Preview

The Satire In The Wife Of Bath's Tale

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
281 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Satire In The Wife Of Bath's Tale
The romance begins with the Wife of Bath mocking friars, claiming that they are too dishonest; this satire serves as an act of vengeance because the Friar has previously interrupted her prologue. The Wife’s satire of friars manifests to Chaucer’s readers that the woman hates to be controlled by others (in the second interruption of the prologue, the Friar attempts to terminate the extensive and rambling monologue of the Wife,

first to the queen and her court, and finally to the hag he must marry. And indeed, after the disturbing opening , power in " The Wife of Bath's Tale" rests solely in the hands of women , who mete out punishment , administer justice , and force the knight to fulfill his promise

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Queen makes the knight gain respect for women by making him figure out what women want. Chaucer uses this story to show that as men continued to think so highly of themselves, women were using their strengths to gain power to their gender. Throughout this story the knight comes to find that “women desire to have the sovereignty as well upon their husband as their love, and to have mastery their man above” (Chaucer, Wife of Bath’s Tale 133-135). It is obvious that the knight has grown to respect women when he gives the old lady the right to “choose which [way of life] may be the more pleasing, and bring most honour to [her]” (Chaucer, Wife of Bath’s Tale 137-138). The Wife of Bath accepts that a man can be a gentleman if they do a noble…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Wife of Bath's story compliments her (first or early on scene), since it bolsters the subject of control of men by ladies what she worked hard with every one of her spouses. Dissimilar to the next individuals who recount stories (or falsehoods), she doesn't speak to a social class, be that as it may she speaks to every one of the ladies in the medieval…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The titular character in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale” challenges medieval patriarchy in an attempt to denounce the sexist ideals at the time. However, the Wife of Bath herself is not a flawless example of feminism.…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    in ''The Wife of Bath's Tale" . for example, in the story the old lady said the knight ''she obeyed in each every way ,Whatever was his pleasure or his play. This show the old lady obeyed the knight and give anything that he wants. Although the old lady has power , the end the power back to her husband. For example, the old lady gives choose to the knight '' one of two: that I Be old and ugly till the day I die,…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One of the stereotypes that existed during this time regarding woman was their inability to understand the meanings within the bible. Woman were also seen as gold-diggers, only marrying for money. They believed that if woman were to be educated about the bible, they would use it to justify their sins. The Wife of Bath’s confirms this by saying, “where can you say, in any kind of age, that our high God has forbidden marriage expressly, in what word? I pray, tell me. Or where did he command virginity?” ( ). The Wife of Bath’s confirms every stereotype at one point, however, she also challenges them. By using passages from the bible she and she own experiences she challenges these stereotypes.…

    • 121 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although she had only been in true love once, She feels what it is like and what women most desire. “I think i loved him best, I’ll tell no lie. He was disdainful in his love, that’s why.” The answer to the knights question is that women want to be in control of their husbands love. The knight in Sir Gawain’s tale eventually figures this out at the end when he comes to enjoy the being of the old Dame Ragnell. The thematic contrast between the stories bring out the true colors of the Wife of Bath and Sir Gawain. Both want to be in control, but that is the long fight of any happy marriage, the true struggle for power. To gain a happy life there needs to be a happy…

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Primarily, the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” reveals that one should have sovereignty over her significant other. The Wife of Bath conspicuously states her…

    • 1296 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When studying the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Wife of Bath’s Tale, both coming from the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, you see a common theme of feminism. Also, you get a good sense of the of the anti feminist cultural norms and ideas regarding women in the medieval era. Alisoun, The Wife of Bath, focuses most upon the common stereotypes of women. These stereotypes include the idea that women only marry into money in order to live a lavish lifestyle off of their husband’s income as well as the belief that women will never stop talking to their husbands. Stemming from this, the common belief among men was that if you were to get married, it would ruin your chances of success later in life. The Wife of Bath opposed all of these…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, Chaucer promotes a modern feministic perspective as he implements…

    • 1530 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    "If there were no authority on earth Except experience, mine, for what it's worth, And that's enough for me, all she goes to show That marriage is a misery and a Woe," opens Chaucer's "Wife of Bath's Tale." This means without God present in love on earth marriage is misery. Marriage can only be misery if there is no love and without love there is only lust. Therefore lust is a major benefactor to the outcome of the Wife of Bath.…

