Tuesday 29 April 2014
Geoffrey Chaucer Canterbury Tales The Merchant's Tale by Mouloud Benzadi
The Merchant’s Tale
Here is a summary of the amazing tale 'The Merchant's Tale' by Father of English literature Chaucer:
There once lived a Knight named January in the town of Pavia in Lombardy. He had lived a life of wantonness for nearly sixty years and was suddenly overcome by a strong desire to marry. He believed that marriage was earthly paradise and wished to marry a beautiful young maiden who could beget him a son and heir. He accordingly began his search for a suitable wife.
The Merchant then sarcastically launches into an exaggerated praise of the divine institution of marriage. He ironically praises a wife as being a gift of God and then gives the examples of the wise counsel given by women such as Rebecca, Judith, Abigail, that had in actuality only caused destruction. While praising wives he ironically quotes Cato and Seneca.
January then discussed his problem with his friends and expressed his desire to marry a very young maiden of not more than twenty years old. This led to a great debate and a dispute between the Knight’s brothers named Placebo and Justinus. While Placebo told January to take his own decision without taking anybody’s opinion into consideration, Justinus counseled against marriage since women are fickle. January then decided to get married.
January looked over the young girls who lived nearby and finally decided to marry one of them named May.
January’s happiness didn’t last long and unfortunately he suddenly lost his eyesight. He became sad and grew increasingly jealous of his young wife and feared that he would be deceived. He grew extremely possessive of her and would not let her go alone anywhere. This upset May who could not only send messages to Damian. Finally May contrived to get Damian into the January’s personal garden and told him to hide in the pear tree.
In the meanwhile the God Pluto and his wife Prosperina were watching the entire scene from a far corner of the garden. There arose a dispute among them when Pluto denunciated the treacherousness inherent in women. Pluto resolved to restore the old Knight’s eyesight at the very moment that May betrays him while Prosperina resolved to provide May with the perfect answer for her misdemeanor.
May then climbed up into the tree. May and Damian then embraced each other and made love. At this moment Pluto restored January’s eyesight and he saw his wife embraced by Damian. However May claimed that she was only struggling with Damian since she had been told that by doing so she could restore her husband’s sight. When January said that it was more than a simple struggle, May told him that his eyes were weak and he had been deluded. January is convinced with May’s reply and fondly embraces her.
Conclusion:
The Merchant’s Tale takes into account the bitter realities of life. The Merchant's tale reflects the disgust that he feels with himself for getting married and he heaps scorn on old January’s decision to marry after leading a carefree life as a bachelor.
The Merchant’s Tale has is a serious discussion of the problem of marriage.
Pluto restores January’s sight and makes him see his wife’s betrayal but Prosperina endows May with the ability to satisfy January with her smart answer. The point that the Merchant makes is that marital happiness can only be achieved by self-imposed blindness. When January’s sight is restored, he allows himself to be blinded to the true facts. He can see May and Damian locked in an embrace and still lets himself believe that his wife is faithful. The resolution of the plot is thus ironic. The tale could have very well ended in a tragedy but Chaucer makes the conclusion comic. Chaucer allows January to live in a fool’s paradise.
Wednesday 23 April 2014
جيفري تشوسر (Geoffrey Chaucer 1343 - 1400)https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152362782238114&set=a.130324318113.105152.707808113&type=1&theater
حكاية التاجر، وهي من أروع حكايات الكاتب الإنجليزي الكبير (تشوسر)
ملخص قصة " حكاية التاجر " لرائد الأدب الإنجليزي تشوسر :
كان يعيش فارس اسمه (يناير) في بلدة بافيا بإنجليترا. كان يحيا حياة همجية ماجنة ، ثمّ اجتاحته فجأة رغبة قوية في الزواج . رغب في الزواج من فتاة عذراء جميلة تنجب له ابنا يرثه. فتزوّج من فتاة تدعى (مايو) .
لم تدم سعادة (يناير) طويلا، فلقد فَقَدَ الرجل بصره فجأة، فامتلكه الحزن وخشي أن تخونه زوجته الشابة الحسناء. فصار لا يسمح لها بالخروج لوحدها. لكنّ زوجته تعلّقت بشاب يدعى (داميان) . فدعته سرا إلى حديقة المنزل وأشارت إليه بالاختفاء في إحدى الأشجار.
في تلك الأثناء، كان الإله (بلوتو) وزوجته (بروسبيرينا) يشاهدان المأساة من بعيد، فاختلفت مواقفهما وتنازعا: فقد انتقد (بلوتو) خيانة هذه المرأة فصمم أن يعيد ل (يناير) البصر في الوقت المناسب ليكتشف خيانة زوجته.
