Senex amans & Theophrastus AO3

What is the Senex amans stock character?

• Latin for “aged lover/“old lover”

• A recurring character in Classical Greek/Roman comedy, medieval literature and drama, especially the fabliau

• Usually an older man married to or pursuing a much younger woman

• Often presented as jealous, foolish, sexually innapropriate or ridiculous

• Typically becomes the victim of cuckolding by a younger man

Why is Januarie a Senex amans?

• He is an elderly wealthy knight who marries the young May.

• He is sexually attracted to a woman much younger than himself.

• His confidence that he can control May makes him comic and naïve.

• His eventual cuckolding by Damyan fulfils the traditional senex amans pattern.

Key point: Chaucer uses a recognisable medieval comic stereotype to make January’s humiliation expected and humorous

What is fabliau?

• A fabliau is a short medieval comic tale, often involving sex, deception, adultery and trickery.

• Characters are often ordinary or socially recognisable figures.

• Humour frequently comes from physical comedy and humiliation.

• The Merchant’s Tale uses these conventions through Januarie, May and Damian

What does Larry Benson mean by “fabliau justice?”

Benson argues that fabliaux often punish:

• greed

• hypocrisy

• pride

• and especially the presumption of an old husband trying to control his wife’s chastity.

• Januaries downfall can be seen as a form of comic “justice” because his controlling behaviour is turned against him

Application to January:
His attempt to control May ultimately leads to his humiliation and cuckolding

Who was Theophrastus?

• An ancient Greek philosopher, associated with Aristotle.

• The Merchant refers to his supposed writings on marriage.

• He is presented as an authoritative classical voice warning men about the dangers of wives

What does the passage attributed to Theophrastus suggest about marriage?

Marriage is presented as a burden for an intellectual/man of wisdom because a wife:

• interrupts his study

• demands expensive possessions

• restricts his freedom

• creates conflict and jealousy.

The passage therefore presents marriage from a strongly negative, male-centred perspective

Why does Chaucer include Theophrastus?

• Gives the Merchant’s anti-marriage argument classical authority.

• Shows how supposedly authoritative male intellectual voices construct women negatively.

• Creates irony, because the tale itself demonstrates that male authority does not necessarily give men control over women.

• Connects the Merchant’s Tale to a wider literary tradition of misogyny

What attitude towards women does Theophrastus represent?

Women are presented as:

• demanding

• expensive

• difficult to control

• potentially unfaithful

• a threat to male freedom and intellectual life.

AO3: This reflects a wider medieval tradition of misogynistic writing, although Chaucer can present these ideas ironically rather than simply endorsing them

Why is Theophrastus particularly relevant to the Merchant as narrator?

• The Merchant himself has a cynical view of marriage, so Theophrastus’ arguments reinforce his perspective.

• However, Chaucer creates uncertainty over whether we should completely trust the Merchant’s misogynistic view, especially because the tale becomes comic and exposes the failures of male control

How do these traditions shape our understanding of Januarie?

• January is not simply an individual character — he belongs to a recognisable comic tradition.

His:
- old age + young wife + sexual desire + jealousy → cuckolding + humiliation

• This makes his downfall part of fabliau comedy, where foolish or controlling husbands often become the targets of the joke.

Context for Januarie

• January = senex amans, the stereotypical “aged lover” from Classical and medieval comedy.

• His marriage to the young May and subsequent cuckolding follow the fabliau tradition, where foolish, jealous or controlling husbands are often humiliated.

• This can be understood as “fabliau justice” (Larry Benson), where the husband’s attempt to control his wife ultimately becomes the source of his downfall

Context for Theophrastus

• Theophrastus = classical male authority used to present marriage as a burden on men

• His misogynistic warnings give the Merchant’s anti-marriage perspective intellectual authority, but Chaucer may be using them ironically because the tale exposes the limitations of male authority and control.