| A | B |
|---|
| Describe the trickery and deception used to dupe January. | Damian and May secretly passing notes; May making a key to the secret garden; May claiming she is following the orders of the gods; and May convincing January that he did not really see what he thought he saw when she and her lover are caught |
| What is the literary genre of The Merchant's Tale? | It is a fabliau |
| What elements of the romance are incorporated? | The knight, the rituals, the gardens, and the palace are all elements of the romance. |
| What is the theme of this tale? | Men are easily manipulated and made fools of by their wives. |
| What is this story saying about marriage? | Old men should not marry extremely young women. |
| What does the Merchant reveal about his own marriage in his prologue? | He is very unhappily married. |
| Who sympathizes with him? | The Host sympathizes with him. |
| What is the significance of the names of the husband and wife in this tale? | January represents winter, the last of the cycles of life while May symbolizes spring when everything is new and lovely. These names refer to the ages of the characters. |
| What is the function of the advisors to the old knight? | They serve to demonstrate that January will not listen to any advice in this matter but is determined to do things his own way. |
| Why is it appropriate that this tale be told by the Merchant? | The Merchant is older and has possibly been the victim of a younger, unfaithful wife. |
