"The Wife of Bath"," a Middle English tale written by Chaucer, focuses on the main idea of power and authority within the church. The Wife of Bath, also known as Alison, has a recurring thirst for control over her five husbands. She used this desire to persuade them into doing unhealthy actions, such as sexual activity in a commanding manner. The religious leaders portrayed their personal opinions of virginity, which differ from the way Alison viewed them. The importance of celibacy in the church impacted the life of The Wife of Bath because of her constant need for power, which she gained through sex and marriage, reflecting negatively on the church and its leaders. .
Alison's five husbands acted as tools to gain complete power over them; she manipulated, controlled, and treated them with disrespect. With this power she utilized the men into doing unfavorable actions including random and meaningless sexual activity. She viewed her husbands as figures of sexual pleasure, rather than treating them as spouses with love and respect. Alison dominated her husbands which caused them to feel badly about their marriage, for example, "Some saiden wommen loven best richesse;/Some saide honour, some saide jolinesse;/Some riche array, some saiden lust abedde,/And ofte time to be widwe and wedde " (251 lines 931-934). The Wife of Bath's husband acted as her sexual figure designed only for sex, which showed how she held steady power over him. She states that virginity is a gift from God, and the only way to have dominance over men is to continue having sex. Alison needed sex in her life in order to sustain her necessities for power and control. .
The Wife of Bath disobeyed the priest's suggestions to hold off from sexual activity until both partners were fully committed. Instead, she decided to follow her own idea of doing it solely for power. Celibacy was honored throughout the church, mainly because God was a virgin for all of his life.
