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The length of her explanations, along with the pride in which she introduces them to her audience,
suggest that turning her husbands’ arguments against them were common occurrences during her
marriages. Additionally, she usually wears expensive garments. He finds the answer from a old hag
whom he promises to marry, and his life is spared, leaving him alive, but married to a woman he
finds unappealing. Chaucer argues through the Wife of Bath that women must have agency in order
to achieve gender balance; he reflects the progressive tenor of the late fourteenth century rather than
challenging embedded misogyny. She travels alone, venturing to places such as Jerusalem and Rome.
You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. Her books include the prize-
winning biography Chaucer: A European Life (Princeton). First of all, the Pardoner sets the scene of
his tale. For instance, she uses some ideas provided in the Bible as an excuse for adultery. When he
gives the right answer and his life is saved, the old woman then demands that he marry her, which he
must because of his giving his word to her that he would do whatever she wished, but “in order to
win a beautiful wife, the knight must allow the crone to decide her own fate” (Betcher). Guinevere
exercises her power which indicates a balance between the genders at least it exists between
Guinivere and Arthur which is not to say that it didn’t exist in the real world. She is a fantastic
example of a strong female character who knows exactly what she wants in life and is not afraid to
not only go out and get it but to let everyone whether they care or not know what it is that she
wants. What happened to the Wife of Bath's first husband. She is also a skilled cloth maker, she likes
to laugh and talk, and she knows “all the remedies for love’s mischances”. The Friar and Summoner
continue to argue until the Host quiets them down and informs the Wife of Bath to begin to tell her
Tale. Deft, smart, and brilliantly readable, it explores the post-Black Death world that created Alison
of Bath, and considers what she has come to represent in the six-and-a-half centuries since. After you
make your purchase, you will receive an email with instructions on how to download the app. For
example, “her hose were of the choicest scarlet red, close gartered.” Red gloves and red stockings are
the two things that apparently make people talk about her most. By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”,
you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. In addition, her early marriage caused her to put
a pause on her trying to find herself and figuring out what she wanted to do with her life. The fact
that the story shows a woman who is allowed to decide fate for herself is feminist in nature because
it shows her as her own person, someone that is legally and socially responsible for her own
decisions, something that in these times would have been rare to find because of the social status of
women. Feminism is defined as the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of
women equal to those of men. Alison is one of the lone characters who really reveals herself openly,
through her prologue. She has. Since she had to grow up fast at a young age, she never had the time
to actually figure herself out and what she wanted to do with her life, which is now catching up to
her. Widowhood was anticipated, and the law regarding widows was very beneficial. Packaging
should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged
by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. Call Today
Sleepy Hollow, IL As it turns out, this is the correct answer, and the young man is compelled to
marry the ugly old woman. A girl with bouncing brown ringlets and yellow feathers in her hair and
deep blood red lips was set on a. Chaucer, as a government official would have been aware of this
legal text in the 14th century and he references this precedent in his description of Alisoun. In telling
the twenty-four tales within a more sizable tale, Chaucer demonstrates an uncanny ability to match
the tale to the teller.
