In both Chaucer's "The Merchant's Tale" and Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband", the theme of power is explored, with various characters they attempt 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 seem the most corrupt in their attempts to gain power, however, as both authors create a society where corruption is already widespread, corruption of these men are not so heavily criticized as they are perceived as simple reflections of contemporary society. Wilde particularly highlights how characters are able to gain power for themselves through the portrayal of characters such as Mabel Chiltern and Lord Goring, while Chaucer suggests that almost all people must engage in some level of corruption to gain power. power they desire. , perhaps because they were limited by the existing social structures of the time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an 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 in which he obtained and exploited a letter that came into his possession while working for Baron Arnheim, a letter now in the possession of the stabbing Mrs Cheveley. Early in the play, Wilde describes Lord Chiltern as an "honest gentleman", placing particular emphasis on the way people admire him as both a husband and a politician. However, what immediately becomes clear to the audience is that Robert's power and respect are not the result of his self-determination, but are partly due to the scandal he was involved in when he was younger. Discussing his predicament with Goring, Lord Chiltern emphasizes that he did not regret his decision but that he demonstrated "strength and courage" to "give in" to the opportunity presented 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 implicated in scandals; so, since corruption in the Victorian government was common, perhaps it does not occur to Robert that his behavior is so vile. Wilde's presentation of a character who is perceived as incredibly honest but who is actually corrupt creates conflict for the audience who may be unsure whether or not to trust Lord Chiltern. However, as Victorian theater audiences were typically upper class, they may not have been surprised by the corruption present, as they were familiar with it, or they may have felt threatened by such a play that dared to question their social standing and origins ; this last aspect could in fact explain why Lord Chiltern is sacked at the end of the play, not simply restored to his position but actually elevated to a higher position in the government. On the other hand, Chaucer creates a male protagonist whose thirst for power does not result in corrupt behavior in such an explicit sense, even if he clearly lies about his potential to achieve something. The Merchant initially presents Januarie as a "knight", but one who is is "old" and "old" and therefore undesirable because, from Morden's perspective, he is unable to meet the expectations of a courtly lover.Januaries' self-deception regarding his desirability and possible exploitation of his position as a knight allows him to attract Mae, a partner significantly younger than himself. Although Januarie's character is not likable, the audience feels some sympathy for his situation and the way he searches for a wife and a marriage that he believes will be "easy and so clean", however the way he attracts such a young girl seems shocking, especially for a modern audience. In Chaucer's England, it was not uncommon for girls to marry older men as this ensured their financial and social security, however the age difference 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 comedic elements of the story, as well as underlining its allegorical nature. Therefore, although Lord Chiltern and Januarie wish to gain personal gain in their quest for power, it is arguably Lord Chiltern whose behavior seems more outrageous and for whom the public feels less sympathy as he shows no remorse for his actions, while Januarie appears genuinely to be less aware and self-deceiving about their potential ability to secure power. Within "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 male counterparts – who are clearly corrupt – they are not. In "An Ideal Husband" the villain of the play is Mrs. Cheveley, who attempts to blackmail Robert using the letter, to destroy the family unit and destroy Robert's reputation. Immediately, Wilde characterizes Mrs. Cheveley as the villain through her dress, describing her as "lamia-like," likening her to the mythical creature believed to have destroyed families by eating children. Additionally, the description of Mrs. Cheveley's "thin red lips" and pale skin 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. The audience before this point has grown fond of Robert as they have seen him through the eyes of those who respect him and therefore feel threatened by Mrs. Cheveley. Critics such as Gower have argued that Mrs Cheveley's actions in exploiting the letter are no worse than Lord Chiltern's use of it and that the only reason Mrs Cheveley is vilified is because of her gender and this sense is emphasised by the way Mrs Cheveley is depicted as imitating Lord Chiltern's arguments, inverting them to suit her means. In Victorian England women were expected to be obedient and submissive and therefore Mrs Cheveley's behavior is even more shocking to a contemporary audience, who would be shocked by her behaviour. Although it is never expressed what Mrs. Cheveley seeks to achieve through Robert's intervention in the Argentine canal project, she will presumably reap financial and other rewards and is therefore corrupt in the sense that she seeks to gain personal power through dishonest means. A year after writing "An Ideal Husband," Wilde was on trial for indecent exposure and was being blackmailed for letters implicating his affair with Queensbury's son, Bowsie, and so Wilde was incredibly familiar with the idea of ​​blackmail . While it would be easy to outright demonstrate that Mrs Cheveley was a corrupt villain, the fact that he draws parallels between her and Lord Chiltern creates a sense ofmoral ambiguity surrounding their characters and their desire for power, perhaps reflecting the complexity of the situation he found himself in. 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 resulted in her having a high social status and financially secured her for life (divorce did not exist in Chaucer's society) and thus her marriage to the unattractive Januarie can also be shown to be a attempt to increase his status. Mae's exploitation of Januarie's blindness for personal pleasure is disparaged by the Merchant, who uses a disapproving tone when describing Mae's actions with Damyan, in fact pointing out that it was almost too rude to go into detail. Mae is also depicted as taking advantage of Januarie's blindness by contradicting her claims about the sex she had in the tree, stating that her sight was not fully restored is also criticized by the Merchant, who suggests that Mae was taking advantage of her husband's physical problem . However, critics such as Williams say it is important to remember that "The Merchant's Tale" is designed to be used as a device for the merchant to explicitly criticize all women (including his wife, who is the "woost the kan"). well) and therefore cannot be believed in its entirety. However, the overall effect of both of these texts is that women seeking power are presented as more evil and unacceptable than their male counterparts. However, it is clearly possible to seek power in ways that are not corrupt, as demonstrated through characters like Goring. and Mabel Chiltern. In "An Ideal Husband", Goring's slightly aloof nature and dandy qualities set him apart from other characters in the sense that he does not seem to care what others think of him. Likewise, Mabel Chiltern, as a woman in a secure financial position as the ward of her brother Robert Chiltern, is not obliged to seek a husband outright, although of course the end of the play depicts their engagement. Lord Goring's sense of power is not achieved through his conformity or even his engagement to Mabel, but by 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 her home, using information he has gathered through observation; since Goring will not be directly affected by anything he does, he is able to act effectively and without worrying about his reputation. Critics such as Kutchner have suggested that Lord Goring was Wilde's "slightly fanciful" representation of himself and so here it seems that Wilde is suggesting that the lack of reputation, or rather the lack of a conventional reputation was actually an advantage in as much as someone who acts in any way without affecting your reputation allowed. Goring's dandyish qualities present him as a man whose primary concern is not politics or family - qualities which Lord Caversham, his father, believes he should prioritize - but in fact aesthetics and wit, and, as he observed one critic, "it's much harder for a scandal that appears to cause long-term damage", while a role in a corrupt political sphere might actually harm him. Therefore Lord Goring is presented as being able to gain power through non-corrupt means because the avenues to power he seeks are different from Robert's and do not involve corrupt politics. Furthermore, Szanter argues that Mable Chiltern actually holds one of the greatest powers in the work because of..