The Merchant's Tale

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. I have heard of a "January-May" wedding before, and when put in the context of this story (literally), it makes me laugh. Chaucer puts a lot of meaning into the names of these characters, and I found it really amusing that May takes the "forbidden fruit" from Damien. The involvement of Pluto and Proserpina was another interesting aspect of this story, because it takes some level of decision away from the characters: when it comes down to the big reveal of January catching May in the act, the characters' lives are heavily influenced by the gods when they intervene, both in allowing January to catch May, and in giving May a "believable" excuse. I really liked reading this tale, but I couldn't quite decipher the moral of the story. Adultery is bad, but May seemingly gets away with it. Jealousy is bad, but it appears like it works out for January in the end...Ah well, an enjoyable story nonetheless.