From Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", The Merchant's Tale, Table of Contents

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The Canterbury Tales

From Geoffrey Chaucer's
The Canterbury Tales:

The Merchant's
Prologue, Tale and Epilogue
(About)

Middle-english hypertext

001-032: The Merchant's Prologue

033-1206: The Merchant's Tale

1207-1228: The Merchant's Epilogue

Modern and middle english side by side

The Merchant's Prologue

001-020: The Merchant comments on the Clerk's tale

021-032: The Merchant offers to tell a tale and the Host gladly accepts the Merchant's offer

The Merchant's Tale

033-054: About an old knight who wants to marry

055-098: About the pros of marriage

099-124: God made Adam a wife

125-149: Men should thank God for their wives

150-162: Biblical examples about good wives

163-186: January the knight decides to marry

187-202: January tells his friends he wants to marry

203-256: January explains he wants a young wife

257-306: January's brother Placebo agrees with him

307-353: January's brother Justinus advises a wise wife

354-364: The purpose of January

365-410: January chooses a bride and calls his brothers

411-424: January says he likes her but has one urgent question

425-442: "How do I get to heaven when marriage is already heaven on earth?"

443-476: Justinus puts marriage as heaven on earth in perspective

477-496: January the knight and Maia the virgin are married

497-529: The wedding party

530-537: Maia sits beautifully

538-555: January thinks about consummation of his marriage

556-570: A squire called Damian is at the wedding party

571-582: January doesn't know Damian likes Maia

583-653: The consummation of the marriage

654-672: Lovesick Damian writes a letter and puts it in his shirt pocket

673-693: January asks for Damian and hears he is sick

694-719: January orders Maia to cheer up Damian

720-742: Damian stealthly passes the letter to Maia

743-754: Maia obeys January

755-774: Maia thinks about Damian

775-782: An example on generosity

783-796: Maia writes a letter back and reveals her thougths to Damian

797-808: Damian is well again

809-829: About January's garden

830-844: About the key to the garden

845-856: About January's mental blindness

857-898: January becomes physically blind but observes his wife Maia closely

899-912: A wax impression is made of the key to the garden

913-936: January asks Maia to go with him to the garden

937-947: Maia stealthly signs to Damian and they go to the garden

948-972: In the garden, January affirms his love to Maia

973-994: Maia affirms her love to her husband January

995-1006: Maia directs Damian into a tree

1007-1024: Pluto the fairy king and his wife Proserpine the fairy queen witness the scene

1025-1051: Pluto pities the deceived knight and says he will return the power of vision to January

1052-1098: Proserpine pities Maia and says she will enhance Maia's power of speech

1099-1107: Pluto and Proserpine stop arguing, however they both affirm their previous promise

1108-1125: Maia leads January to the tree with hidden Damian and asks her husband January for some fruit

1126-1141: As January is unable to climb, Maia climbs in the tree and Damian doesn't wait a second

1142-1155: January's power of vision is restored and he rages by what he sees

1156-1199: Maia denies and says January claims delusion caused by his medicine

1200-1206: January is physically healed but still mentally blind

The Merchant's Epilogue

1207-1228: The Merchant's Epilogue