Chaucer's Wife of Bath: Quiz
Wife of Bath Quiz
1. What 2 things are contrasted right at the beginning of the Prologue?
2. What age was Alisoun when she first got married?
3. How many times has she been married?
4. What does someone tell her shows she should only be married once?
5. She says she doesn’t know how she should interpret the story of the Samaritan woman, but what text does she say she can well understand?
6. Which biblical figures had ‘wyves mo than oon’?
7. What is Alisoun’s pragmatic view about the need for wives?
8. Complete the following: ‘If there were no sede ysowe…’
9. Alisoun speaks of ‘the apostle’ and his teachings about women. a) Which apostle is she talking about? b) What did he teach about women?
10. Alisoun uses household imagery to compare ‘wyves’ and virgins. What image does she use and what does it suggest?
11. The Wife defends sex and says that genitals were not just made for what? (2 things)
12. The Wife says she will tell of ‘tribulacion in mariage’ What does this mean?
13. The Wife suggests she was the boss in her first three marriages. What image does she use to describe herself?
14. Which of the pilgrims interrupts the Wife?
15. What does the Wife say her intention is in telling her story?
16. Describe her first three husbands.
17. Which quote shows she had complete control over her first three husbands?
18. The Wife admits to lying and nagging. Give two ways in which her behaviour can be interpreted.
19. What three things does Alisoun accuse her three old husbands of?
20. The Wife makes false accusations about her husbands, claiming they always complain about women. Who actually voices these misogynistic views?
21. Give 2 examples of things she claims they say.
22. How does Alisoun ensure she gets control of her husbands’ money?
23. What is the point of the long list of complaints she says her husbands make against women? What do they show about Medieval society?
24. Alisoun
1. What 2 things are contrasted right at the beginning of the Prologue?
2. What age was Alisoun when she first got married?
3. How many times has she been married?
4. What does someone tell her shows she should only be married once?
5. She says she doesn’t know how she should interpret the story of the Samaritan woman, but what text does she say she can well understand?
6. Which biblical figures had ‘wyves mo than oon’?
7. What is Alisoun’s pragmatic view about the need for wives?
8. Complete the following: ‘If there were no sede ysowe…’
9. Alisoun speaks of ‘the apostle’ and his teachings about women. a) Which apostle is she talking about? b) What did he teach about women?
10. Alisoun uses household imagery to compare ‘wyves’ and virgins. What image does she use and what does it suggest?
11. The Wife defends sex and says that genitals were not just made for what? (2 things)
12. The Wife says she will tell of ‘tribulacion in mariage’ What does this mean?
13. The Wife suggests she was the boss in her first three marriages. What image does she use to describe herself?
14. Which of the pilgrims interrupts the Wife?
15. What does the Wife say her intention is in telling her story?
16. Describe her first three husbands.
17. Which quote shows she had complete control over her first three husbands?
18. The Wife admits to lying and nagging. Give two ways in which her behaviour can be interpreted.
19. What three things does Alisoun accuse her three old husbands of?
20. The Wife makes false accusations about her husbands, claiming they always complain about women. Who actually voices these misogynistic views?
21. Give 2 examples of things she claims they say.
22. How does Alisoun ensure she gets control of her husbands’ money?
23. What is the point of the long list of complaints she says her husbands make against women? What do they show about Medieval society?
24. Alisoun