Chaucer's Wife of Bath is one of the most amazing characters in English Literature. She is a strong, clever, independent woman who knows what she likes and usually gets it. She is lusty and not shy about it. She exposes and mocks misogyny in various ways, showing just how misogynistic medieval society was. However, although her strong willed nature and mockery of this patriarchy is apparent, as an audience we still remain confused, and discover aspects of her characteristics and journey, which show that perhaps she is still trapped in this ideal male dominated world. The Wife of Bath, Alison is represented as a rare and unique woman in the initial portrayal of her in the prologue, but at the end of her prologue, the Wife of Bath succumbs to the pressure of society, conforms and becomes the medieval wife.…
This interpretation is weakened by the fact that the Wife of Bath herself conforms to a number of these misogynist and misogamist (antimarriage) stereotypes. For example, she describes herself as sexually voracious but at the same time as someone who only has sex to get money, thereby combining two contradictory stereotypes. She also describes how she dominated her husband, playing on a fear that was common to men, as the Pardoner’s nervous interjection reveals. Despite their contradictions, all of these ideas about…
2. participated in government in Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, and other nations…
I usually look at the picture in the class and the worksheet for any hint of an answer to our group work. The pictures of Queen Elizabeth help remind us that she too was once like us, young and lively. Through this, we can related to her as a young adult, rather than an old political figure we see her as today.…
When writing, authors often know how they want to portray their characters, like if they want the person to stand for a greater meaning or to exist simply for ridicule. But some authors fall short of this mark and create wishy-washy figures that neither prove nor disprove an idea. This is the case with Chaucer and his portrayal of the Wife of Bath. The writer neither ridicules the woman for her multiple marriages nor does he use her to ridicule the gender norms of the time.…
Ladies and gentlemen it has been a great pleasure to listen to all the great tales that are told throughout our journey. However every journey has an end and it includes this one. Although each tale has its own unique aspect and a great story in its own right, I finally narrowed it down to two that I thought was a cut above the rest. I judged the tales based on its predictability and its overall impact on our moralities. Ultimately I came to the decision between The Wife of Bath's Tale and The Franklin’s Tale. Compare to the other tales, not only do the Franklin’s and the Wife of Bath’s tale have an unexpected twist at the end, but also both tales offer exceptionally deep impressions that alter my perspective on marriage.…
The story the Wife of Bath and Sir Gawain tell are the same general plot and climax. The sequence of events that occur happen in the same order just to the different characters. King Arthur rules both stories and give the decision of the punishment to the different girls to decide what is to be done to each knight. The question arises, what is it that women desire most? In each of the stories, the knight finds the answer on the last day of hunting. The knight in the Wife of Bath’s tale saves his own life, whereas the knight in Sir Gawain’s tale saves King Arthur. Each of the tales differ in focus and literary themes, due to the power and position of the Wife of Bath, and the true test of an honorary knight .…
When studying the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Wife of Bath’s Tale, both coming from the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, you see a common theme of feminism. Also, you get a good sense of the of the anti feminist cultural norms and ideas regarding women in the medieval era. Alisoun, The Wife of Bath, focuses most upon the common stereotypes of women. These stereotypes include the idea that women only marry into money in order to live a lavish lifestyle off of their husband’s income as well as the belief that women will never stop talking to their husbands. Stemming from this, the common belief among men was that if you were to get married, it would ruin your chances of success later in life. The Wife of Bath opposed all of these…
In the day of Geoffrey Chaucer, there was a set philosophy known as the Patriarchy. Also, there was a division of the classes, such as: the poor people, who couldn’t afford a simple meal; the middle class, who had a way of making ends meet, but only to a certain extent, and the upper lords and kings, who were seen as better than the people previously stated. Again, in “Canterbury Tales,” Chaucer created a woman, known as the wife of bath, who explicates the details about her own life, along with a long winded story. Firstly, within the story she relays, the knight must marry an elder woman, for she had saved his life. The woman hates the idea of the knight being so arrogant about his stature, and she attacks his nobility. Also, the wife of bath critiques the way the knight profiles the woman by her poverty. Lastly, the old woman has a brief…
