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Wife of bath

            Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Prologue.
             The Wife of Bath's Prologue can be read in two ways. Many critics view her character as one of the first feminist figures of Medieval Literature. She is a strong-willed and dominant woman. She speaks freely of her sexuality and of her dysfunctional marriages. The wife of Bath escapes the typical thinking of woman in Chaucer's day. Woman were viewed as property and many sources of authority saw sexual pleasure as a lustful sin. The Wife of Bath clearly disagrees with this ideology. She views marriage as a way of getting revenge on men, who place woman on an inferior level. She uses tools of deceit to gain control over her husbands. This seems to be her long term goal instead of the pursuit of happiness. Although viewed as a feminist by some, others define a feminist as someone who believes that men and woman are equal, while also recognizing the unique characteristics of both genders. It was not Chaucer's intent to display the Wife of Bath in this way.
             She is a nag. Chaucer portrays her this way throughout the entire prologue. She uses this technique to get what she wants when she wants it. She also uses her beauty and sexuality as a tool to get her husbands to obey her. Her first three husbands yielded to her for their own peace of mind. "They were ful glad whan I spak to hem faire For, God it woot, I chidde hem spitously". If her husbands refused her commands then she would deny any sexual favors to them. Her outlook on marriage is cold and unemotional. It can be closely related to a business arrangement instead of a loving relationship. The fact that the Wife clearly comments that woman are born with the weapon of deceit destroys any possibility of her being a feminist. "Swere and lyen as a womman kan". Her beliefs can be more closely related to that of a sexist person. She emphasizes the negative stereotypes associated with woman but hypocritically argues with her 5th husband when he reads tales of wicked wives.


Essays Related to Wife of bath

1. Canterbury Tales - The Wife of Bath

In this tale, the Wife of Bath and several others journey toward Canterbury, telling stories to one another to pass the time along the way. ... The Wife of Bath is a confident, honest, strong willed woman-very distinctive, somewhat aggressive in speaking her mind and showcasing her worldly savvy. ... One could make parallels to the Wife of Bath herself, or to the more seemingly manipulative old hag of the story, who seems to believe in teaching lessons the hard way. ... Regardless, the mindset existed, whether it was Chaucer's own or not, and is herein depicted in the Wife of Bath's ...

  • Word Count: 1042
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography

2. Wife of Bath

"She- is the Wife of Bath. ... Even the Wife of Bath's tale gives the reader a sense of her feminism. ... The Wife of Bath would "Of wenches wolde I beren hem on honde- (The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, 399). Jenkins, the Wife of Bath's Fifth husband, would be more of a challenge for the Wife of Bath, but at the end would be able to be given the mastery of the marriage. ... -(The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, 1-3). ...

  • Word Count: 925
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

3. The Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath is a woman of experience. ... The Wife of Bath acts more like a black widow, than a loving wife. ... The Wife of Bath uses her hatred of this book to gain control over her 5th husband. ... The tale of the knight told by the Wife of Bath is about what women really want. ... The idea of this story corresponds with what The Wife of Bath thinks. ...

  • Word Count: 530
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath uses her story to indirectly dispel the cast system and religious stereotypes. ... The transformation of the hag into a beautiful and faithful wife represents the Wife of Bath's inner beauty and true soul. ... In the Wife of Bath's tale the knight represents organized religion and public perception. ... The Wife of Bath is telling us that, we who condemn her for being married five times, should turn the table on ourselves. ... The Wife of Bath is a character of much complexity whose surface can barely be scratched in the brevity I have discussed. ...

  • Word Count: 532
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Wife Of Bath

Chaucer appears to support women and specifically these feminists by creating two very strong-willed and successful women in the Wife of Bath and the old hag in the Wife's tale. ... The Wife of Bath is a woman who freely admits to all the lust, the conniving and the deceit that defines her. ... Following her fourth husband's death, the Wife of Bath married a man half her age within a month. ... This shows how badly the Wife of Bath needs to have a man and feels incomplete without one. ... As evident with the hypocrisy showed by the Wife of Bath. ...

  • Word Count: 1579
  • Approx Pages: 6

6. The Wife of Bath - Literary Essay

Through the Wife of Bath, in both her prologue & her tale, Chaucer introduces the modern-day notion that women are entitled to remarry & fulfill their intimate desires & to demand that their wants & unique wisdom be respected by men. ... The Wife claims that God endorses her sexual appetite. ... The Wife claims that women should have multiple alternatives. ... The Wife of Bath loves men but also hates them. ... The Wife of Bath's prologue & tale argues that women must control everything to have a blissful relationship but her stories tell her otherwise....

  • Word Count: 797
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath's Tale and Prologue both present some very interesting views on women and their role in marriage. ... Essentially, through her experiences, Alison (the wife of bath) is showing us how the roles of men and women in marriage can be completely reversed. From early in the Prologue we clearly see that The Wife of Bath is not afraid to use her wit and sexual prowess to get men and in turn make them follow her every wish. ... The Wife of Bath's Tale presents the sovereignty differently, but very clearly. ... The outcome of both stories clearly define Alison's (Th...

  • Word Count: 392
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Wife of bath

The Wife of Bath holds a high intelligence and an overwhelming ability to manipulate and control the opposite sex. ... As a wealthy woman, The Wife of Bath had to keep her married status in order to retain her wealth. ... Some may interpret the Wife of Bath's story to only consist of sexual revenge. ... The Wife of Bath is in pole position, she vocalises "I shal seye soothe" meaning she will speak her truth. ... I believe he succeeded in demonstrating certain attitudes and beliefs in that particular period, through the character of the Wife of Bath. ...

  • Word Count: 1093
  • Approx Pages: 4

9. The Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath's Tale The Wife of Bath is one of Geoffrey Chaucer's more vibrant characters. ... The Wife of Bath is witty, intelligent, opinionated, and sensual. Geoffrey Chaucer also gives a somewhat detailed description of the Wife of Bath. ... The Wife of Bath tells a tale of a young knight in King Arthur's day who was a lusty liver. ... The Wife of Bath's Tale is about the relationships between husbands and wives. ...

  • Word Count: 736
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

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