The Merchant

Background
Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales is where people meet at a tavern and a challenge was introduced where the person who told the best story won and they got a free dinner. One of those people was the Merchant a Merchant in Medieval times was a Upper Commoner he was important to people in the middle ages because he was their main source of goods. He was rich because he bought goods which he also sold to the surrounding villages. How a Merchant's Daily life would be like He would get up and get his supplies and then he would travel to the Villages that needed his goods.

Examination of Text
The Prologue for the Merchant's Tale gives us an insight of what the Merchant looked like and his attitude about life. The first part of the prologue describes what the Merchant looked like:

"A Merchant was there with a forkèd beard,

and high on horse he sat,

Upon his head a Flandrish beaver hat

His boots claspèd fair and fetisly."

The other part of the paragraph describes what the Merchant talked and acted like:

"His reasons he spoke full solémpnèly,

Sounding always the increase of his winning.

He would the sea were kept for anything

Betwixt Middleburgh and Orèwell.

Well could he in Exchangè shieldès sell.

This worthy man full well his wit beset

There wistè no wight that he was in debt

So stately was he of his governance

With his bargains and with his chevissance.

Forsooth he was a worthy man withal,

But sooth to say, I n'ot how men him call."

Analysis of Passage
Chaucer's opinion of the Merchant was not a very high one because by looking at the text we can see that by Chaucer spending time to describe the Merchant as arrogant, proud of his works and we can tell this how Chaucer describes how he is dressed in the first part of the Prologue. The lines that are used in the Prologue to give us this type of information are: "Sounding always the increase of his winning" and "This worthy man full well his wit beset".