Subscribe to receive a welcome discount for your next order. Deft, smart, and brilliantly readable, it
explores the post-Black Death world that created Alison of Bath, and considers what she has come
to represent in the six-and-a-half centuries since. Her being so young, she did not think of the
consequences that would follow with the decisions she was making. Women sometimes go after a
love that they do not possess for the purpose of gaining more power. What arguments does the Wife
of Bath give to justify her five marriages. Her books include the prize-winning biography Chaucer: A
European Life (Princeton). It is not so shocking that a queen could gain this sort of power, after
begging her husband. During the 14thcentury, it was likely that the Wife of Bath was thought of as a
destructive rebel. The Lady or the tiger ( presentation from tabriz university) The Lady or the tiger (
presentation from tabriz university) an analysis on the short story sleeping beauty. Although some
people might disagree with the statement that was previously stated, all the evidence draws back to
the idea that her lack of authority in her early life and most of her adult life, caused her to make
careless decisions that would impact her life forever. In the prologue, she tells to her fellow pilgrims
the life of her marrying five previous men and she view the relationship of men and women. She
acts out in many different ways and catches the attention of everyone in doing so. She about seems
to be an early women's rightist, but is non by her ain words. This tale has a great many aspects to it
that could be referred to as feminist in nature because of the strength of presence of the female
characters and the way in which the tale unfolds; however, the tale is also very much a product of
the time period in which it was written, a time when many women had no legal or social power,
inside or outside of their own home. The burning desire to new sexual relations creates the feeling of
physical dissatisfaction and necessity for new emotional feelings atypical for women of her time. She
can live the life to which she’s grown accustomed. Christianity was used to maintain defense of
domesticity and the role of women as mother and wives only. On one hand widows were perceived
biblically as objects of respect and charity while on the other they were perceived as promiscuous
and greedy. It is possible to say that in the Prologue, Chaucer prepares a ground for further story
development and symbolically illustrates these ideas and themes in the Tale. The Pardoner claims he
is about to marry, however, after listening to the Wife of Bath’s description about the sense of
control in marriage, he declares he will halt his marital pursuits. Themes are an important aspect of
literary works because itputs the work into a clearer perspective helping the reader. Lines 263
through 270 of the Wife of Bath’s Prologue reveal the wife’s view upon how men illustrate the
actions of women. Overall, the character’s hypersexuality is supported by the image of her body,
which she considers is created for satisfaction and corporal pleasures. Her lack of authority in her life
impacted her mental state of mind because she did not have anybody to tell her that the decisions she
was making were going to affect her. Instead of showing a strong female character that can care for
herself and is not afraid of giving her own opinions, she turns into a woman who is desperate for the
love of a good-looking knight and who is desperate to have a man care for her and support her.
Chaucer details her appearance, writing, “Bold was her face, handsome, and red in hue” (15). In
addition, her early marriage caused her to put a pause on her trying to find herself and figuring out
what she wanted to do with her life. The thought of women continuously desiring attention from a
man and always being sought out to express promiscuous actions is a reality revealed in the Wife of
Bath’s Prologue. The three were good men and were rich and old,” which means that they were
honored her but were drunk as well. As you can tell from the study, women who marry at a young
age like The Wife of Bath could result with potential mental health issues.
In contract, the Tale reflects morals of wives and their desire to have devoted husbands asking “This
is to seye, what wommen love moost” (line 985). What women desire, as we later come to know, is
sovereignty; sovereignty in love. By continuing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. In addition
to her age, she did not have an authority figure to steer her into the right path and keep the Wife of
Bath from making poor decisions. Even though the story is lengthy, it teaches life lessons about our
lives and how the ladies can take control over men. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987. 23-
36, 105-122. However, he’s mistaken in this case as Alisoun is not being self-serving; she is merely
espousing her own interpretation of biblical text. In doing so she gains more sexual pleasure in bed
and stronger control over her husbands. If we look at it from our perspective, it seems so young
because our life expectancy is around the age of seventy through eighty. The red color is often
utilized to describe the main character. She achieves control by manipulating her husbands, criticizing
their behavior before they can criticize hers, and refusing to have sex with them until they give her
ownership of their property. “By these means she suggests that marriage is a battle of the sexes and
that one way to win that battle is through deceit and trickery” (Rossignol, “The Wife of Bath’s
Prologue” par. 2). Although the Wife of Bath boasts that she married Jankyn for true love, her
version of love is a distorted one. For example, “her hose were of the choicest scarlet red, close
gartered.” Red gloves and red stockings are the two things that apparently make people talk about
her most. She is also a victim of domestic abuse who tells a story of rape and redemption. In the
general prologue, Chaucer describes her cloth making skills showing “so great a bent she bettered
those of Ypres and of Ghent” (Chaucer 15). The Friar and Summoner continue to argue until the
Host quiets them down and informs the Wife of Bath to begin to tell her Tale. The Canterbury tales
is the contrast of realistic and exaggerated qualities that chaucer entitles to each of the characters.