تسلّقت (مايو) الشجرة وراحت تعانق حبيبها (داميان) بتلهّف. عندئذ، أعاد بلوتو البصر ل(يناير) فرأى هذا الأخير زوجته في أحضان حبيبها (داميان).
نهاية القصة :
كيف يتوقع القارئ أن تكون نهاية هذه القصة؟! من غير شك نتوقع جميعا أن تكون النهاية درامية، كأن يتشاجر (يناير) مع زوجته وينفصل عنها ويمضي بقية حياته حزينا مثل نهاية الرواية الدرامية الحديثة... لكن الكاتب البارع (تشوسر) رفض أن يمنح قصته النهاية الدرامية الكلاسيكية هذه. فقد أنهاها بطريقة قد لا تخطر بالبال:
بلوتو يعيد البصر ل(يناير) فيكتشف هذا الأخير خيانة زوجته لكن الربة (بروسبيرا) توسوس ل (مايو) ونمنحها القدرة على إيجاد عذر وجواب ذكي تخادع به زوجها، إذ تخبره أنها فعلت ما فعلته تضحية في سبيله لتعينه على استرجاع بصره وأنها لو لم تفعل ذلك لما استعاد بصره مدى العمر!!!
كان (يناير) يدرك أن زوجته خانته ولم يكن مقتنعا البتة بالعذر الذي بررت به ما فعلته، ومع ذلك ادعى أنه يصدقها وقرر أن يغض بصره عما حدث حتى لا يدمر حياته الزوجية!!!
فبأسلوبه الذكي والساخر، يحكم الكاتب العبقري (تشوسر) على (يناير) بالعيش في جنة المغفلين! يتقبلها رغم حسرته وألمه.
كتبه مولود بن زادي
التحقوا بي وسجلوا إعجابكم بصفحتي في الفايسبوكوشكرا جزيلا
رابط الصفحة:
https://www.facebook.com/MouloudBenzadi?ref=hl
فكما نشاهد، الحكاية التي كتبها بأسلوب ساخر مليئة بالعبر.. فكم من مرة في الحياة نجد أنفسنا أمام مواقف كذب وخداع ونصب واحتيال من الأصدقاء والأهل... ومع ذلك نتغافل عنها ونغض الطرف ونتقبلها ونخادع أنفسنا أو نضحك عليها ونقنع أنفسنا أن الأمور على ما يرام رغم ما نشعر به من انزعاج وحزن وألم!!!!...
مع خالص التحيات
بن زادي - لندن بريطانيا
الرجاء مواصلة تسجيل الإعجاب بصفحتي على الرابط التالي:
https://www.facebook.com/Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales by Mouloud Benzadi
The Merchant’s Tale
Here is a summary of the amazing tale 'The Merchant's Tale' by Father of English literature Chaucer:
There once lived a Knight named January in the town of Pavia in Lombardy. He had lived a life of wantonness for nearly sixty years and was suddenly overcome by a strong desire to marry. He believed that marriage was earthly paradise and wished to marry a beautiful young maiden who could beget him a son and heir. He accordingly began his search for a suitable wife.
The Merchant then sarcastically launches into an exaggerated praise of the divine institution of marriage. He ironically praises a wife as being a gift of God and then gives the examples of the wise counsel given by women such as Rebecca, Judith, Abigail, that had in actuality only caused destruction. While praising wives he ironically quotes Cato and Seneca.
January then discussed his problem with his friends and expressed his desire to marry a very young maiden of not more than twenty years old. This led to a great debate and a dispute between the Knight’s brothers named Placebo and Justinus. While Placebo told January to take his own decision without taking anybody’s opinion into consideration, Justinus counseled against marriage since women are fickle. January then decided to get married.
January looked over the young girls who lived nearby and finally decided to marry one of them named May.
January’s happiness didn’t last long and unfortunately he suddenly lost his eyesight. He became sad and grew increasingly jealous of his young wife and feared that he would be deceived. He grew extremely possessive of her and would not let her go alone anywhere. This upset May who could not only send messages to Damian. Finally May contrived to get Damian into the January’s personal garden and told him to hide in the pear tree.
In the meanwhile the God Pluto and his wife Prosperina were watching the entire scene from a far corner of the garden. There arose a dispute among them when Pluto denunciated the treacherousness inherent in women. Pluto resolved to restore the old Knight’s eyesight at the very moment that May betrays him while Prosperina resolved to provide May with the perfect answer for her misdemeanor.
