Friday, November 1, 2013

Women of the Canterbury Tales

I was wondering if I charted this if any patterns that we haven’t discussed would become apparent. Please let me know if you notice anything.
Women of the Canterbury Tales (that we’ve met so far and are named except Merchant’s wife in Shipman’s Tale):

NAME
QUALITIES


1.       Age
2.       beauty
3.       Sexual status
4.       Support of family?
5.       Marriage status (appropriate in terms of kinde)
6.       Virtue in terms of D&D
7.       Status and virtue of husband if applicable
8.       Intelligence / personality of suitor/hubby
9.       Willingness to accept fortune’s hand
10.    Assertiveness
11.    Happy ever after?
12.    Alive or dead at end of story? If dead, by what means?
Emelye
1.       Young
2.       Very beautiful
3.       Virgin and wants to stay that way
4.       Controlled by Theseus
5.       Single (but suitors are appropriate in kinde)
6.       Lawful good
7.       Both suitors chaotic good
8.       Both suitors start out lawful good, eventually are described as mad.  Arcite is more tricksy and more into winning battle (and maybe Emelye as prize). Palemon is more lawful, possibly less clever, and more in love. Both are described as mad.
9.       Mostly accepts fortune, although does ask Diana to give her to suitor who loves her most
10.    Mostly passive—does ask Diana to let her stay a virgin
11.    Presumably
12.    Alive
Alisoun (Merch)
1.       Young
2.       Very good looking in sexy way
3.       Experienced
4.       Unknown
5.       Married but to old guy (not a match in kinde)
6.       Chaotic neutral (cheats)
7.       Lawful good
8.       Jealous about wife, not very smart
9.       Wants to control her fortune
10.    Very assertive
11.    E318 class disagreement about happily ever after
12.    Alive
Custaunce
1.       Young
2.       Beautiful
3.       Virgin till married
4.       Father basically sells her off
5.       Marriage status mostly appropriate
6.       Super-lawful good
7.       Lawful good
8.       Gullible but good hearted
9.       Totally accepts her fortune
10.    Mostly passive—does possibly fight intended rapist
11.    Lives happily ever after
12.    alive
Alisoun of Bath
1.       middle aged
2.       aging sexy
3.       very experienced
4.       none
5.       first 3 hubbies too old for her. #4 unknown but bad. #5 too young for her
6.       chaotic good
7.       too hard to label
8.       all eventually less strong in personality than her
9.       yes and no—she accepted the first marriage and performs wifely duties in marriages, but she also fools around and picks next hubbies. Mostly no yes and no—she accepted the first marriage and performs wifely duties in marriages, but she also fools around and picks next hubbies. Mostly no.
10.    very assertive
11.    with some work happily ever after
12.    alive
Griselde
1.       young
2.       beautiful
3.       virgin till married
4.       father supports her
5.       inappropriate in status and virtue
6.       lawful good
7.       chaotic evil
8.       manipulative, impulsive, sociopath
9.       completely willing to accept fortune
10.    passive
11.    yes
12.    alive
May
1.       young
2.       beautiful
3.       virgin till married
4.       unknown
5.       marriage status inappropriate (young vs. old)
6.       chaotic good (cheats)
7.        lawful neutral (follows law but not a good person)
8.       Sees wife as object and servant, extremely jealous and possessive, gullible
9.       Doesn’t accept husband’s sexual control
10.    Manipulative more than assertive
11.    Probably
12.    alive
Canacee
1.       young
2.       beautiful
3.       virgin
4.       yes, possibly excluding incestuous brother
5.       single
6.       chaotic good (likes to look good, does her own things)
7.       n/a
8.       n/a
9.       seems pretty interested in making her own fortune
10.    medium assertive—haven’t seen her go up against her dad yet
11.    probably
12.    probably alive
Dorigene
1.       young
2.       beautiful
3.       experienced once married
4.       at least support of friends
5.       yes
6.       lawful good
7.       lawful good
8.       reasonably intelligent, loving, maybe a bit too into honor
9.       it’s her unwillingness to accept fortune, at least at some level, that creates all her problems
10.    mostly passive—both she and hubby treat each other equally, but she defers to hubby’s will in suitor problem
11.    yes
12.    alive
Virginia
1.       young
2.       beautiful
3.       virgin
4.       father “supports” her
5.       single
6.       lawful good
7.       suitor is chaotic evil
8.       suitor is amoral and manipulative
9.       unwilling in sense that would rather die virgin than accept going to churl
10.    mostly passive
11.    no
12.    dead by father’s hand
Merchant’s Wife (Shipman’s tale)
1.       young
2.       beautiful
3.       experienced
4.       unknown
5.       married and appropriate kinde
6.       chaotic neutral
7.       chaotic neutral
8.       he matches her in dishonesty and greed
9.       they both make their fortunes
10.    she’s assertive
11.    I think happily ever after
12.    alive

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