Misogyny in The Canterbury Tales

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Misogyny in The Canterbury Tales

Although society has advanced dramatically technologically, I feel that we still have a long way to go when it comes to how we view one another. It amazes me that in a society such as ours, that bases its existence on the equality of all people, that misogyny (as it occurred in medieval times) still takes place. A timeless example of misogyny is the objectifying of women, which suggests that a woman's sexual beauty is her only worth. In dealing with this misconstruction, some women, as in the case of Bercilak's wife in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and Alisoun in "The Miller's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales, use their sex appeal to deceive, lure, and, manipulate men. A small part of me shamefully admits that I respect, and even appreciate, the way in which a woman can outsmart a man by entertaining his sexist views; however, as a whole, I strongly feel that if a woman uses her sexuality for her own advancement, then she is contributing to her own misogyny.

The misogyny towards Bercilak's wife in "Sir Gawain and The Green Knight" is introduced by the speaker's and Gawain's depiction of her appearance. For one, the speaker points out that, "her body and her bearing were beyond praise (ll.944)…her bright throat and bosom fair to behold…"(ll.955), indicating from the beginning that Bercilak's wife is sexually desirable. The speaker then continues describing how fresh and fair the ladies with "the two eyes and the nose, the naked lips" are (ll.962). By using the word "naked" just to illustrate her lips, the speaker is calling unnecessary attention to her sexuality. In addition, Gawain shows that he is aware of Bercilak's wife's sexual qualities admitting that, in comparison to...

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...on also falls victim to Alisoun's tendency to use her own misogyny to her advantage. His infatuation with her leads him to show up on her doorstep proclaiming, "Thanne kis me, sin that it may be no bet, / For Jesus love and for the love of me" (ll.608-609). In turn, Alisoun exploits her sexuality by allowing Absolon to believe that she will comply with his wishes, which, in turn, deceives Abolson and only satisfies her wish of sending him away.

In all, the misogyny presented in these two poems is not restricted to the time period they were written. Just as in medieval literature, it is still common for today's woman to be recognized only for her physical attributes. I believe that in order to have equality of the sexes and to help overcome the objectifying of women, it is necessary for women not to use the misogynistic views placed against them to their advantage.

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