Home > LITERATURE, ENGLISH: CHAUCER > 'THE WIFE OF BATH'S TALE.' >

'THE WIFE OF BATH'S TALE.'

Examines author's narrative techniques & philosophy of marriage.

Details

Citations 4

Citation Style OTHER

Sources 1

Pages 5

Price: $20.00

From the Paper

This paper is concerned with an examination of Geoffrey Chaucer's narrative techniques in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales. The Wife of Bath certainly has the qualifications to be an expert on marriage because she has been married five times. Basically, she is the Fool of the company in the traditional manner in which everyday truth is turned upside down. If practice makes perfect, then the Wife of Bath has had considerable training on the subject of matrimony. However, it could be that she needed to commit matrimony until she got it right. And so, the "Prologue" commences: "Experience, though noon auctoritee/Were in this world, is right ynough for me/To speke of wo that is in marriage:/For lordinges, sith I twelf yeer was of age--/Thanked be God that is eterne on live--/Housbondes at chirche dore I have had five/(If I so ofte mighte han wedded

Itwas not easy or healthy to be the husband of the Wife of Bath, and many abroken bed and back were undoubtedly a testimony to that fact. We even see evidence of this inGreek mythology in which some women possessed power too terrifying for mento behold, such' as Medusa, whose hair consisted of serpents. The Church frowned upon a number of marriages. Perhapsthis expresses what many males think about women: females want it bothways. But it was possible to marry again;however, each marriage would put a person at a lower level of perfection.Thus, the Wife ofBath is at the lowest state, a situation which she does not mind andembraces with considerable enthusiasm. Withthis as the situation, it is not too surprising that the Wife of Bathshould be such a lusty woman. If practice makes perfect, then the Wife of Bath hashad considerable training on the subject of matrimony. When all issaid and done, the importance of the wife's control over marriage is alwaysemphasized by the Wife of Bath, and her tale certainly provides ampleevidence of that situation and condition. The sovereignty of the wife is of utmostimportance in her tale, which is about one of King Arthur's knights, who issentenced to death for raping a maid. But of course, the Wife of Bath is only all too human herself. For the ideal state of matrimony must present the wife withfull control, according to the perspectives of the Wife of Bath. However, as anaristocrat, the knight's foibles become all the more obvious when he fallsshort of the chivalric ideal. Basically, she is theFool of the company in the traditional manner in which everyday truth isturned upside down. In her case, however, most of her husbands did have short lives. In other words,dealing with some females can be a very petrifying experience. Essentially, then, all of this points to the factthat some women such as the Wife of Bath are not easy persons with which tolive. If it is better to marry than to burn, it is probably not too muchof an exaggeration to say that some of her husbands would have preferred tohave undergone spontaneous combustion. In repentance, the husband offered tolet her manage everything: "But at the laste with muchel care and wo/Wefille accorded by us selven two./He yaf me al the bridel in myn hand,/Tohan the governance of hous and land,/And of his tonge and his handalso;/And made him brenne his book anoonright tho" (Lines 817- 822). Storytelling was a common form ofentertainment on pilgrimages during the Middle Ages. Consequently, pilgrims not only came out withamusing stories, but they flirted and gambled, ate and drank too much,swore, and indulged in lewd conduct even in the shrines themselves. Still, he attempted to put her in her place by readingantifeminist stories to her. For women have been struggling forpower over men for thousands of years. As she states: "Welcome the sixtewhan that evere he shal! However, the ladies of the courtintervene, and the knight is provided with one year in which to discoverwhat women most desire, and consequently save his life. Then by discussing the fact that she has had five husbands, shegoes on to claim that matrimony is at its best when the wife has thesovereignty. Her passions and worldly desires were quitein accordance with the behavior of many persons in that day and age. She isdescribed by Chaucer as wide of brow and gapped-toothed, which are featuresof someone who is exceedingly passionate in their persuasion. In her story, itappears that the sovereignty of a wife is also of great importance, andthis idea prevails throughout the Wife of Bath's narration of her story.Consequently, her philosophy about what is preferable in marriage isbrought forth and reflected in her story about one of King Arthur'sknights. Certainly, back in the Middle Ages there were women somewhat like theWife of Bath who managed prosperous businesses and were considerablyindependent. This paper is concerned with an examination of Geoffrey Chaucer'snarrative techniques in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" from The CanterburyTales. However, it couldbe that she needed to commit matrimony until she got it right. Accordingly,the knight pleases the court ladies with the answer that females mostdesire sovereignty over their husbands and their love, after which the oldwitch demands that he marry her. After all,the Wife of Bath's true religion was really erotica even though she mayhave been on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury. Just onelook at such a creature was enough to turn men into stone. Also, in medieval times, stories about thearistocracy were very popular. Although the basicpurpose of a pilgrimage was of a religious nature, it was also a medievalform of vacation or travel. The fifth husband, however, she married for loveinstead of money. However, one last word about the Wife of Bath is that for all of herseeming confidence about what she and other women want, she doesdemonstrate a certain amount of uncertainty. Yet, the persons on this pilgrimage wererepresentatives of every type of human being, although the Wife of Bath wasrepresentative in a highly burlesque way. In most instances, such persons as theknight were revealed to be only too human in their errors of the flesh. All of the follies of mankindare revealed by the pilgrims as they go on their holy journey, and the Wifeof Bath is no exception. She was able to deal with this by provokingher husband into fighting her, after which she pretended that he had nearlykilled her with his violent attack. Herlusty emotions and love of carnal matters are quite obvious. She wasnot a woman who easily gave up with regard to matters of the heart or anyother part of her anatomy. And so, the"Prologue" commences: "Experience, though noon auctoritee/Were in thisworld, is right ynough for me/To speke of wo that is in marriage:/Forlordinges, sith I twelf yeer was of age--/Thanked be God that is eterne onlive--/Housbondes at chirche dore I have had five/(If I so ofte mighte hanwedded be),/And alle were worthy men in hir degree" (Lines 1-8). /For sith I wol nat kepe me chast in al,/Whan myhousbonde is fro the world agoon./Som Cristen man shal wedde me anoon"(Lines 51-54). The Wife of Bath certainly has the qualifications to be an experton marriage because she has been married five times. Thisconcept is also quite an important feature in her tale. A knight is supposed to be a perfect example of chivalry andvirtue, and these characteristics are in ironic opposition to the variousqualities of the Wife of Bath, with her worldly ways. Then the knight says that she should make the choice, and theresult is thoroughly pleasing to him: "And whan the knight sawgh verailyal this,/That she so fair was and so yong therto,/For joy he hente hire inhis armes two;/His herte bathed in a bath of blisse;/A thousand time arewehe gan his kisse./And she obeyed him in every thing/That michte do himplesance or liking./And thus they live unto hir lives ende/In parfitjoye./And Jesu Crist us sende/housbondes meeke, yonge, and fresshe abedde--/And grace t'overbide hem that we wedde./And eek I praye Jesu shorte hirlives/That nought wol be governed by hir wives,/And old and angry nigardesof dispence--/God sende hem soone a verray pestilence" (Lines 1256-127 )!Thus, the Wife of Bath concludes her tale with a prayer that those husbandswho refuse to grant their wives sovereignty, should be given short lives byGod. This is so because she bothdesires to dominate and to also submit. She brags of all the manipulations she used to control herfirst four husbands. In "The Prologue," the Wife of Bath speaks against the virtues ofvirginity. Thus, the knight takes the hag to bed ontheir honeymoon. The story told by the Wife of Bath reflects her position with regardto affairs of the heart. After a long lecture, she presents a choice to theknight: she can remain horrible and old and promise loving faithfulness,or she can change into a beautiful young woman and probably turn him into acuckold. The idea of a woman having control over a situation at theexpense of a man is not at all new. But this is a phenomenon peculiar to the human race in general.----------------------- 1 It might be wondered why the Wife of Bath and the other pilgrims wereso busy relating stories to each other. The more the merrier (at the risk of a bad pun). Consequently, if aperson married, it was preferable to marry once and, if the spouse leftthis mortal sphere, never again. TheWife of Bath had her way concerning the sovereignty of the household andher husband. A possiblesolution to the knight's problem comes forth when an old hag offers toexchange the answer for his obedience to her next request. For certainly, it canbe said of her that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. However, it is paradoxical that a woman of herlusty ways would be on a religious pilgrimage to the Shrine of Saint Thomasa Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Verylikely, some of the Wife of Bath's husbands were more emotionally petrifiedthan physically rigid. In other words, she wants herhusband to obey her, but then she wants to obey and to satisfy. Inthose times, life was short and not too sweet, and they had their fun whilethey could.