“The wife of Bath is one of chaucers most enduring characters and one of the most famous. The
three were good men and were rich and old,” which means that they were honored her but were
drunk as well. Few women would have been willing to sell their dower because, for the most part, it
was all she would have been able to live off of. Both women are clever, a bit conniving, and they get
what they want. Chaucer describes The Wife in bodily with extensive hips, big bump and a hat that is
a size of a vessel. She was a strong, independent woman, who did not run around bending to the
wills of men. Her actions do not correlate to the women of her time, because Christianity and church
was a strong force which dictated social norms and social order, values and commandments to
women. The tale opens with a young knight, Gawain, raping a peasant girl. How Does Chaucer
Present The Wife Of Bath As A Woman Of Her Time? The woman agrees to be faithful to the man,
and the man agrees to provide for the woman. Clearly, only the Wife of Bath could tell this tale, as it
is a direct reflection of the beliefs she holds dearly. Her lack of authority in her life impacted her
mental state of mind because she did not have anybody to tell her that the decisions she was making
were going to affect her. She is represented as a passionate person, whose manner of dressing along
with the worldviews as such could shock the Medieval public. In her 1995 book on Medieval
Women, Henrietta Leyser argues that “conservative estimates put widows in charge of at least 10 per
cent of medieval English households” (Leyser 168). Clearly the Wife’s husband is a misogynist, and
one feels that her nagging and complaining is partly justified.
We as the reader read it as “too young” because in our society, it would be considered too young to
marry. It gives a brief note on importance of Historic tourism. Turner also tells the incredible story of
Alison’s post-medieval life, from seventeenth-century ballads and Polish communist pop art to her
reclamation by postcolonial Black British women writers. She is also a victim of domestic abuse who
tells a story of rape and redemption. She is also a very self-confident woman who thinks highly of
herself and her. It is worth noticing that during the period in which the plot is set, people usually
dressed simply, but the Wife, on the contrary, prefers unusual and extravagant clothing. Nevertheless,
they are rather controversial from the perspective of morality as she sees marriage as a means for
prosperity and sensual satisfaction The Wife argues against the biblical prohibition on remarriage
after widowhood. In contract, the Tale reflects morals of wives and their desire to have devoted
husbands asking “This is to seye, what wommen love moost” (line 985). From what we analyzed, we
can tell that early marriage led her to make poor decision that affected her life. As the wife of the
king, Guinevere was perhaps the most powerful woman in all of Great Britain and had a status that
was far different from that of normal, everyday women in her world. You can use them for
inspiration, an insight into a particular topic, a handy source of reference, or even just as a template
of a certain type of paper. Using another allusion to the Bible, Lady Alisoun justifies her multiple
marriages: “so says the Apostle, I am free to wed, o’ God’s name, where it pleases me” (Chaucer
259). When comparing great works of literature one must look beyond theobvious and delve deeper
into the meaning of such works. Additionally, since red is traditionally associated with passion, in the
tale, the character’s red clothing can symbolize that she is full of desires. At closer examination it
becomes clear that “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” has many elements of the feminist, but just as many
elements that make it problematic from a feminist perspective and in fact only perpetuates the idea
that women need a man in order to be supported and protected. She began to issue charters of her
own as well as joint charters with her son. But, at that age as well, women were dishonoured and
treated as sub-humans because now Friars rape women, Elves raped women in those times. Angela
Weisl asserts that The Loathly Lady “is the exact opposite of the standard romance heroine
throughout most of the Wife of Bath’s Tale,” and that she “must become ideal for the poem to end.”
(Weisl 3). The thought of women continuously desiring attention from a man and always being
sought out to express promiscuous actions is a reality revealed in the Wife of Bath’s Prologue.
