The Wife of Bath: The Catalyst of Modern Female Standards

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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.

Geoffrey Chaucer went about breaking the double standard in a variety of ways. First, the most obvious way: creating a woman who defied all the rules. While he described his other characters by their actions, he approached Alison’s description much differently. He chronicled her appearance, speaking of her boastful yet rather obnoxious hats, “her hose were of the finest scarlet red and gartered tight” (Chaucer 466), and “bold was her face, handsome and red in hue” (Chaucer 469). Even bolder though, were her actions. Chaucer concocted a demanding woman who wouldn’t settle for less than what she opted for. She wasn’t, however...

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