Comparison of Miller's Tale and Merchant's TaleAlison in Miller's Tale and May of the Merchant's Tale are similar in many ways. Both are young women who married men much older than them. They both get involved with manipulative young men. They also conspire and cuckold their husbands. This is not the essence of marriage and this is demonstrated in both tales. What makes Miller's Tale the bawdy comedy and The Merchant's Tale the bitter satire lies in the characterization. In Miller's tale we are given stereotypical characters. The protagonists are cardboard cutouts sent in a wacky movement. The Merchant's Tale gives us a lot more context and detail about the character's life. The reader is more involved and can feel their situation. Here we will focus on the two women in each tale and how they demonstrate this difference. Alison is described as young and wild. She is like an animal: “For this she can leap and make game/As any kyde or calf follows his lady” (I. 3259-60). We know that she would be willing to accept any idea as long as it was “fun”. We can see her childish immaturity in the scenes where she allows herself to be "kissed" by Absalom. We don't learn the details of her marriage such as her feelings towards John, her husband. We simply know that it is an ill-matched marriage with a large age gap between them. May is not described in much detail compared to Alison. She is simply young, sweet and beautiful. The disgusting details of his marriage are clearly shown, however. January makes speeches about wanting to consummate her marriage and reluctantly promises to take her time. We are with May when the true horror she feels at the thought of having to sleep with January is described...... middle of paper ......In response, she is sassy and insulted: " 'I thank you for I have madame, you see/Allas,' quod-elle, 'that I have always been so kind!'" (IV. 2388-89). How ridiculous and horrible that January believes his explanation. Therefore, we can see that although both stories contain similar elements, Miller's Tale is a pure comedy. The reader does not see the emotions of the characters. Alison is not a fully developed character. She is and remains what she is described at the beginning of the tale: a wild young girl of eighteen. The tale is rather a parody of courtly love. In contrast, in The Merchant's Tale, the reader discovers the disgusting details of January's motivations and the marriage that followed. May's character is more fleshed out, with the attacks against her explicitly shown. We may feel sorry for the carpenter but January never arouses our sympathy.