Ask a question about this product

Also Search for 'THE WIFE OF BATH'S TALE.' in all categories

Related Essays

CHAUCER'S ANTI-CLERICALISM.
Argues that Chaucer was a satirist of all aspects of his society including the church.
WIFE OF BATH.
Examines character, her prologue & tale in Chaucer's [Canterbury Tales] as example of women as complex & struggling with independence, social conformity, marriage, sex, guilt, morality.
"THE WIFE OF BATH."
Analysis of anti-authoritarian arguments in Tale & account of marriage from a woman's view.
WOMEN IN "CANTERBURY TALES".
Author's depictions of women in 'Wife of Bath's Tale' & 'Nun's Priest's Tale.' Cultural background, love, sexuality, relations with men, marriage, feminism, religion, morality.
"CANTERBURY TALES" (GEOFFREY CHAUCER).
Examines tale told by & character of Wife of Bath & her perspective on gender, love & marriage.
"CANTERBURY TALES".
Examines pilgrims as individuals, satirical tools, symbols of vice & virtue, focusing on 'Reeve's Tale' & 'Franklin's Tale.'
'WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE' & 'FRANKLIN'S TALE.'
Compares treatments of marriage & love in [The Canterbury Tales].
Church Corruption in the Middle Ages
Discusses the corruption of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. Includes sources.

Become a Premium Member. Buy all pre-written essays for only $2 per page! AND Get $1 of store credit for every $10 you spend!

Testimonials

This makes all the difference.

The staff and writers are true professionals. They are honest and helpful. If you order from them, you are in very good hands.

I'm so happy!

I used to have such a terrible time with writing, but not any more. This company has taken one of my most stressful college experiences and made it easy!

The Best Service Ever!

I really do appreciate Research Assistance. I'm not a good writer and the service really gets me going in the right direction. The staff gets back to me quickly with any concerns that I might have and they are always on time. Thanks a million for your excellent service.

Subjects

Show all subjects...

'THE WIFE OF BATH'S TALE.'

Related Essays

Related Pages

Your cart

Testimonials

Subjects