The Wife Of Bath Women Analysis

289 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: the role of the women in beowulf

The treatment of women in writing versus today The stories “Beowulf” and “The wife of bath” both provide examples of the treatment of women during the times they were written in. These stories can be compared to the treatment of women in modern society to provide and understanding of how much has changed between the struggle for women equality then versus now. The struggle for women equality is not a new one, and works of literature from different times in history can be used to show the differences and similarities between women’s rights then and now. In “Beowulf” there are not many female characters, the ones who are mentioned however, give plenty of insight on the kind of lives women led. One of the women

Show More
Related

  • Role of Women in the Epic of Beowulf

    1575 Words  | 4 Pages

    As an epic tale of heroes and monsters, Beowulf gives its readers much excitement and adventure, but Beowulf's importance is more than just literary. It offers many insights into the beliefs and customs of seventh-century Anglo-Saxon culture. Among these insights is the Anglo-Saxon view of women and their role in society. Good Anglo-Saxon women are peaceful and unassertive, greeting guests and serving drinks to the warriors and other men in the meadhall. Wealhtheow, the queen of the Danes, represents a typical subservient Anglo-Saxon woman. As a foil to Wealhtheow, Grendel's mother is a strong and combative monster whom Beowulf must kill. By analyzing these two characters in Beowulf, we can understand the treatment and mistreatment of women in Anglo-Saxon society. The author of Beowulf generally supports the traditional Anglo-Saxon views of women by praising Wealhtheow, condemning Grendel's mother, and showing the need to suppress feminine forces like Wyrd; however, he does offer some criticism of these views by creating sympathy for Grendel's mother, allowing Wealhtheow to assert herself in the interest of her husband and children, and revealing masculine fear of feminine power.

    Read More

  • The Roles of Women During the Middle Ages Shown Through Beowolf

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    A nameless servant, bed mate to a war hungry lord, waits for her husband’s return; this is the average interpretation a modern day woman will have of women of the Middle Ages. As a woman of the Old English era, many believe that the influence of women was not valued. However, the relevance of culture is an important factor in the address of the typical female figure. While old tales depict more negative views on women such as, adulterous, hags or servants; females actually served a much greater and accepted purpose. Although it is inevitable that some women were not pardoned by men due to their discrepancies toward them, most women maintained dignity within the household. In the story of Beowulf the accepted roles of women revolve around remaining loyal and serving men.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Role of Women in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    533 Words  | 2 Pages

    The women in Beowulf are barely discussed and seem to exist solely for the use of the men. They are weak and portray none of the legendary qualities that the men display. Wealhtheow, the Queen of Danes and Hrothgar's wife, is the only female character in the epic that talks. In a speech to her husband, we are able to see that she is a strong woman, who is able to speak her mind. She tells the king that it is good that he adopted Beowulf, but reminds him that he already has two sons. However, her speech is made while she carries the drinking goblet to all of the men in the room, "Wealhtheow came in,/ Hrothgar's queen, observing the courtesies./ Adorned in her gold, she graciously handed the cup first to Hrothgar, their homeland's guardian,/ urging him to drink deep and enjoy it because he was dear to them" (612-618). When she is given the opportunity to talk, she only praises the men and plays a role defined by their society.

    Read More

  • The Wife of Bath: The Catalyst of Modern Female Standards

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    Where would society be today without the Wife of Bath? This is a question not commonly asked, but has had an underlying influence on women’s standards across the globe. With lack of moral value, the Wife of Bath became the most acrimonious character Chaucer had invented. While many other characters stirred up controversy as well, there lie no doubts that the Wife of Bath was written for a specific reason: to break the double standard between males’ and females.

    Read More

  • Misogynistism In The Wife Of Bath's Wife

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    A woman wants the self-same sovereignty as over her husband as over her lover, And master him;and he must not above her” (Chaucer) This is a quote from the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Throughout the poem there are many misogynistic topics are expressed all through the work. For example the knight assuming he had the right to have sex with the maiden without her consent. Many people assuming that since she is a woman that she cannot be a well traveled, experienced woman therefore she should be at the house with the children. And the knight, then husband, reading “The book on Wicked Wives” and becoming paranoid that his wife is out to get him. All the facts stated above have great parallels to Chaucer’s marriage in more subtle ways.

    Read More

  • Heroism and Leadership: Beowulf

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Beowulf.” Trans. Suzanne Akbari. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 112-82. Print.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Beowulf

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    The women characters in Beowulf show that during the time period in which this was written, the roles of women were clearly defined. While, the author's views on women may never be fully revealed, it is made apparent that he believes in male superiority, and disobedient females ought to be suppressed. Like Wealhtheow, females were to exert minimal power and influence, but should always keep the drinks coming.

