Kaur 1

Keen Kaur

Senior English P3

Figueroa

16 December 2018

Definition of Love

The definition of love differs from author to author, but Chaucer highlights the most

honest connotation of love. Geoffrey Chaucer is commonly referred to as the Father of English

and is also considered to be one of the most exceptional English poets of the middle ages. His

tale, The Wife of Bath’s Tale, is a story told to convey what women long for and desire most. A

young knight must find out what this wish is within a year to redeem himself from punishment to

death for the crime he committed. Finally, one day, he stumbles across an old crone that gives

him the answer, but, in return, he had to give his hand in marriage. He was repulsed, but later

learned to love her past her physical attributes. Chaucer defines love as wholesome and honest as

the knight opens his mind to the old crone’s personality and traits and learns to love her past her

physical flaws.

Love is deeper than the skin’s surface, one’s heart and actions define true love. The

knight refers to the crone as poor, old, and homely. He is unhappy, although the crone has done

nothing wrong to him, and is the reason that he was not condemned to death. He finally allowed

the crone to change his mindset, and it provided him with a point of realization. The crone

questioned him, “Would you rather have me old and poor and homely and of common folk, but a

faithful, loving wife; or perchance, young and rich and handsome and of high birth, but careless

of your love and maybe false to you?” (Chaucer 4). Chaucer cannot help but to reflect upon what

she said. His perception of love changes, and fits to that of what the author defines it as. He
 Kaur 2

ponders and finally concluded that her words are right “I believe that you are wise and good, and

I take you for my true and faithful wife” (Chaucer 4). He takes his wife for her inner beauty,

which is what she wanted all along. Chaucer defines love as wholesome, as it is exemplified in

this line. As he accepts her as his wife, and declares that they kiss, she was transformed into a

beautiful, young bride. They both lived in happiness, and satisfaction thereafter.

The definition of love through the eyes of Chaucer is genuine, and purely from the heart

and not the eyes. There is a great amount of importance in this tale, such as the gender roles and

honor throughout the story, but most importantly love. Both the husband and the wife should

show equal effort to have a successful relationship, which is prevalent in the tale. The most

important theme in the story is that beauty lies within the human, not the physical appearance. If

there is one thing that one takes from this tale, it is that beauty and love is defined by the heart.