Essay about Chaucers Wife of Bath - 2474 Words

Chaucers Wife of Bath Before beginning any discussion on Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, one must first recognize that, as critic Elaine Treharne writes, â€Å"Critical response to the Wife of Bath has been as diverse as it has been emotive† (2). Some critics love the Wife of Bath and her controversial prologue, proclaiming that she is a woman of strength and powerful words; others hate her and cover the eyes of younger girls, determined that Wife of Bath is instead a role model of what women should not be; and the rest remain a bit confused, simply excusing themselves and the Wife herself. The question of whether or not the Wife of Bath ought to be admired or scorned continues to provoke a number of hands to raise in the air, ready to present†¦show more content†¦The Wife audaciously steps onto stage and belts to her audience, â€Å"What rekketh me though folk saye vilainye,† and follows up with another loud lyric, â€Å"In wifhood wol I use myn instrument / As freely as my Maker e hath it sent† (Chaucer l. 59, 155-56). Here, the Wife of Bath disregards public opinion and then frankly asserts that she—a woman in a society where male dominance even flows into the bedroom—will have sex freely. Thus, while the society and its female typecasts shush her and plead with her to passively sit in silence, the Wife of Bath boldly stands and sings loudly. If mothers want to cover their children’s eyes, they better cover their ears as well with audacious women like Madonna and the Wife of Bath around. Covering eyes and ears may be the very advice of James Cook, another literary critic of the Wife of Bath. Cook raises his hand and has a far different answer then Hansen to the question of the Wife’s respectability. First of all, Cook reveals his disgust at the Wife of Bath’s treatment of marriage: â€Å"In none of her marriages has Alice made a full commitment of her will to the sacrament, and from that reservation follow most unhappy religious consequences--sin, gracelessness, and loss of charity† (4). Cook grumbles about the Wife’s lighthearted attitude toward the sacred bond of marriage and the sin resulting from herShow MoreRelatedGeoffrey Chaucers The Wife of Bath981 Words   |  4 Pages My main focus in the many books from the Canterbury tales was the one of: â€Å" The wife of Bath’s prologue and tale â€Å". The wife of bath is meant not meant to contradict the misogynist of her time, but the scriptural rules of the church. This woman was a â€Å"lady† of lust, and did not care to gain or lose love, but she loaned for power over men and woman. She was a woman who would turn men against other women so that she could have complete control over the man, and make them her husbands in whichRead MoreFeminism In Chaucers The Wife Of Bath1216 Words   |  5 PagesA large part of the study of literature deals with interpreting the original meaning of a work and attempting to understand how it applies to modern day readers. As with other pieces of literature, this is also true for Chaucer’s â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue,† where many contemporary scholars hail Chaucer as feminist icon for his depiction of an eloquent, independent woman. This interpretation, however, is flawed because it is highly anachronistic. Feminism, as we understand the term today, did notRead More Chaucers The Wise Wife of Bath Essay1385 Words   |  6 PagesChaucers The Wise Wife of Bath The Wife of Bath, in my opinion, is one of Chaucers wisest characters.   I am somewhat surprised that he made up such a character, as he was writing these tales in the early fourteenth century.  Ã‚  Ã‚   She took what she did have, which was wit and wisdom, and used it to her advantage. Although she was assumed to be an ugly old woman, she had five husbands all of whom she had mastered only to have them die.   She personifies the characterRead MoreChaucers Views On Wife Of Bath And Feminism1529 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"Views on Wife of Bath and Feminism† In the time period of the 14th century, many woman faced inequality. Women were not viewed to uphold the same quota as men. Most females were viewed as passive to males and were not able to make many demands in their relationships or make any contributions to their own survival or life. In the â€Å"Wife of Bath Tale†, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, Chaucer gives an insight into the struggles of a woman. Chaucer gives a voice for women who cannot speak for themselvesRead MoreEssay on The Wife of Bath: Feminism in Chaucers Work2146 Words   |  9 Pagesto their husbands and follow their lead. A womans place was also in the home and the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc. fell into their domain. Women who deviated from these cultural-set norms made for interesting characters. Chaucers use of women and their overstepping their boundaries and typical roles in society make them most memorable. Most of the gender expectations stemmed from the Church and biblical history. There were many anti-feminist feelings due to Eve causingRead MoreChaucers Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath Essay837 Words   |  4 Pagesentertain. One narrative in particular, that of the Wife of Bath, serves both purposes: to teach and to amuse. She renounces the submissive roles of a woman and reveals the moral to her story while portraying women as sex seeking, powerful creatures, an amusing thought indeed. Through her didactic discourse and witty tale, the other travelers, as well as the reader, discover more about women than they have from any other person’s account. The women in Chaucer’s time were contradictory to that of the imageRead MoreAnalysis Of Chaucers Wife Of Bath Prologue And Tale1451 Words   |  6 PagesChaucer’s â€Å"Wife of Bath Prologue and Tale† focus on the story telling of a woman who has experienced her fair share of marital issues. She is depic ted as a promiscuous woman, married five times and had plenty of male suitors, the Wife was not like any other woman during this era. Although her reputation was how most perceived her, she was not a fan of being scrutinized for what she considered as her duty as a woman; to not remain single. This is seen through the depiction of women in society, howRead More Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay - The Strong Wife of Bath1112 Words   |  5 PagesThe Strong Wife of Bath       Alison of Bath as a battered wife may seem all wrong, but her fifth husband, Jankyn, did torment her and knock her down, if not out, deafening her somewhat in the process. Nevertheless, the Wife of Bath got the upper hand in this marriage as she had done in the other four and as she would probably do in the sixth, which she declared herself ready to welcome. Alison certainly ranks high among women able to gain control over their mates.    The Wife of BathsRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath Tales And Chaucers The Canterbury Tales791 Words   |  4 Pagesmen’s â€Å"dead body did not feel the spade and the sewer as [her] live body felt the fire† (92). Shakespeare depicts Joan, in Henry VI, as â€Å"a ‘troll,’ ‘witch,’ ‘strumpet,’ ‘foul fiend of France’ (qtd. in Sarawsat 90). Likewise, Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales represents the ‘wife of Bath Tale’ as bawdy. The protagonist Alison â€Å"still submits to the rule of patriarchal world†, she suffers because she is oppressed to the bone. She â€Å"struggles for respect in her own household†. That is why; she needs an innerRead MoreThe Power Of Women In Geoffrey Chaucers The Wife Of Bath2180 Words   |  9 Pages According to the tale told by the Wife of Bath, â€Å"Women desire to have sovereignty/ As well over their husbands as their loves, / And to be in mastery them above† (Chaucer 1044-1046). This statement means that to be masters over their husbands is the ultimate desire of all women. Therefore, the power women have in this time is the power over their husbands, and this power is what they truly desire. However, this is not a common occurrence, and the Wife of Bath believes that in her experience, this