Contradictions In The Wife Of Bath's Tale
Jennifer Kane
Mayberry
ENG 210
11/4/2013
The Presence and Contradictions of Feminism in The Wife of Bath’s Tale
The Wife of Bath’s Tale, a narrative by Geoffrey Chaucer depicted in his classic Canterbury Tales is a story that allows an individual reader to interpret its intended theme and purpose. Scholars have debated the position of Chaucer, as well as the positions of his main character, The Wife of Bath. Still, Chaucer uses an extended prologue and tale in an attempt to tell her story and to present her argument which involves claims of femininity and sovereignty. Although there is no solid critical consenting viewpoint of either the Wife of Bath or Chaucer himself, both motifs are present throughout the text, and it remains up to the reader to scrutinize what the text is trying to convey. In analyzing the controversial Wife of Bath’s Tale and prologue I determined that there were conflicting ideas, yet the …show more content…
overall intention of Chaucer was to promote a theme of feminism through the Wife of Bath during the medieval time period
The Wife of Bath’s Tale begins with a prologue spoken by the Wife of Bath, also known as Alison. “Experience, though noon auctoritee/Were in this world,were right ynogh to me/To speke of wo that is in marriage” (Prologue 1-3). It is here, that she begins this autobiographical prologue with the clarification that her given insight will be based on experience, rather than authority. In continuing the prologue, the reader learns that the Wife of Bath has had five marriages in total, and is looking for a sixth. Here, it becomes obvious to the reader that this woman is radical and heavily opinionated, when considering typical women of the medieval time period. And it is this revolutionary way of thinking, that drives the Wife of Bath’s agenda of promoting feminist ideals and gender equality throughout her prologue and tale. This theme of gender equality is unique to the Canterbury Tales, as it would seem that The Wife of Bath is the only character in the sequence of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales that addresses these pro-feminist issues (Carter 3). As S.H. Rigby discusses, “In a patriarchal society in which women enjoy a lesser degree of wealth, status, and power then the men of their own class, the construction of gender involves not just the creation of social difference but also the reaffirmation of a fundamental inequality between the sexes, as sexual differences come to be presented as a justification for sexual inequality” (“Feminist vs. Misogynist” 1).
Despite The Wife of Bath’s, or Alison’s, claim to construct an argument of experience rather than authority, she retreats against this by using bible verses and scriptures to support her argument.
“Whanne saugh ye ever in any manere age,/That hye God defended marriage/By expres word? I pray you, telleth me,/Or wehre commanded he virginitee?” (Prologue 65-69). Here, The Wife of Bath questions what god truly means in these scriptures and where it is within the bible that God forbids multiple marriages and condones virginity. In doing so, it would seem that she does not have the original and plain experience needed to make the argument that she previously claimed. Instead, she combats the argument used by the clergy against her argument of the acceptance of sexual promiscuity. This contradiction, makes the Wife of Bath seem less credible, and therefore less powerful in the eyes of her readers. Having power is something that the Wife of Bath holds as an important factor in her pro-feminist argument, and in this case that was not
supported.
A feminist is described as an advocator or supporter of the rights and equality of women. Provocative nature, power, dominance, and confidence are also related to the term. These qualities are present within the spoken words of the Wife of Bath throughout her prologue. Leicester describes her approach in conveying her messages of femininity, “Combative and competitive as ever, she takes an aggressively feminist public position in structuring the world of the tale and pointing its moral” (2). She does this most specifically when she speaks of her five husbands. “Unnethe myghte they statur holde/In which they were bounden to me./Ye woot wel what I meene of this, pardee!/As help me God, I laugh when I thynke /How pitously a-nyght I made them swynke!” (Prologue 204-208). Here the Wife of Bath describes the immense power she has over her husbands to the pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. She describes the way in which she dominates them sexually. She continues on to describe herself as a women who is comfortable, open, and experimental towards sex. She believes that sex is not simply for procreation, but for pleasure as well. Here, The wife exposes her sexuality further as she uses symbolism as a tool to further advance her argument “Of tribulacion in mariage/Of which I am exper in al myn age –f/This is to seyn myself have been the whippe” (Prologue 179-181). Here, she physically uses the object of a whip to represent dominance in her position over her husband. In both medieval times, as well as modern, there is a notion that a “feminist” takes charge of her sexual appetite, and expresses her belief in gender equality by enjoying sex and being confident about her own sexuality. This is strongly expressed in The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. In describing this sexual openness she brings to light a feminine viewpoint by the means of sexual promiscuity. Susan Carter further develops this idea, “She is sexually active; her will must be done. From her inception, she scrambles the semiotics of the female body, and confounds gender role restriction” (1). The Wife of Bath, intends to level the playing field by insinuating that women hold a sexual appetite that is equivalent to men.