Chaucer makes the tale The Wife of Bath purposely stand out than the other tales. We will write a
custom essay on your topic a custom Essay on “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer 808
writers online Learn More It can be argued that by using particular ways of the character’s
representation and stylistic devices, Chaucer aimed to criticize the noncompliance with the Medieval
religious and moral doctrines. Tison Pugh corroborates this concept when he says, “This blatant
consumerist impulse of self-prostitution in marriage showcases the Wife of Bath exploitative views
of sexuality” because she can see “through the poetry of courtly love to the raw economics
underneath” (Pugh 124), which is exactly how she has made all of her financial progress in life so
far. This work is full of feminist ideas speaking about rights of women and their happiness. Since she
had to grow up fast at a young age, she never had the time to actually figure herself out and what
she wanted to do with her life, which is now catching up to her. They frequented brothels and
taverns, where they danced to music and played at dice at all hours of day and night and. Alison is
one of the lone characters who really reveals herself openly, through her prologue. She has. The wife
pleads to stand out without conforming to societal standards. Once Alisoun begins telling her fellow
pilgrims about her past husbands, it is evident that she was the one who was always in control, rather
than being controlled like most, if not all, other women were at the time. Perhaps the most blatant of
these is the idea of class, because it is obvious at the beginning that the only reason the Queen and
her ladies were given the power over life or death for this knight was because of the queen’s status.
She travels for pleasure and her knight is traveling for a specific purpose, because she has discovered
the truth of gender balance and he has not.
The Tale is based on symbolic and philosophical representation of the theme of marriage while the
Prologue describes real-life examples and human experience of the Wife of Bath. Scholars can use
them for free to gain inspiration and new creative ideas for their writing assignments. While married
to him, she fell in love with Jankyn, who would become her fifth husband, one whom she married
for love but who was abusive. Despite her controversial nature, however, Chaucer ultimately creates
a character who is a “positive representation of independent womanhood”. The length of her
explanations, along with the pride in which she introduces them to her audience, suggest that turning
her husbands’ arguments against them were common occurrences during her marriages. Many
Americans are getting married at a young age, which as stated earlier, can result in some negative
setbacks. She is represented as a passionate person, whose manner of dressing along with the
worldviews as such could shock the Medieval public. Themes are an important aspect of literary
works because itputs the work into a clearer perspective helping the reader. At the beginning of her
prologue, Alisoun puts a great deal of effort into justifying her sexual behavior. It is doubtful that
very many women, if any at all, could say that they owned a business of any sort, not to mention one
that is even more successful than the top cloth making centers in Europe at the time. Ypres and
Ghent were famous cloth making centers in Belgium (Hodges 360). While this may make it seem as
though she’s living up to the stereotype of widows, in truth, she is only thinking of her future which
means remarrying because inheritance law of the time deprived the widow of two thirds of her
inheritance if she didn’t remarry, while a widow who remarried could keep land she previously
forfeited (Leyser 180). She has her ain autocratic positions on matrimony, Scripture, and hubby
domination. In the end, he get the answer from an old widow, who will only help him if he promises
to give her whatever she wishes after his life is saved. Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a
chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis. In addition, her early marriage caused her to put a pause
on her trying to find herself and figuring out what she wanted to do with her life. Entertaining and
enlightening, funny and provocative, The Wife of Bath is a one-of-a-kind history of a literary and
feminist icon who continues to capture the imagination of readers. The knight then sets out to find an
answer within the 12 months, or else he would be killed, and he spends the months asking women of
all stations, classes, and marital status, and getting different answers from each. When he gives the
right answer and his life is saved, the old woman then demands that he marry her, which he must
because of his giving his word to her that he would do whatever she wished, but “in order to win a
beautiful wife, the knight must allow the crone to decide her own fate” (Betcher). Nonetheless, it
would not be unusual for a woman to assist her husband in running a business. In the prologue, she
states that she had her first marriage at the age of twelve and since then has married five times. In
essence, her character is totally dependent upon her husband and her having to beg for what she
wants negates any feminist actions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in
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Not the right resource. About this product. Stock photo. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced
brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is
applicable. The outer frame consists of the pilgrimage to Saint Thomas Becket’s shrine, where each
pilgrim, including Chaucer the Pilgrim, exhibits a cross-section of fourteenth century England,
omitting only royalty and serfs. Both women are clever, a bit conniving, and they get what they
want. This means that Chaucer is using the Wife of Bath to show the benefits of a “truly
companionate marriage” as Patterson asserts. (Patterson, Putting the Wife in Her Place 33). She is
loud, self-promoting, and extremely aggressive. By continuing, you agree to our Terms and
Conditions. In these works, Chaucer depicts social and moral problems, ridicules false values and
depicts the role of women in the Middle Ages.
