medieval Times period followed the Catholic Church very religiously and they would use an example in any way they could to emphasize the meaning of something.
“I have a wife, the worst that there could be/ for if a friend were coupled with my friend were coupled to my wife/ She’d overmatch him, you can bet your life/ Why choose a special instance to recall/ her soaring malice? She’s a shrew in all/ There’s a wide difference I’m bound to say/ between Griselda’s patience and the way/ my wife behaves; her studied cruelty/ surpasses everything. If I were free/ never again, never again the snare” (Chaucer 356). In the merchant’s prologue Chaucer explains how the merchant's wife is basically a woman of violent temper and speech and is not patient at all. He also depicts how if he was not married to her he would not have the slightest bit of interest in her. This connects back to how women were not seen as equal, but only as helpers to men. In addition to that, men do not have any respect towards women. Medieval Historical criticism is expressed all throughout the entire The Canterbury Tales in many other places.