This story describes a married woman who was using her intelligence and physical attractiveness to control men and get money from them. This story show us how a woman who was married with a merchant, was having sex with her husband’s best friend to get money, for her the money was more important than love and be loyal to her husband. This wife lied to her husband’s best friend (the monk) telling him that she was having trouble to get his money, she states “On next Sunday I must of necessity pay A hundred franks, or else I am lost. Yet I would rather that I were never born Than a disgrace or dishonor were done to me; And also if my husband might discover it, I would be as good as lost; and therefore I pray you, Lend me this sum, or else I must die”(The Shipman’s Tale, 180-186). This story portrays a different image from other stories about married women during the Middle Age, for example in my previous post about the story of Griselda a woman who swore to obey her husband no matter what, she always respect and did what her husband said because it was an important tradition during the Middle Age.
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