Chaucer's The Wise Wife of Bath
The Wife of Bath, in my opinion, is one of Chaucer's wisest
characters. I am somewhat surprised that he made up such a character, as
he was writing these tales in the early fourteenth century. She took
what she did have, which was wit and wisdom, and used it to her advantage.
Although she was assumed to be an ugly old woman, she had five husbands all
of whom she had mastered only to have them die. She personifies the
character that women of her era secretly aspired to, however because of the
restrictions imposed upon them by society, they could not be the Wife of
Bath.
She is obviously a very strong woman and knows what she wants.
"Experience, though no authority were in this world, were good enough for
me, To speak of woe that is in all marriage"(Chaucer, 103) as she states in
the introduction to her tale. She is a self professed authority on the
etiquette of marriage. Her extensive knowledge and education on matters of
the heart have been acquired through experience, and through the
conventional means of learning.
Through her tale she explains herself, in a sense. She speaks of a
wise, but ugly old woman. A handsome young knight happens upon the old
woman. She asks him what he is seeking. The young knight explains to her
that he, as punishment, was sent on a quest to discover what women desire
most. The old woman's answer is a simple but costly one. In exchange for
her assistance, the old woman demands that he oblige her one request. The
knight hastily agrees that he will allow her the request. Thus, she has
taken her wisdom and used it to her advantag...
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...ave and
once we get it we do not want it anymore. She has used the men in her life
for riches and happened upon her fifth husband whom she loved only because
he did not give much love back to her.
All the reasons described above are why the Wife of Bath was a
remarkable and different woman. She leans toward a feminist nature and
seems resentful toward men. For women, she is easy to respect and look up
to for advice. For men, she is an intelligent woman but may not know the
limits of her games.
Works Cited and Consulted
Bowden, Muriel. A Reader's Guide to Geoffrey Chaucer. New York: Noonday Press, 1964.
Hallissy, Margaret. A Companion to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. London: Greenwood Press, 1995.
Nardo, Don, ed. Readings on the Canterbury Tales. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997.
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KRYLON is a Sherwin-Williams product its ads on the television back in the 70's With no runs, no drips, no errors is famous and is now making its way back into the market. Sherwin-Williams is also responsible for Dutch Boy, which is sold at all Sears stores. Minwax and Thompson's Water Seal were recently acquired by Sherwin-Williams in 1996. All these products are made by Sherwin Williams and are brand recognizable with their name only.
great lengths to postpone marriage to one of them. She puts the men off for
In the words of the Broadview Anthology’s introduction to the Wife of Bath, she is “a sexually experienced cynic who teaches young people the tricks of love…. The Wife’s history and the literary shape of her prologue conform to many of the traditional misogynistic stereotypes found in her husband’s book” (Broadview 298). Why would Chaucer write such a clever portrayal of personal pleasure through the eyes of a woman, and yet design her to possess every quality so despised and abhorred within her so-called lifetime? Because the audience of this poem would probably include wives, and because everything the Wife describes is almost laughably vulgar, it can be understood that this poem would not be interpreted literally and women would instead be forced to listen to an account about female power, desire, and pleasure written, unfortunately, as cruel satire of their
noble and not remarry even if her husband does not return for twenty years and
understand what she felt about her life and her family, since her views differed from the
need, she is young and beautiful (highly sexualized), and in order to retain and keep
The Wife of Bath is a complex character-she is different from the way she represents herself. Maybe not even what she herself thinks she is. On the surface, it seems as though she is a feminist, defending the rights and power of women over men. She also describes how she dominates her husband, playing on a fear that was common to men. From a point of view of a man during that time period, she seemed to illustrate all of the wrongs that men found in women. Such as a weak parody of what men, then saw as feminists. The Wife of Bath constantly emphasizes the negative implications of women throughout the ages. She describes women as greedy, controlling, and dishonest.
know that she has a lot of suitors staying at her house and they all want to
One of the most interesting and widely interpreted characters in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is the Wife of Bath. She has had five different husbands and openly admits to marrying the majority of them for their money. The wife appears to be more outspoken and independent than most women of medieval times, and has therefore been thought to symbolize the cause of feminism; some even refer to her as the first actual feminist character in literature. Readers and scholars probably argue in favor of this idea because in The Canterbury Tales, she uniquely gives her own insight and opinions on how relations between men and women should be carried out. Also, the meaning of her tale is that virtually all women want to be granted control over themselves and their relationship with their husbands, which seems to convince people that the Wife of Bath should be viewed as some sort of revolutionary feminist of her time. This idea, however, is incorrect. The truth is that the Wife of Bath, or Alisoun, merely confirms negative stereotypes of women; she is deceitful, promiscuous, and clandestine. She does very little that is actually empowering or revolutionary for women, but instead tries to empower herself by using her body to gain control over her various husbands. The Wife of Bath is insecure, cynical towards men in general, and ultimately, a confirmation of misogynistic stereotypes of women.
but she seems to be a person who would only marry for love and not for
is an only child; she is rich and would be a good catch for any man of
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firm in her belief that she did not need to dedicate her life to another man just because it was the social
Women have the ability to get what they want, when they want it. Chaucer portrays the Wife of bath as the dominant person in her marriages. She looks at men as her trinkets to be used and played with. She moves from one man to another, always looking for more. The Wife of Bath is a control freak, wanting to have sex when she desires it and with whom she desires.