Analysis Of On Chesil Beach - 1557 Words

All three texts present very different views on marriage. ‘On Chesil Beach’ presents a picture of a nervous young couple on the first night of their honeymoon, where although both are inexperienced, they seem to be in love. Whereas, in ‘The Merchants Tale’, we have an old ‘hoor’ man, desperate for a young wife to present him with an heir. On the other hand, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a play about the marriage of two lovers; this view is idealised and has for centuries been perceived as the perfect view of a relationship. ‘The Merchants Tale’s’ narrator is the Merchant who has been married for a little over two months. According to Stephanie A. Tolliver, critics have painted him as ‘a disillusioned man full of hatred and contempt’. His marriage is a disaster and therefore we are presented with a bitter view on the story of Januarie and May. The poem is a tale within a tale and we are given three perspectives in all. Chaucer, the poet, The Merchant the omniscient narrator and the protagonists Januarie, May and Damyan. The view of marriage presented in the tale is a very negative one with the wives being at fault. Many have called the tale to be anti- feminist and critics have discussed the negative presentation of May throughout the centuries. In ‘On Chesil Beach’ the relationship of a newlywed couple is represented through the use of the third person. Both Florence and Edward believed that the promise of marriage would bring them what they most desired, â €˜Their marriage, they