Essay on The Wife of Bath by Geoffery Chaucer - 1019 Words

The Wife of Bath nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Wife of Bath, or Alison, is a worldly woman. Not only has she traveled the world, she has experienced the world, in the sexual manner. Alison herself states this at the beginning of her tale, â€Å"Were there no books at all on the subject, my own experience gives me a perfect right to talk of the sorrows of marriage . . . I’ve married five husbands . . . .†(Chaucer 174). The point of Alison’s long-winded prologue is to crush the idea that men have a hierarchy of dominance over women. Chaucer makes this point, and also the point, through Alison’s tale, that if women are given what they want, then they will be obedient and faithful to their men. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The worldliness of†¦show more content†¦At this notion, the Pardoner, another one of Chaucer’s characters, asks why he should even wed if his wife is going to control his body. Alison quickly replies that he should listen to her tale before he makes judgements about the â€Å"gift† that women have. Now Alison begins her tale. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Alison tells the tale of a knight in King Arthur’s Court who rapes a beautiful young maiden out of lust. The knight is sentenced to be decapitated. However, the queen and other ladies of the court ask Arthur to give the knight one chance to save himself, and being obedient to the wifely counsel, Arthur agrees. The knight may live, if within one year he can come back to the court and tell them what women want most in the world. Alison continues her tale, telling all of the different answers that the knight receives, such as sex, money, flattery, and even remarriage. Not thinking that any of these answers are true he continues on. Nearing the end of his journey, the knight spots a group of women dancing in the woods, but when he gets to where they were they have vanished and all that remains is an ugly old woman. The old woman ask if she can help and the knight tells of his predicament. The old hag says that she knows the answer and offers to help only i f the knight pledges himself to her. Returning to the court, the knight gives his answer to the women. The knight replies that whatShow MoreRelated The Wife of Bath by Geoffery Chaucer Essay696 Words   |  3 Pages Analysis of the Wife of Bath nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Chaucer starts his prologue with the description of twenty-nine people who are going on a pilgrimage. Each person has a different personality that we can recognize from the way people behave today. He purposely makes The Wife of Bath stand out more compared to the other characters. â€Å"In the â€Å"General Prologue,’ the wife of bath is intentionally described in an explicit way to provoke a shocking response† (BlackmanRead More Womens Themes in The Wife of Bath by Geoffery Chaucer Essay2244 Words   |  9 Pages Geoffery Chaucer wrote his legendary Canterbury Tales in Medieval times when women were considered as servants to their husbands and powerless. This was a time where church and state were one entity and in the church’s eyes women were supposed to be gentile and and virtuous. Sexuality and education of women was condemned by the church and state. The clothing during that time also represen ted the ideals of that time. Their skirts were long and ankles were never to be shown naked in public. YoungRead MoreBeowolf, The Art of Courtly Love, and The Wife of Bath and 810 Words   |  4 Pagesthe hierarchy by the hierarchy, whom the lower and middle class were supposed to look up to. This brings the question, who were the real heroes? What even was a hero during this time? Was it a real thing, or were heroes just a work of fiction? Geoffery Chaucer was a king’s yeoman, esquire, and a messenger. This allowed him to meet a variety of people from across the globe, as well as those of nobility. This allowed him to write a story that accurately captured different people’s personalities, whichRead MoreReality of Human Nature Hidden Behind the Canterbury Tales Essay1460 Words   |  6 Pagesmentally, people are much alike than they think. This links into Geoffery Chaucer’s work, â€Å"The Canterbury Tales†. Chaucer tells his readers that his main purpose of the book is to reveal his belief on what causes people to misbehave. The argument is that the reason why people tend to act up is because of human nature. Chaucer hints this idea throughout the tales. Some of them that help prove Chaucer’s fact to be true are: â€Å"The Wife of Bath Tale† and her version of living day-by-day with different husbandsRead MoreWife of Bath vs. the Pardoners1251 Words   |  6 PagesCharlott e Stern Period 6 March 30,2012 Wife of Bath vs. The Pardoners Geoffery Chaucers The Canterbury Tales is an example of an extremely complicated and wondrous piece of fictional work. The main story lines plot is a contest between a diverse group of pilgrims on their way to Thomas Beckets shrine. in order to win the contest the pilgrim must tell â€Å"tales of best sentence and moost solaas,†, which means the stories must be filled with moral and entertainment to win the feast. EvenRead MoreRole of Women in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight and The Wife of Bath’s Tale1651 Words   |  7 PagesIn the Middle Ages, the roles of women became less restricted and confined and women became more opinionated and vocal. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight presents Lady Bertilak, the wife of Sir Bertilak, as a woman who seems to possess some supernatural powers who seduces Sir Gawain, and Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath Prologue and Tale, present women who are determined to have power and gain sovereignty over the men in their lives. Th e female characters are very openly sensual and honest aboutRead MoreLiterture Final Exam Notes1143 Words   |  5 Pages wyrd: fate; destiny Canterbury Tales CT pilgrimage was from London to Canterbury. 31# travelers were to tell 4# stories each on the journey. Purpose was ______________________. Characters from CT: Wife of Bath, Knight, Miller, Pardoner, Parson, Host of the Tabard Inn. †¢ Wife of Bath: gap-toothed woman; had 5 husbands; wears red; handsome; confident †¢ Knight: a gentlemen who represents chivalry and honor †¢ Miller: red-head, braen with no brains, cheats on the grain scales; tells tavern