Evaluate Chaucer’s use of irony in the presentation of Courtly Love.

Evaluate Chaucer’s use of irony in the presentation of Courtly Love.

The term Courtly love had not existed in the fourteenth century. It

was only later coined this in Victorian time, although the concept

existed when Chaucer was writing. The idea of courtly love is a

literary concept that cannot be applied to real life due to what it

entails. It was believed that this type of love is the most powerful

and is the defining experience of human existence. Chaucer uses this

idea in ‘The Merchant’s Tale’, but inappropriately. He shows the

ability for there to be courtly love yet it is not fully carried out.

In many circumstances he uses it to create humour in the tale by

creating ironic situations and behaviours with the characters. This

highlights the problems with the relationships of the Characters

within the poem.

When we are first introduced to January, he is portrayed to be a rich

and noble man, which makes him ideal for courtly love.

‘A worthy night, that born was of Pavie,

In which he lived in greet prosperitee;’

With this limited knowledge on January, it is possible to see that he

is an apt person to be involved in courtly love. This changes,

however, as we get to hear more about his personality. He is shown to

have followed his ‘bodily delit’ which is not a quality found in a

courtly lover. This then presents the reader with the fact that there

is something wrong with the idea of January being the courtly lover in

the tale. This creates irony as the reader sees that it will be

inappropriate from the beginning and that it will not work out. I

would argue, that it also enables the audience to take January less

seriously as we can see that he is not meant to be a character that we

admire.

January is interested in getting married and wants to find himself a

wife. This is due to the fact that he feels he is getting old and he

believes that through marriage he will redeem himself from his

licentious past. This also does not fit in with courtly love idea,

which is that people will marry because they are in love. January does

finally pick a woman and then begins to list the qualities he has

found in her:

‘Hir middle small, hire armes longe and sklendre,

Hir wise governaunce, hir gentillesse,’

Although January is describing her appearance, he also brings up her

personality and mind. This enables the reader to think that this could

be courtly love because he does not think of her looks only. By

talking about her mind he appears to be seeing her as his equal.