The topic that I chose was gender bias. I think this topic most closely relates with Wife of Bath's. Gender bias is the unequal treatment in employment opportunities. This may include; promotion, pay, benefits and/or privileges. Many people believe that racial discrimination no longer exists, but I disagree.…
"If there were no authority on earth Except experience, mine, for what it's worth, And that's enough for me, all she goes to show That marriage is a misery and a Woe," opens Chaucer's "Wife of Bath's Tale." This means without God present in love on earth marriage is misery. Marriage can only be misery if there is no love and without love there is only lust. Therefore lust is a major benefactor to the outcome of the Wife of Bath.…
The wife of bath is a very confident woman who, in the prologue of her tale, talks about her five husbands. She seems very satisfied with her life and her choices; she is fulfilled regardless of the men she was married to. Even with all their deaths, she remains happy and independent. “But even now I will strive to be merry.” (Lines 478-479) The story she tells is about a knight who, after he rapes a young girl, is forced by the queen to find out what women desire the most. He finally discovers that what women want the most is to have sovereignty over their husbands. This goes directly along with the character of the wife of bath, who loved the control she had over her husbands more than anything else. The story proves that the answer to what women want the most is not just one static statement. What a person desires most in life depends on their own character and their own…
In Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales: “The Wife of Bath”, one acquires insight on the character Wife of Bath and how her ideals and principles differ from the customs in medieval times. Wife of Bath was a perceptive and dominant women that was looked upon as a gold digger that used her body as a way to get around the bushes with men. While it may be true, it is without a doubt that she expressed actions that where desired by many women at the time, but were resistant to show these actions because it went against social regulations.…
This has been perpetuated by the ideology that women are naturally submissive, pious, and gentle creatures. “The Cult of Womanhood” describes this ideology by placing men and women into two “spheres” – not unlike men are from Mars, women are from Venus. (reference here) The public sphere involves business and public life, ruthless and uncaring. This sphere is reserved for men. The other sphere, the private sphere, is gentle, nurturing, and devoted to familial and religious matters. When a women steps outside this sphere, she is reviled and, what some sexist journalists have called her, a “mental hermaphrodite.” The Wife of Bath, Alyson, one of the traveling characters in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” is a prime example of a complex, independent woman in literature, who by Chaucer’s pen, is an immoral being. GoodAlyson explains her quintet of marriages, going into detail about how she controlled, lied, and manipulated all of her husbands until their deaths. She says, “Of tribulacion in marriage, of which I am expert in al myn age. This is to seyn, myself have been the whippe.” (III.179-181) ExcellentShe is seen as a sexually dominant man-hater, instead of a headstrong, vivacious…
In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” Chaucer uses the old woman’s unexpected contrasts between good poverty and bad wealth to show that poverty is actually better than being wealthy. The old woman describes “The poor can dance and sing in the relief / Of having nothing that will tempt a thief/ Though it can be hateful, poverty is good, / A great incentive to a livelihood” (270). Although her life is near the bottom of the social hierarchy, “dance and sing” suggests hope, happiness, and celebration. Adding on, “great incentive” adds a positive perspective towards poverty as if it is not as bad as one thinks because the poor have a lot of motivation to work for a living. She suggests that if one is not wealthy, one can enjoy their lives by looking in a positive direction. Furthermore, the old woman illustrates her life as a lower class, and suggests that “Poverty often, when the heart is lowly/Brings one to God and teaches what is holy /gives knowledge of oneself” (290). The old woman is poor and taught herself to become self-sufficient, and poverty taught her “what was holy.” and also taught morals of what is right and wrong, and one’s true talents. Wealth might seem as a success, but the Old Woman says “Poverty is, though wanting in estate/ a kind of wealth that none calumniate” (290). “Wanting” is to lack, “estate” as social class or the possession of money, and “calumniate” meaning making false and defamatory statements, suggesting that “Poverty” can not be criticized. Although the old woman’s family is destitute, the real poverty lies in the rich’s avarice, where the wealthy are unable to stop their greediness. The old woman suggests the humorous contrast that the poor value their possessions, whereas the high class’s visions are clouded due to not appreciating towards their surroundings which leads to avarice for material possession. Lastly, the repetition of “poverty” signifies the position of the woman is in, and although her status may not be superior, the wisdom…