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Evolution of women in literature
Depiction of women in literature
Depiction of women in literature
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Marriage and Sovereignty
The Canterbury Tales was written during the Medieval Era when women were
seen inferior to men. Women during this time were bound to loveless, arranged
marriages as which was the Wife of Bath's case because she was married at the age of
twelve. These marriages were arranged for the families to acquire social and political
gain. Women during this era could not own property, and had no political rights. Their
social standing solely depended on their husband or father's social status. Although she
endured hardships she was a woman who refused to accept this concept. Nothing else
was of importance to her than desiring and acquiring sovereignty and wealth from her
husbands.
The Wife of Bath, whose name is Alyson, is an older, gaped-toothed woman who
is dressed ridiculously in extravagant clothing. She dresses in this manner to show the
world of her wealthy status like a cat shows off its beautiful coat. She is not described as
a beautiful woman, but her character is forceful and exuberant. The Wife of Bath is one
of the pilgrims on her way to Canterbury to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. This is
not her first pilgrimage and she makes it known to the others that she is experienced and
that she is an authority on marriage since she has been married five times. It seems that
her purpose of her pilgrimage is more for adventure and social communication than for
religious reasons.
The Wife of Bath is considered a sensual character because women during the
Medieval era demonstrated proper manners and etiquette, which she seemed to lack. She
prowls after men for sexual pleasure and wealth. She is not ashamed to info...
... middle of paper ...
...ng he
struck her with one of the books causing her to go deaf in one ear. Being the stubborn
woman that she is she refused to leave and instead struck him back. She then mentions to
the others that they reconciled and he was putty in her hands from that day forward. She
was able to achieve what she desired the most, to govern over her husband until his death.
Her story resembles her fifth marriage with the knight portrayed as her young husband
and herself as the old hag in the story.
With the creation of the character of the Wife of Bath, Chaucer, clearly makes his
disapproval known of women in the Medieval era were beginning to lack religious moral
conduct. He successfully makes his point across with Alyson?s misuse of religious
scripture and the use of her numerous marriages and sexual encounters to obtain wealth.
...disrespect from Tea Cake. She threatens him, saying if he leaves her again without her permission she will “kill yuh” (124). Within Janie’s past marriages her husbands treat her comparable to a slave and isolate her from the community. Even though her voice is still developing, she will not allow her husband to show her contempt. During the trial, Janie both matures and shows control over her voice, as she faces the horror of retelling the story of Tea Cake’s death to the court room. While giving her testimony, Janie knows when to talk; however, when she is through “she hushed” (187). By expressing and controlling her voice in court, Janie ultimately reveals her new found vocal maturity, but it is only because of her final marriage to Tea Cake that Janie finally develops an understanding of when and how to use her voice.
marriage. She was to do just as he said, without so much as uttering a
great lengths to postpone marriage to one of them. She puts the men off for
Wife of Bath. Her character is noted to be strong and bold and we learn
Next, is what can be seen as the other extreme of the spectrum of marriage. That is the Wife of Bath's Tale. This tale favors the argument that the wife should have complete control in the marriage. An interesting thing about the Wife of Bath's tale is that her arguments, in the prologue, for having control...
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.
Also, he was telling her what to do. He wanted her to sit around at home and not work and it was no conducive to her plans.
In "The Wife of Bath" one of the first issues the speaker, Alison, addresses' is the idea of double standards. As she begins the prologue she lays the groundwork for her story by defending one's right to marry as often as they are able. While people often believe that it is immoral for a woman to marry more than once, Alison discusses the idea that she should be free to marry as many times as she wishes and that others should hold their judgment (Hieatt & Hieatt, 183, line 34). She claims that she has never heard the specific number of marriages allowed by the bible defined. She sites Solomon as a biblical standard saying that he had many wives and no doubt received pleasure from all of them (183-184, lines 35-45). Within this example Alison claims that it is acceptable not only for her to marry as often as she wishes, but also to receive phys...
The Wife of Bath represents the "liberal" extreme in regards to female stereotypes of the Middle Ages. Unlike most women being anonymous during the Middle Ages, she has a mind of her own and voices herself. Furthermore, she thinks extremely highly of herself and enjoys showing off her Sunday clothes whenever the opportunity arises. She intimidates men and women alike due to the power she possesses. Because of her obnoxious attitude Chaucer makes her toothless, fat and large. Doubtlessly, she is very ugly, almost to the point of "not-presentable. This to me shows how Chaucer depicts what men don't want. The Prioress, on the other hand, serves as a foil to the Wife of Bath. Chaucer describes her as "tender-hearted" who cannot bear the sight of pain or physical suffering. She will cry at the thought of a dog dying. It could represent that she has a frail soul with low tolerance for pain and suffering. The latter description carries over into the modern stereotypes about women as skittish and afraid members of society who need to be cared for.
immediacy of her second marriage suggest that there may be some question as to whether
Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, demonstrate many different attitudes and perceptions towards marriage. Some of these ideas are very traditional, such as that illustrated in the Franklin’s Tale. On the other hand, other tales present a liberal view, such as the marriages portrayed in the Miller’s and The Wife of Bath’s tales. While several of these tales are rather comical, they do indeed depict the attitudes towards marriage at that time in history. D.W. Robertson, Jr. calls marriage "the solution to the problem of love, the force which directs the will which is in turn the source of moral action" (Robertson, 88). "Marriage in Chaucer’s time meant a union between spirit and flesh and was thus part of the marriage between Christ and the Church" (Bennett, 113). The Canterbury Tales show many abuses of this sacred bond, as will be discussed below.
Beidler, Peter G. "Chaucer's Wife of Bath's 'Foot-Mantel' and Her 'Hipes Large'" Chaucer Review Vol: 34, Issue: 4. April 01, 2000. 388-397
did what she did out of anger and her actions were not called for in
Geoffrey Chaucer used his characters in Canterbury Tales as a way to illustrate stereotype of medieval society. The Wife of Bath, one of the pilgrims in Canterbury Tales demonstrates an authoritative role in marriage The Wife of Bath’s unusual behavior and attitudes can be interpreted by two motives: feminist ideals or sexual indulgence. When considering feminist viewpoints, it can be concluded that the Wife of Bath’s behavior is motivated by sexual indulgence.
Of all the numerous females depicted in literature throughout the centuries, Geoffrey Chaucer’s Wife of Bath has inspired more in-depth discussion and gender-oriented analysis than the majority. She is in turn praised and criticized for her behavior and her worldview; critics can’t seem to decide whether she is a strong portrayal of 14th century feminism or a cutting mockery of the female sex. Both her tale and its prologue are riddled with themes of conflict and power struggle between the sexes, and the victor of this battle is not made explicit. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales being a parody of various societal conceptions and literary conventions, it is likely that this ambiguity was entirely intentional. By comparing the Wife of Bath and her husbands to the characters presented in the tale, Chaucer makes the subtle but sharp implication that there is no true winner in the battle of the sexes; the essential qualities of men and women are equally unsavory, and harmony between the two can only be achieved when an illusion of triumph has been constructed separately for both parties.