However, while communicating her promiscuous feelings of her own sexual empowerment, The Wife of Bath also demonstrates misogynist views through her language. Misogynist is classically represented as an anti-feminist motif in terms of sex. Medieval culture often practiced that the responsibility of married women was to gift their husband with sex. When The Wife describes her habit to always consent to her husband’s sexual desires, the wife is giving more power to her husband then she might intend to. Although this theory opposes her intended lesson, she is doing a feminist disservice by acknowledging that the intimacy in the relationship is controlled by her husband. Furthermore, the Wife of Bath vaguely describes another misogynist stereotype that took place in the medieval times. During this period, and even in modern times, women who participated in prostitution were looked down upon. Although, The Wife of Bath doesn’t perfectly fit in the stereotypical mold of a prostitute, she is widely open about the fact that she marries her first three husbands strictly for their wealth and land. “They loved me so wel, by God Above/That I ne tolde no dyntee of hir love” (Prologue 213-214). Here, the Wife of Bath states that she would not bother with the act of marriage if she was not granted prosperity. Further depicting the text, it seems that the Wife of Bath would in fact, use sex as weapon. “I woulde no lenger in the bed abyde,/If that I felte his arm over my side/Til he had maad his raunson unto me/Thanne wolde I suffer hym do his nycetee/And therefore every man this tale I telle/Wynne whoso may, for al is for to selle” (Prologue 407-414). Here, The Wife of Bath describes her strategy to withhold sex from her many husbands if they do not abide by her rules of marriage. Although, to some this may seem as a strategic move to gain power over her husband, other think less of the wife’s intention and thus compare her to the stereotypical “evil” woman of medieval times whose intentions were not for gender equality, but for her own selfish and personal reasons. Rigby further develops this concept by stating “The wife does not provide a refutation of medieval stereotypes of women but is herself meant as the supreme embodiment and confirmation of such stereotypes” ( “Medieval Case for Women” 2).
As we further interpret the Wife of Bath, we remove our focus from her prologue to her actual Tale. This tale, told to the Pilgrims on the voyage to Canterbury, begins with the setting of the tale taking place in King Arthur’s Court. When a young knight, rapes a young woman in the kingdom, he is treated harshly and as the law states, is planned to be put to death. However, we see feminism being emphasized when the King overrules the law and leaves the knight’s fate to his Queen. The speaker, or the Wife of Bath, showcases female power when she grants the power unto the queen, a woman, and takes away that power from the King, a man. “I grante thee lyf, if thou kanst tellen me/What thing is is that women moost desiren/Be war and keep thy neeke-boon from iren!/And if thou kanst nat tellen it anon,/Yet shal I yeve thee leve for to gon” (Tale 910-914). Here, the queen grants the knight with a proposition: In one given year, he is to find the true desire of women, and if he does not provide the correct answer he will be put to death. When considering this text, initially, the speaker shows an anti-feminist component when a man commits sexual abuse over a physically weaker women. However, The Wife of Bath turns the tables when the main whom overpowered that women, was overpowered himself by another woman when determining his fate. This exhibits a simple and classic element of feminism in the narrative.
The knight begins his journey by seeking women throughout the land to grant him the answer he needs to save his life. Some women state that women desire beauty, wealth, while others believe multiple men, and fame are the key to a women’s heart. But none were able to supply the true meaning of what women truly wanted out of life. However, towards the ending of the knight’s given year, he finds an elderly hag willing to grant him the answer that will save his life. The fact that the young knight chooses to request an answer from an elderly women of low stature confirms the wife’s idea in the prologue that women are to be praised for their experience rather than their authority. Chaucer’s knight seems to accept that an ugly old woman may know something he does not. With no premonition, the knight approaches her and asks the question, what is it that women desire? The answer to that question would end up saving his life. (Feinstein 9 ). “Plight me thy trouthe, here in myn hand,”quod she/The nexte thing that I require thee/Thou shalt it do, if it lye in thy might,/And I wol tell it yow, er it be nyght,” (Tale 1015-1018). Here, the hag offers the knight the answer to his question, but with the condition that when she has saved his life, he must grant her wish, no matter what it may be. The knight agrees, and the wife grants him the correct answer to his fateful question. When analyzing this excerpt in terms of femininity, we see a power shift in the male as his life literally lies in the intelligence of women. S.H. Rigby develops this further when stating “She is thus presented as a perceptive critic of misogynist orthodoxy who beats male scholars at their own game and creates her own authoritative position from which to speak in defense of her sex and to convince us over her views” (Medieval Case for Women 1). When the old hag provides the correct answer to the knight she is represented as a worldly and smart individual in comparison to the knight, which emphasizes the intention of The Wife of Bath to promote a sense of strong feminism throughout the tale.
