Both in Chaucer's "The Merchant's Tale" and Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband", the theme of power is explored, with various tempting characters to increase their power. often through corrupt or deceptive means. Although corruption is explored through a variety of characters, the male protagonists Januarie and Lord Chiltern both appear to be the most corrupt in their attempts to rise to power. However, as both authors create a society in which corruption is already prevalent, the corruption of these men are not so heavily criticized as they are seen as mere reflections of contemporary society. Wilde places particular emphasis on how characters are able to gain power through the portrayal of figures such as Mabel Chiltern and Lord Goring, while Chaucer suggests that almost everyone must engage in some level of corruption in order to obtain the power he desires. , perhaps because they are limited by the existing social structures of the time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Both Wilde and Chaucer demonstrate – through the characters of Lord Chiltern and Januarie respectively – the way in which the male desire for power inspires corrupt behavior. Wilde's narrative is built around the corrupt and "scandalous" behavior of Lord Chilterns in his youth during which he obtained and exploited a letter which came into his possession while he was working for Baron Arnheim, a letter now in possession of Mrs. Cheveley. At the beginning of the play, Wilde describes Lord Chiltern as an "honest gentleman", placing particular emphasis on how people admired him both as a husband and as a politician. However, what immediately becomes clear to the audience is that this power and respect that Robert holds is not the result of his own self-determination, but is in part due to the scandal he was involved in when he was younger. While discussing her predicament with Goring, Lord Chiltern emphasizes that he did not regret her decision but that she showed "strength and courage" to "give in" to the opportunity that presented itself to him, and that he did not particularly regret having engaged in such corruption. In Victorian England, political scandals were incredibly common, and by the late 1890s several prominent politicians had disappeared after being involved in scandals; so, as corruption within the Victorian government was common, it may not occur to Robert that his behavior was so despicable. Wilde's presentation of a character who is both perceived as incredibly honest but is in fact corrupt creates conflict for the audience who may be unsure whether or not to trust Lord Chiltern. However, as Victorian theater audiences were generally upper class, they may not have been surprised by the corruption present because they were familiar with it, or they may have felt threatened by such a play that dared question one's own social status and origins; this latter aspect may actually explain why Lord Chiltern is exonerated at the end of the play, not only returned to his post but actually elevated to a higher position within the government. On the other hand, Chaucer creates a male protagonist whose lust for power does not result in corrupt behavior in such an explicit sense, even though he clearly lies about his potential in order to win. The merchant first introduces Januarie as a "knight", but hewho is is "old" and "old" and therefore undesirable because, according to Morden, he is incapable of meeting the expectations of a courtly lover. Januaries' self-delusion about his desirability and possible exploitation of his position as a knight allows him to attract Mae, a partner significantly younger than him. Although Januarie's character is not sympathetic, the audience feels some sympathy for his plight and the way he searches for a wife and a marriage he believes to be "easy and so clean", yet the way he attracts a so young girl seems shocking, especially to a modern audience. In Chaucer's England, it was not uncommon for young girls to marry older men because it ensured their financial and social security. However, the age gap between Mae and Januarie raises questions about each character's motivations; Some critics argue that the exaggerated age difference between Mae and Januarie helps emphasize the story's comedic elements, as well as emphasizing its allegorical nature. Therefore, although Lord Chiltern and Januarie desire to gain personally in their quest for power, it is arguably Lord Chiltern whose behavior seems most scandalous and for whom the public feels less sympathy because he shows no remorse for his actions. actions, while Januarie genuinely seems to be less aware and mistaken about his own potential ability to obtain power. In "An Ideal Husband" and "The Merchant's Tale", the pursuit of power is depicted as having gendered expectations, with women who seek power often being vilified. in a way that their male counterparts – who are clearly corrupt – are not. In "An Ideal Husband", the villain of the piece is Mrs. Cheveley, who attempts to blackmail Robert using the letter, breaking up the family unit and destroying Robert's reputation. Immediately, Wilde characterizes Mrs. Cheveley as the villain