Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Eunuchs - 4253 Words

Candice Mullen April 1 2013 Dr. Paul Farkas Memorial Scholarship Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Eunuchs Chaucer and Shakespeare have created literature that has lasted for centuries by no coincidental matter. Many similarities link the two men together, but I believe that the most prominent characteristic that the men share is their innovativeness. More specifically their innovative construction of gender confused characters. Dinshaw’s examination of the eunuch Pardoner in her essay â€Å"Eunuch Hermeneutics† distinguishes The Pardoner to be a partial character because of his in-between state. Chaucer and Shakespeare’s construction of partial characters reveals that we cannot trust everything to be true in fiction literature and plays on our†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"What shoulde I taken keep hem for to plese/ but it were for my profit and myn ese/ I sette hem so a-werke/ by my fey/ that many a night they songen wilawey† (WOB Prologue 213-216). Her interest in these men is solely based on personal interest and is A lison’s attempt to restore wholeness within the self. Alison is in need of male companionship because she lacks a physical phallus and because she has the need for argumentation. Alison’s central argument is the superiority of marriage and the domination of women over males. Her relationships provide backup to her argumentation and an effort to restore wholeness in Alison’s character. Alison’s theme creates conflict with the other pilgrims as well. Her tale is not aimed at any one pilgrim in particular, but the reader can pick up on the discomfort the Cleric would feel as Alison sets her argument up to give victory to marriage. â€Å"And certes, if ther were no seed ysowe/ virginitee, thane wherof should it growe† (WOB Prologue 71-72). Not only is virginity second to marriage, but also exclusive to it and dependent on it. Her argument is complex and contradictive. She says that virginity would not exist if it were not for marriage and sexual acts. If one man and one woman were to marry and remain celibate they offer nothing but the addition of two more