When the knight returns to King Arthur’s court he speaks the answer that the elderly hag granted him, he is rules correct and therefore prevents his own beheading. “Wommen desiren to have sovereynetee/As wel over hir housbond as hir love,/And for to been in maistrie hym above/This is youre mooste desir, thogh ye me kille./Dooth as yow list, I am heere at youre wille,” (Tale 1044-1048). Here, the knight enlightens the court with what women truly desire, sovereignty. In clarifying this, sovereignty, becomes the most distinguished theme present in both The Wife of Bath’s Tale and Prologue. Considering that feminism is related to the idea of sovereignty, we will further examine this theme later in the text.
As the knight has now survived from the help of the elderly woman he must now honor the promise he made to her. “Quod she, ‘that thou me take unto thy wyf,/For wel thou woost that I have kept thy lyf./If I seye fals, sey nay, upon they fey!” This knight answered, “Allas and weylawey!/I woot right wel that swich was my biheste!/For Goddes love, as chees a newe requeste!/Taak al my good, and lat my body go!” (Tale 1061-1067). This quote explains that the wife wishes to marry the knight. The knight is repulsed by this idea, and although he plans to remain true to his promise, he begs that the elderly women ask him of anything else beside his hand in marriage. The elderly woman rejects this request, and the two are then married in a dismal and heavy hearted ceremony. Despite the hag’s relentless attempt to remind the young knight of the savior she has been to him, he sustains his disgust in sharing a bed with her. Alas, the old women cannot bear her husband’s unhappiness and offers him with this proposition: “Chese now,’ quod she, ‘oon of thise thynges tweye:/To han me fould and old til that I deye,/ And be to yow a trewe humble wyf,/ And nevere yow displease in al my lyf;/ Or ells ye wol han me young and fair,/ And take youre aventure of the repair/That shal be to youre hous, by cause of me,/Or in some oother place may wel be./Now chese yourselven wheither that yow liketh.” (Tale 1225-1233). Here she gives the young knight the choice for her to remain old but stay faithful, or be transformed to a young lady whom is ungrateful of his love. After some contemplation, the knight leaves the decision to his new bride. With giving her the authority to make this decision, he grants the old women sovereignty, fulfilling her greatest desire. With this, the women transforms to a young lady, and explains to the young knight that she will also be a faithful wife. Because he has respected her enough to put the fate of their marriage in her hands he has given her the power in the relationship, and therefore he will be rewarded with his perfect woman. This relates to our earlier theme of sovereignty. Sovereignty becomes the overall theme of this Canterbury Tale as we conclude the narrative. Leicester states this to be the Wife of Bath’s objective from the start, “We can assume, I think, that the wife knows before she begins the story what she intends to do with it, and that she has already decided on the changes in the plot of the traditional version that will produce the polemical feminist moral she draws at the end.” The moral of sovereignty is enforced in the knight’s decision to put his fate in her hands. In this the moral of the story is accomplished, and the Wife of Bath has executed a solid platform for the argument against anti-feminism.
Still in this seemingly conclusive ending we see a contradiction of feminism. Instead of learning to love a woman despite her physical appearance, the young knight is granted the privilege to have everything he has desired. When considering that this blissful state was driven by his initial actions of raping an innocent woman, the moral does not correlate with the ending. The fact that the young knight’s life ended so splendidly conflicts with the Wife of Bath’s intention to teach us the power of the female gender, and the outcomes of those who do not hold women in an admirable position (Carter 7).
