1475 was a rough year for John the Carpenter; his beautiful Alison cheated on him with his mentee Nicholas and he was made to look like an old lunatic--ranting about the end of the world in a bathtub--by those same two. It’s safe to say that he is questioning is decision to marry that beautiful young wife of his a few years ago.
Their marriage was long in question because of her vitality and beauty compared to his advanced age. Many will assume, probably correctly so, that she married him for his wealth. According to Martin Tolchin women are often attracted to their “husband’s maturity and understanding” (Tolchin 1) from his age. Some also attribute the commonness of these relationships to the fact that according to modern standards “women past 40 years are washed up and no longer attractive whereas society has built up a standard that men into their 70s are seen as virile and quite attractive according to modern standards.” (“How Old is Too Old 1) Whatever the reason this combo clearly did not go well, so we would like to offer the five reasons to ditch the trophy wife and seek a real marriage.
She will always catch the attention of younger and more attractive men and have the temptation of cheating. You can’t always accuse her of cheating, but there will always be the risk. You may feel like you have to compete constantly with other men even though you are already married to her.
She is “wild and young” (Chaucer 89) and as you get older, you may no longer be able to keep up with her. When you may want to sit at home, read, and go to bed early, she may want to go out and party. This can cause a rift in your relationship and also create a greater desire for her to cheat.
She always has the power, because she can still find another husband her age, but you likely won’t ever be able to catch someone as good and beautiful as her.
To summarize I implore you to heed to the Miller’s words that “ A man should marry someone like himself/A man should pick an equal for his mate” (Chaucer 89)
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Trans. Nevill Coghill. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.
Tolchin, Martin. "Age Gap in a Marriage Has Value, Couples Say." Nytimes.com. N.p., 18 Oct. 1962. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
"How Old Is Too Old... Dating Older Men." Examiner.com. Clarity Digital Group LLC, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
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