    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” the knight received a punishment and was rewarded as well for violently raping an innocent girl just because he could not control himself. In the beginning of the tale, the knight was selfish and masochistic and clearly wanted to show his power and dominance over the girl by raping her, to prove that women could not have control over men. Chaucer states, “Hadde in his hous a lusty bacheler, that on a day cam rydinge fro river; and happed that, allone as she was born, he saugh a mayde walkinge him biforn of whiche mayde anon, maugree hir heed, by verray force he rafte hir maydenheed…” (Chaucer 26-32). The knight was punished for what he had done, but not in the way the reader may expect. He had to search for a year what women wanted most, and when he found the answer (that women wanted to be in charge of their lovers and spouses), he was allowed to live but had to marry the hag who gave him the answer.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The wife of bath is a very confident woman who, in the prologue of her tale, talks about her five husbands. She seems very satisfied with her life and her choices; she is fulfilled regardless of the men she was married to. Even with all their deaths, she remains happy and independent. “But even now I will strive to be merry.” (Lines 478-479) The story she tells is about a knight who, after he rapes a young girl, is forced by the queen to find out what women desire the most. He finally discovers that what women want the most is to have sovereignty over their husbands. This goes directly along with the character of the wife of bath, who loved the control she had over her husbands more than anything else. The story proves that the answer to what women want the most is not just one static statement. What a person desires most in life depends on their own character and their own…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Wife Of Bath Analysis

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Back then, the men were the ones in power and the women were either wives or nuns. Wife of Bath completely broke off from tradition and from the Church beliefs. She used her body sexually as a way to influence her husbands into satisfying her needs. One can notice the control she had over men when she states, “I laugh now when I think how pitifully by night I made them swink… they’d given me their gold, and treasure more; I needed not do longer diligence to win their love” (lines 201-206). According to this, one can infer that Wife of Bath used the power of sex as a way to gain wealth from her husbands. Along with money, her biggest desire was also sovereignty. A husband needs to allow to be dominated by his wife, so that in return the wife is able to please him. When Wife of Bath is telling her tale she helps readers understand the power women have over men by detailing the relationship between the King and Queen. “But that the Queen, and the other ladies too, implored the king to exercise his grace so ceaselessly, he gave the queen the case” (lines 70-72). Clearly it is shown how the King gave into the Queens request, demonstrating the control women can have on their husbands or lovers. Evidently, the dominant characteristic in Wife of Bath is a keen factor that contributes to the overall theme of the story.…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” Chaucer uses the old woman’s unexpected contrasts between good poverty and bad wealth to show that poverty is actually better than being wealthy. The old woman describes “The poor can dance and sing in the relief / Of having nothing that will tempt a thief/ Though it can be hateful, poverty is good, / A great incentive to a livelihood” (270). Although her life is near the bottom of the social hierarchy, “dance and sing” suggests hope, happiness, and celebration. Adding on, “great incentive” adds a positive perspective towards poverty as if it is not as bad as one thinks because the poor have a lot of motivation to work for a living. She suggests that if one is not wealthy, one can enjoy their lives by looking in a positive direction. Furthermore, the old woman illustrates her life as a lower class, and suggests that “Poverty often, when the heart is lowly/Brings one to God and teaches what is holy /gives knowledge of oneself” (290). The old woman is poor and taught herself to become self-sufficient, and poverty taught her “what was holy.” and also taught morals of what is right and wrong, and one’s true talents. Wealth might seem as a success, but the Old Woman says “Poverty is, though wanting in estate/ a kind of wealth that none calumniate” (290). “Wanting” is to lack, “estate” as social class or the possession of money, and “calumniate” meaning making false and defamatory statements, suggesting that “Poverty” can not be criticized. Although the old woman’s family is destitute, the real poverty lies in the rich’s avarice, where the wealthy are unable to stop their greediness. The old woman suggests the humorous contrast that the poor value their possessions, whereas the high class’s visions are clouded due to not appreciating towards their surroundings which leads to avarice for material possession. Lastly, the repetition of “poverty” signifies the position of the woman is in, and although her status may not be superior, the wisdom…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    sadasdas

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the Wife of Bath’s Tale written by Geoffrey Chaucer, the wife of Bath was an old and poor lady who wanted to be loved like the pretty and rich ladies. She married Bath as a promise from him to her that he would give her anything he wanted as long as she could tell him what women most desire. He said “If you could tell me I would pay your hire.”(Geoffrey Chaucer 142). As he expressed that he will give her what she wanted. From getting anything she pleased, she asked him to marry her and that he shall keep his promise. If he didn’t keep his promise he was better off dead. She was presented in the story to indicate that men should keep their promises and to be gentlemen not only to their wives but to all ladies. She said “Gentility is only the renown for bounty that your fathers handed down.”(Geoffrey Chaucer 145). She wants him to be respectful to her.…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays