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How does his presentation compare to what is known of merchants in Chaucer’s day and how do you respond to him as a reader?
Member rating: No Rating | Words: 958 | Submitted: Tue Mar 11 2008
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"What do we learn of Chaucer's merchant from the information provided in the General Prologue and the prologue to the tale itself? How does his presentation compare to what is known of merchants in Chaucer's day and how do you respond to him as a reader?" Chaucer describes the Merchant in a subtle but detailed way. The Merchant is presented as favourable and yet several indistinct statements challenge this initial portrayal. Chaucer's typical use of irony excels here for the reader to interpret the Merchant openly. Taken literally, the Merchant could be seen as a conservative member of the developing middle class and yet the more popular interpretation, taking into account that the ambiguous statements are ironic, implies that the Merchant is enigmatic and somewhat dubious. The General Prologue gives us a clear physical description of the Merchant. He is well-dressed and considered contemporarily stylish with his "Flaunderissh bever hat", his...
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