You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
January, the protagonist of The Merchant's Tale, is repulsive and ridiculous not because of senile lechery but because his behavior is based on an infantile belief that a woman is meant to be an exclusive source of instant, total gratification of all physical and emotional needs. Divers Oedipal themes are introduced when January is unable to satisfy his youthful bride, May, and she accepts the advances of the squire Damien.