through her dress, describing her as a "lamia", comparing her to the mythical creature renowned for destroying families by eating children. Additionally, the description of Mrs. Cheveley's "thin, red lips" creates pale skin that creates a vampiric image, contrasting her with the other characters and clearly presenting her as the villain. When Mrs. Cheveley confronts Robert, she is incredibly "clear" with him, stating her precise expectations. Before this, the audience warmed up to Robert because they saw him through the eyes of those who respect him and therefore feel threatened by Mrs. Cheveley. Critics such as Gower have argued that Ms Cheveley's actions in exploiting the letter are no worse than Lord Chiltern's use and that the only reason Ms Cheveley is vilified is because of her gender and this sentiment is emphasized by the way in which Mrs Cheveley is described as imitating Lord Chiltern's arguments, reversing them to suit her means. In Victorian England, women were expected to be obedient and submissive and so Mrs. Cheveley's behavior is even more shocking to a contemporary audience, who would be appalled by her behavior. Although it is never made clear what Mrs. Cheveley seeks to achieve through Robert's intervention in the Argentine canal project, it is likely that she will reap financial and other rewards and is therefore corrupt in the sense that she attempts to gain personal power through dishonest means. A year after writing "An Ideal Husband," Wilde was on trial for gross indecency and blackmailed over letters involving his relationship with Queensbury's son, Bowsie. Wilde was therefore incredibly familiar with the idea of ​​blackmail. Although it would be easy to openly show that Ms. Cheveley was a corrupt villain,his drawing parallels between her and Lord Chiltern creates a sense of moral ambiguity around their characters and their desire for power, perhaps reflecting the complexity of the predicament in which he finds himself. found himself. Similarly, in “The Merchant's Tale,” Chaucer creates a narrative in which Mae exploits Januarie and her blindness for her own personal gain. Mae's marriage to Januarie would have already brought her an elevation in social status as well as financial security for life (divorce did not exist in Chaucer's society) and so even her marriage to the unattractive Januarie may be shown as an attempt to enhance one's status. Mae's exploitation of Januarie's blindness for personal pleasure is vilified by the merchant, who uses a disapproving tone throughout his descriptions of Mae's actions with Damyan, actually remarking that it was almost too crude to go into. the details. Mae is also depicted as exploiting Januarie's blindness by contradicting her claims about her gender in the tree, stating that her vision had not been fully restored. Also critical is the Merchant, who suggests that Mae was exploiting her husband's physical problem. However, critics like Williams argue that it is important to remember that "The Merchant's Tale" is designed to be used as a tool by the merchant to explicitly criticize all women (including his own wife, who is the " woman best able to do so). be') and therefore cannot be believed in its entirety. However, the overall effect of these two texts is that women seeking power are presented as more wicked and unacceptable than their male counterparts. However, it is clearly possible to pursue power in a way that is not corrupt, as demonstrated by characters such as Goring. and Mabel Chiltern. In "An Ideal Husband", Goring's slightly aloof nature and dandy qualities set him apart from the other characters in that he does not seem to care what others think of him. Likewise, Mabel Chiltern, as a woman enjoying a secure financial position as a ward of her brother Robert Chiltern, is not obligated to seek a husband directly, although, of course, the end of the play describes their engagement. Lord Goring's sense of power is achieved not through his conformity or even engagement with Mabel, but through the way he is seemingly removed from the politics and events of the play. When Goring orchestrates the plot to eradicate Mrs. Cheveley, he does so from his own home, using information he has gathered through observation; As Goring will not be directly impacted by anything he does, he is able to act efficiently and without worrying about his reputation. Critics such as Kutchner have suggested that Lord Goring was Wilde's "slightly fanciful" depiction of himself and so it appears here that Wilde may be suggesting that a lack of reputation, or rather a lack of conventional reputation, was in fact an asset because it allowed you to act in any way without impacting your reputation. Goring's dandy qualities present him as a man whose primary concern is not politics or family - qualities that Lord Caversham, his father, thinks he should prioritize - but rather aesthetics and wit and , as one critic remarked, "it's much harder for a man." "a scandal on appearance to cause long-term damage", when a role in a corrupt political sphere could actually harm him. Thus, Lord Goring is presented as being able to rise to power through uncorrupted means, because the ways of power he..