The Shipman

General Prologue
Physical Description
- Rode a hackney (riding horse)
- Wore a gown with thick clothing hanging to his knees
- Dagger on a chord around his neck
- Dark colored face
- Lived out west in Dartmouth town
- Chaucer describes him as “Certainly he was a good fellow

Other Facts
- He drank wine while the trader slept (merchant)
- Liked to fight and get the upper hand against people
- His job sailing was dangerous, been involved in a tempest (storm)
- He was wise, could navigate using the stars, and seen many places
- Named his ship Madeleine

Shipman’s prologue-
- Host applauds the previous tale
- Asks the priest to tell a tale
- Parson does not want the priest to tell a tale
- Shipman says that he doesn’t need to hear the gospel and no one else because they all believe in God
- Says that he will tell a happy story

Shipman’s Tale
- A rich merchant lived in Saint Denis
- Had a very beautiful wife that was social and happy
- She was very expensive, he bought he clothes and other fine things so that she looked more beautiful
- He was a generous man and had a noble house
- There was a young, handsome monk named Dan John of about 30 years
- The monk was over the merchant’s house often, they were really good friends, like a brotherhood
- Monk was generous tipping the pages (servants) and giving gifts to the merchant

Merchant leaves
- Merchant was ready to leave for Bruges where he was going to trade
- Invited Dan John over to Saint Denis to see the merchant and his wife before he left
- He drank and ate with the monk for two days
- On the third day he goes to his counting house to check his books on trades to see what he spent the last year and if it was good
- Was not disturbed when he was reading his books on trade

Conversation
- Dan John woke up and prayed in the garden
- Wife asks why he woke up so early
- He is worried about the wife that she didn’t get sleep
- She was having sex with the merchant and reveals that she has no lust for the merchant
- John promises to keep this a secret between them
- They made an agreement to keep secrets and they kissed
- Complains about her husband and says that she loves him
- Describes an ideal husband for herself, “Hardy, and wise, and rich, and therewith free, Obedient to the wife, and fresh in bed.”
- Says that she owes a hundred francs and begs John for the money and agrees to do he wants with her (sex)
- He feels bad for her and says that he will give her the money
- He grabbed her by the flanks (around the hips) and kissed her
- They depart and the wife goes to her husband in the counting-house
Affair
- She asks him to leave his accounts to go to Mass, he refuses telling her that two of twelve merchants survive
- That night the three dined together and after dinner the monk pulls the merchant aside and asks him for one hundred francs
- He lends the monk the money (only the two of them knew about the loan) telling him to pay it back when possible
- The monk goes back to the abbey and in the morning the merchant travels to Bruges to do his trading
- The first Sunday back the monk went to Saint Denis
- He came with a freshly shaved head and beard
- And in turn for lending the wife the money he got to have sex with her all night which he did
- He left her house at dawn and no one suspected them

Merchant Returns
- After a successful trip, the merchant came home from Paris
- He is happy to see his wife and tells her about the successful trip
- He then goes to see the monk who is happy to see him
- The merchant says that he left the money with his wife
- The merchant goes home to find his wife waiting for him and has sex all night
- The wife doesn’t tell the merchant that she received money from the merchant and becomes angry thinking that other people in debt may have given her money without him knowing
- She then answers that she did receive money from the monk and should get to keep it
- Because she is really spending it for him, to look good for his honor
- So she says that she will give her body to the merchant if she gets to keep the money
- So the merchant sees that there is no option so he agrees to this
- But asks her to conserve their money

--SEBASTIAN JASKOWSKI