Character Analysis of the Wife of Bath - 1755 Words

One of Geoffrey Chaucer’s most acclaimed works of literature is an assortment of stories called The Canterbury Tales. Through the eyes of the main character it chronicles the journey of various characters as they travel on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. As they make their way to the shrine of Thomas a Becket, they each tell a story in hopes of winning a free meal from The Host, who is the judge of all the stories. Of all miscellaneous characters, one of the most intricate and extensive stories comes from the character, The Wife of Bath. Initially, she is described in short as a well-dressed woman who knew much about love and life. â€Å"Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce,/ For she koude of that art the olde daunce† (Chaucer, GP, 475-476).†¦show more content†¦Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed, Ful streite yteyd, and shoes ful moyste and newe† (Chaucer,GP,453-457). Just as many of the other characters, her clothing shows a lack of humbleness that ought to be shown on a so-called religious pilgrimage. If she is not there to worship, as one must already assume, the conclusion must be that she enjoys showing off her assets through extravagant and flamboyant attire. Chaucer’s description of the Wife of Bath also plays into her promiscuous nature. It is said that she has wide set teeth which in medieval times was a characteristic of promiscuity. Obviously, it can be assumed that this was not a desirable way of behaving in the in the 14th century if you were a woman, yet she clearly knows what is attractive to men, and uses this to her advantage to gain control over them. She revels in having the knowledge of knowing how to control men, and counts herself wise enough to share this with others in hopes of teaching them about the ways of life. In this, you start to get an insight into her bold personality. She is said to have been married five times, not including men she may have been with before or in between her marriages. â€Å"Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde five, / Withouten oother compaignye in youthe† (Chaucer,GP,460-461). Again this was seen as socially unacceptable in medieval times, yet she shows no shame in the willingness to share this with the people aroundShow MoreRelatedWife of bath character analysis1148 Words   |  5 Pagestime, even in the past abuse like this existed, but there wasn’t a term for it, especially if it was your wife. Likely you would be told that she’s a little rambunctious or noisy and she will calm down, but that may not be the problem. The Wife of Bath in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales can be classified as an abuser by the methods she uses to control her husbands. Emotional abuse is the Wife of Bath’s greatest tool against her first husbands. In the Wife’s Prologue, she tells of the accusationsRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath Character Analysis Essay1149 Words   |  5 PagesWitty and Wise In Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"Tale of the Wife of Bath,† the Wife tells a story about a knight who rapes a maiden and is sentenced to death, unless he finds out what a woman desires most. He goes on a search, and hears many different opinions. Then, he comes across a hideous old woman who promises to tell him the answer as long as he does what she asks. He agrees, and tells the queen who grants him his freedom. The woman demands he marry her, which the knight desperately resists becauseRead More Character Analysis of The Wife of Bath of Chaucers Canterbury Tales1623 Words   |  7 Pages Character Analysis of The Wife of Bath of Chaucers Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucers greatest and most memorable work. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses a fictitious pilgrimage [to Canterbury] as a framing device for a number of stories (Norton 79). In The General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes in detail the pilgrims he meets in the inn on their way to Canterbury. Chaucer is the author, but also a character and the narrator, and acts likeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Wife Of Bath 1660 Words   |  7 PagesThe Canterbury Fails: An Analysis of Misogyny in the Wife of Bath’s Tale At first glance, you wouldn’t think that the Wife of Bath’s tale is anything other than feminist. She is, undeniably, the only non-religious female character in The Canterbury Tales and therefore is the only character who is approached from a point of view that was generally uncommon. We don’t have many— or even any, as far as I’m aware— pieces of medieval literature written by or for women or with a main female protagonistRead More 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 MoreThe Wife Of Bath, By Geoffrey Chaucer Essay1487 Words   |  6 Pageswere subverted into a secondary class position that deprived them of agency and sexual satisfaction. Throughout Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"Canterbury Tales,† the Wife of Bath provides didactic social commentary on the discrepancies between marriage and virginity and expounds the idea of giving sovereignty to women in relationships. Although the Wife of Bath is portrayed and characterized to some antif eminist stereotypes, her fervent and unorthodox commands enrich the reasoning behind her sexual voraciousness:Read More Women in Anglo-Saxon England Essay1685 Words   |  7 Pagesfamily feuds forced females to play the role of peace-weavers. They were often married to their family’s enemy to make a truce between warring tribes. The poem â€Å"The Wife’s Lament† is about a woman who, at one time, apparently, was a peace-weaver. The wife and her husband are separated against her will; she feels very unhappy and lonely. The husband has committed a murder and then has abandoned her: â€Å"I am overcome with longing. These dales are dark, and hills high, bitter bulwarks ever grown with briersRead More Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay - Women in The Wife of Bath1433 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in Chaucers The Wife of Bath Chaucers The Wife of Baths Prologue and Tale is a medieval legend that paints a portrait of strong women finding love and themselves in the direst of situations. It is presented to the modern day reader as an early tale of feminism showcasing the ways a female character gains power within a repressive, patriarchal society. Underneath the simplistic plot of female empowerment lies an underbelly of anti-feminism. Sometimes this is presented blatantlyRead MoreSex in The Canterbury Tales Essay937 Words   |  4 Pagestones of misogyny. He expresses these views throughout the work, however, the theme of love and sex is most evident in the sub-stories of The Wife of Bath and The Miller’s Tale. Chaucer breaks the topic of sex into two basic parts: carnality and romanticism. Although carnal love is a controversial topic, Chaucer dives into the subject by creating characters with ferocious appetites for sex and the means to accommodate their desires. Whereas, to address romanticism, he relies heavily on courtship andRead MoreUse Of Satire In Canterbury Tales1301 Words   |  6 PagesChaucer’s Satyric Attack (An analysis of Chaucer’s use of satire to reach his intended audience in his Canterbury Tales) Satire is defined as â€Å"the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize peoples stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues† (Oxford). Another term that people would be more familiar with to describe this would be sarcasm. Language can be utilized in a nasty way, especially when wanting to demoralize