While the other pilgrims are traveling for religious reasons, she is seeking a sixth husband, again
demonstrating her nonconformist personality. Faced with their misogynist attitudes and patronising
treatment, the Wife rebelled and played on their hatred of women as much as she could with
infidelity and the use of sex as a weapon. Barrow Motor Ability Test - TEST, MEASUREMENT
AND EVALUATION IN PHYSICAL EDUC. After all, she’s been married five times and has
experienced a wide gamut of marital troubles. She rises above both in the rejection of her aged,
crippled, disturbing husbands and in the strength of her passion for men. Her being so young, she
did not think of the consequences that would follow with the decisions she was making. This
resource hasn't been reviewed yet To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have
purchased this resource can review it Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and
conditions. It will also consider the historical context of Chaucer’s work and its significance in
medieval literature. Overall, Chaucer does not criticize the Wife explicitly. For instance, she uses
some ideas provided in the Bible as an excuse for adultery. Children would have interfered with her
future relationships and “the fact that the new husband would be expected to support any minor
children, would have made her a less attractive commodity in the marriage market” (Rossignol, “The
Wife of Bath” par. 2). Further emphasizing the Wife of Bath’s independent spirit is the fact that she
travels alone on her pilgrimage. Tison Pugh corroborates this concept when he says, “This blatant
consumerist impulse of self-prostitution in marriage showcases the Wife of Bath exploitative views
of sexuality” because she can see “through the poetry of courtly love to the raw economics
underneath” (Pugh 124), which is exactly how she has made all of her financial progress in life so
far. Additionally, she wears this type of clothing on Sundays when people go to Church and are
supposed to be especially humble. After having to live under Jankyn’s control, Alisoun finally gains
her sovereignty back. Nonetheless, it would not be unusual for a woman to assist her husband in
running a business. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch. ?2.30
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She is also a leading woman who gets everything and gets everything she wants. It is shocking that
the King would given women this type of power over a man, but the fact that the crime was against
a woman makes it seem as if it is only fitting that women would be the ones to choose the
punishment for his taking the innocence of a maiden. This tale has a great many aspects to it that
could be referred to as feminist in nature because of the strength of presence of the female characters
and the way in which the tale unfolds; however, the tale is also very much a product of the time
period in which it was written, a time when many women had no legal or social power, inside or
outside of their own home. Finally, the Tale concludes with the knight submitting to his wife in
allowing her to choose her future, which ultimately brings both of them satisfaction and happiness.
Nevertheless, they are rather controversial from the perspective of morality as she sees marriage as a
means for prosperity and sensual satisfaction The Wife argues against the biblical prohibition on
remarriage after widowhood. Reviews Select overall rating (no rating) Your rating is required to
reflect your happiness. As it was mentioned in the previous section of the paper, the character’s
wears red stockings and gloves. Her actions do not correlate to the women of her time because
religion limited sexual desires of the women, in spite of the fact that church and Christianity were
used to defense and legitimatize the institution of marriage. Widows, like Alisoun of Bath, had a
great deal of agency and so many were reluctant to relinquish that authority by taking another
husband. It gives a brief note on importance of Historic tourism. The old woman’s tale “gives
women legal and magical power”, mostly because she is able to demand what is rightfully hers (the
knight) and because she is able to demand from the knight that she decide her own fate (Betcher).
The three were good men and were rich and old,” which means that they were honored her but were
drunk as well. The Wife of Bath believes she has the right to discuss these controversial topics
because she has experience in these matters (Bloom par. 2).