    Read More

  • Masculinity in The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale

    2166 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Wife of Bath, with the energy of her vernacular and the voraciousness of her sexual appetite, is one of the most vividly developed characters of 'The Canterbury Tales'. At 856 lines her prologue, or 'preambulacioun' as the Summoner calls it, is the longest of any of the pilgrims, and matches the General Prologue but for a few lines. Evidently Chaucer is infatuated with Alisoun, as he plays satirically with both gender and class issues through the Wife's robust rhetoric. Scholars and students alike have continued this obsession with her, and as a consequence Chaucer's larger than life widow has been subject to centuries of scrutiny. Indeed, she is in the vast minority amongst the Canterbury bound pilgrims; apart from the in-vogue Prioress she is the only female - though she appears in no way daunted by the apparent inequality in numbers. It seems almost a crime to examine masculinity in her prologue and tale, but as I hope to show, there is much to learn both about the Wife and about Chaucer from this male presence.

    Read More

  • Role Of Men In The Wife Of Bath

    1890 Words  | 4 Pages

    When we think about a modern feminist society we often don’t think about a time when women used men to get what we wanted. Men have always used women to satisfy their desires and needs. However, since Wife of Bath 's story from the Canterbury Tales, we see that women have used men in the same way since. In this essay I will argue that when a woman uses a man, it is the same as when he uses her. Sometimes what is good for the goose is not always good for the gander, or is it?

    Read More

  • The Role Of Power In The Wife Of Bath Tale

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    What must it have been like for an author to rebel against the ideology of his time by undermining the power structure of a male dominated world? Chaucer played with fire when he wrote this tale by weakening the prevailing power structure of the time and place in The Wife of Bath Prologue and The Wife of Bath Tale. However, this is not implying that Chaucer makes the males weak and helpless, but it seeks to reverse who the authoritative gender is. In The Wife of Bath Tale, Chaucer upsets the power structure and defies the master narrative by placing women in roles of dominance over men.

    Read More

  • Double Standards and Stereotypes in "The Wife of Bath"

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, which included a progressive view of women's concerns in "The Wife of Bath." During a time when women were still considered chattel existing almost exclusively to produce heirs, Chaucer takes a stand on issues affecting women that were not commonly given consideration. Writing in the first person, Chaucer is able to describe life from the viewpoint of a woman. Through this style, Chaucer addresses subject matter that would have been too candid for a female writer during his time period. By writing "The Wife of Bath" in a satirical way, Chaucer points out issues facing women regarding double standards, the validity of female desire, and the economic necessity of women to marry well while keeping the text humorous with some common female stereotypes regarding deception that have persisted into present day culture.

    Read More

  • Wife Of Bath's Tale: Old Age, Appearance, And Feminism

    497 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Wife of Bath's Tale is the story of a knight who is saved from the disciplinary justice portrayed by the king just to confront the queens rehabilitative justice. This story has issues that we are still debating about today. The knight commits a violent crime and therefore has to have disciplinary actions. There are a tremendous amount of themes in The Wife of Bath’s Tale. The themes that I chose to discuss are old age, appearance, and feminism.

    Read More

  • The Power Of Women In The Wife Of Bath's Tale

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Canterbury Tales by Gregory Chaucer are set around the time of Medieval England. Specifically, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” takes place during King Arthur’s rule in the 600s. In, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” Gregory Chaucer uses satire as a form of humor to point out the underlying power that women have in Medieval England. As the knight struggles to find out what women desire most, he stumbles upon this old woman known as Crone. After the knight grants his freedom he must answer to the old woman and do whatever she wants, thus leading her to take control over his life.

    Read More

  • The Wife of Bath: A Feminist before Her Time

    671 Words  | 2 Pages

    The character of the Wife of Bath in Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Prologue is a strong woman who knows what she wants from life. She is ahead of her time, seeing that women who portrayed themselves the way she does were not necessarily looked positively upon. In this sense, I believe that the Wife of Bath is a feminist. When I use the word feminist I do not mean bra-burning, men hating feminist. I mean a woman who is in touch with herself. She is her own genre when it comes to feminism. She is comfortable with her sexuality and what she wants from life. Through Chaucer, she is viewed as a promiscuous; however, she is actually in control of her sexual adventures.

    Read More

  • The Wife of Bath as a Feminist

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Wife of Bath’s Tale features a character that seemed to resemble a feminist. But in Chaucer’s time, feminism was thought to be abnormal and the pilgrims

    Read More

More about The Wife Of Bath Women Analysis

Open Document