May then climbed up into the tree. May and Damian then embraced each other and made love. At this moment Pluto restored January’s eyesight and he saw his wife embraced by Damian. However May claimed that she was only struggling with Damian since she had been told that by doing so she could restore her husband’s sight. When January said that it was more than a simple struggle, May told him that his eyes were weak and he had been deluded. January is convinced with May’s reply and fondly embraces her.
Conclusion:
The Merchant’s Tale takes into account the bitter realities of life. The Merchant's tale reflects the disgust that he feels with himself for getting married and he heaps scorn on old January’s decision to marry after leading a carefree life as a bachelor.
The Merchant’s Tale has is a serious discussion of the problem of marriage.
Pluto restores January’s sight and makes him see his wife’s betrayal but Prosperina endows May with the ability to satisfy January with her smart answer. The point that the Merchant makes is that marital happiness can only be achieved by self-imposed blindness. When January’s sight is restored, he allows himself to be blinded to the true facts. He can see May and Damian locked in an embrace and still lets himself believe that his wife is faithful. The resolution of the plot is thus ironic. The tale could have very well ended in a tragedy but Chaucer makes the conclusion comic. Chaucer allows January to live in a fool’s paradise.
Here is a summary of the amazing tale 'The Merchant's Tale' by Father of English literature Chaucer:
There once lived a Knight named January in the town of Pavia in Lombardy. He had lived a life of wantonness for nearly sixty years and was suddenly overcome by a strong desire to marry. He believed that marriage was earthly paradise and wished to marry a beautiful young maiden who could beget him a son and heir. He accordingly began his search for a suitable wife.
The Merchant then sarcastically launches into an exaggerated praise of the divine institution of marriage. He ironically praises a wife as being a gift of God and then gives the examples of the wise counsel given by women such as Rebecca, Judith, Abigail, that had in actuality only caused destruction. While praising wives he ironically quotes Cato and Seneca.
January then discussed his problem with his friends and expressed his desire to marry a very young maiden of not more than twenty years old. This led to a great debate and a dispute between the Knight’s brothers named Placebo and Justinus. While Placebo told January to take his own decision without taking anybody’s opinion into consideration, Justinus counseled against marriage since women are fickle. January then decided to get married.
January looked over the young girls who lived nearby and finally decided to marry one of them named May.
January’s happiness didn’t last long and unfortunately he suddenly lost his eyesight. He became sad and grew increasingly jealous of his young wife and feared that he would be deceived. He grew extremely possessive of her and would not let her go alone anywhere. This upset May who could not only send messages to Damian. Finally May contrived to get Damian into the January’s personal garden and told him to hide in the pear tree.
In the meanwhile the God Pluto and his wife Prosperina were watching the entire scene from a far corner of the garden. There arose a dispute among them when Pluto denunciated the treacherousness inherent in women. Pluto resolved to restore the old Knight’s eyesight at the very moment that May betrays him while Prosperina resolved to provide May with the perfect answer for her misdemeanor.
May then climbed up into the tree. May and Damian then embraced each other and made love. At this moment Pluto restored January’s eyesight and he saw his wife embraced by Damian. However May claimed that she was only struggling with Damian since she had been told that by doing so she could restore her husband’s sight. When January said that it was more than a simple struggle, May told him that his eyes were weak and he had been deluded. January is convinced with May’s reply and fondly embraces her.
Conclusion:
The Merchant’s Tale takes into account the bitter realities of life. The Merchant's tale reflects the disgust that he feels with himself for getting married and he heaps scorn on old January’s decision to marry after leading a carefree life as a bachelor.
The Merchant’s Tale has is a serious discussion of the problem of marriage.
Pluto restores January’s sight and makes him see his wife’s betrayal but Prosperina endows May with the ability to satisfy January with her smart answer. The point that the Merchant makes is that marital happiness can only be achieved by self-imposed blindness. When January’s sight is restored, he allows himself to be blinded to the true facts. He can see May and Damian locked in an embrace and still lets himself believe that his wife is faithful. The resolution of the plot is thus ironic. The tale could have very well ended in a tragedy but Chaucer makes the conclusion comic. Chaucer allows January to live in a fool’s paradise.
By Moulou Benzadi
find me on Facebook:
Please like my Fan page:
https://www.facebook.com/MouloudBenzadi?ref=hl
https://www.facebook.com/MouloudBenzadi?ref=hl
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=612437682176661&set=a.351524414934657.87692.349634621790303&type=1&theater
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)