Adafih Blackburn
Mrs. Herrick
British Literature H
3 September 2014 Feminism is the belief that men and woman should have equal rights and opportunities.
During the medieval times there were designated roles assigned to women, therefore that soon began to change. Women gradually began to express their concerns and tried to have an equal role in society apart from the men. The stance of feminism on both Chaucer and the Wife of Bath is a complex one but the conclusion is that they both are not feminists.
The Wife of Bath, according to some is just Chaucer reincarnated as a woman. In the argument on whether or not the Wife of Bath is a feminist, one can say that she is anti feminist.
She is anti feminist in the way that she uses sexual aspects for her personal gain instead of trying to prove herself worthy and equal in the patriarchal medieval society Chaucer created . Instead of being a trailblazer and revolutionary woman like a feminist would, she constantly seeks out different husbands after being "widowed" to provide for her needs; sexually and financially. The worthy woman from beside Bath city has many indications of just being a typical “medieval woman”. At first, it may have seemed that she was just rebelling against the maledominated society at that time but she does not really do anything considered to be powerful or radical for the women of her time. The worthy woman of Bath portrays all the negative characteristics of
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women which include: stupidity, deceitfulness and raunchiness. Even though she is striking back at men, she is not doing it in a way so that it betters herself and the women of her time but solely for personal gain. She has all of her husbands wrapped around her finger and she puts up a fight with them but she is not trying to pull away from the male centered society, she is still dependent and still continues to be part of the system. There is no attempt throughout the story to argue with the image the male population has set. She does nothing but harm the idea of women and does not attempt to be anything besides what the men thinks of her as.
The humanist nature of Chaucer may be mistaken for feminism but it is not. He is a product of his patriarchal society. Therefore, it is not expected of him to want equal rights for that of women.
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