Despite the fact that contradictions are present in both The Wife of Bath’s Tale and Prologue, with analyzing the narrative I still hold that the belief that through his character, The Wife of Bath, Chaucer was able to develop a storyline that successfully promoted feminism. Throughout the majority of the tale and prologue the Wife of Bath upholds a sense of confidence, is unapologetic, brave, proud, and does not allow fear to withhold her true feelings and hope for female empowerment. Some critics believe that The Wife, despite being conjured, is considered an idol in the feminist struggle. Elaine Hansen further explains, “Where treated as a fictive character, she is often read in a sociological and historical context, as a sign of Chaucer’s empathy with real women, and as realistic, historically plausible foil to the idealized views of femininity found in prescriptive texts of the period, possibly even “a truly practicing feminist,” and indubitably a survivor and a spokeswoman” (1) Although, the contradictions of feminism cannot be ignored throughout the narrative, it can be assumed that these intricacies were merely unexamined or unrecognized by Chaucer, or an attempt from Chaucer to show the main character as a flawed, and layered individual. Chaucer’s Wife of Bath remains one of the most memorable in all of the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer and his iconic character, were able to express a pro-feminist outlook during a time that most, men especially, were not commonly receptive to. Yet, in doing this he produced a character that will be recognized as pioneer in the fight for feminism and gender equality.
Works Cited
Carter, Susan. "Coupling the Beastly Bride and the Hunter Hunted: What Lies Behind Chaucer 's
“Wife of Bath 's Tale." The Chaucer Review 37.4 (2003): 329-45. Project MUSE. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Wife of Bath 's Prologue." The Longman Anthology British Literature. 4th ed. Vol. 1A. N.p.: Pearson, 2010. 375-94. Print.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Wife of Bath 's Tale." The Longman Anthology British Literature. 4th ed. Vol. 1A. N.p.: Pearson, 2011. 394-403. Print.
Feinstein, Sandy. "Longevity and the Loathly Ladies in Three Medieval Romances." Arthuriana 21.3 (2011): 23-49. Literature Online. Web. 15 Oct. 913.
Hansen, Elain Tuttle. “The Wife of Bath and the Mark of Adam.” Women’s Studies 15.4 (1988): 399-416. Rpt. In Poetry Criticism. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 58 Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
Leicester, H. Marshall, Jr. “Of a Fire in the Dark: Public and Private Feminism in The Wife of Bath’s Tale.” Women’s Studies 11.1-2 (1984): 157-178. Rpt. In Poetry Criticism. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 58. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
Rigby, S. H. “Misogynist versus Feminist Chaucer.” Chaucer in Context: Society, Allegory and Gender. Manchester University Press, 1996. 116-163. Rpt. in Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 56. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Oct. 2013
Rigby, S.H. "The Wife of Bath, Christine De Pizan, and the Medieval Case for Women." The Chaucer Review 35.2 (2000): 133-65. Project MUSE. Web. 15 Oct. 2013
Mayberry
ENG 210
11/4/2013
The Presence and Contradictions of Feminism in The Wife of Bath’s Tale
The Wife of Bath’s Tale, a narrative by Geoffrey Chaucer depicted in his classic Canterbury Tales is a story that allows an individual reader to interpret its intended theme and purpose. Scholars have debated the position of Chaucer, as well as the positions of his main character, The Wife of Bath. Still, Chaucer uses an extended prologue and tale in an attempt to tell her story and to present her argument which involves claims of femininity and sovereignty. Although there is no solid critical consenting viewpoint of either the Wife of Bath or Chaucer himself, both motifs are present throughout the text, and it remains up to the reader to scrutinize what the text is trying to convey. In analyzing the controversial Wife of Bath’s Tale and prologue I determined that there were conflicting ideas, yet the …show more content…
overall intention of Chaucer was to promote a theme of feminism through the Wife of Bath during the medieval time period
The Wife of Bath’s Tale begins with a prologue spoken by the Wife of Bath, also known as Alison. “Experience, though noon auctoritee/Were in this world,were right ynogh to me/To speke of wo that is in marriage” (Prologue 1-3). It is here, that she begins this autobiographical prologue with the clarification that her given insight will be based on experience, rather than authority. In continuing the prologue, the reader learns that the Wife of Bath has had five marriages in total, and is looking for a sixth. Here, it becomes obvious to the reader that this woman is radical and heavily opinionated, when considering typical women of the medieval time period. And it is this revolutionary way of thinking, that drives the Wife of Bath’s agenda of promoting feminist ideals and gender equality throughout her prologue and tale. This theme of gender equality is unique to the Canterbury Tales, as it would seem that The Wife of Bath is the only character in the sequence of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales that addresses these pro-feminist issues (Carter 3). As S.H. Rigby discusses, “In a patriarchal society in which women enjoy a lesser degree of wealth, status, and power then the men of their own class, the construction of gender involves not just the creation of social difference but also the reaffirmation of a fundamental inequality between the sexes, as sexual differences come to be presented as a justification for sexual inequality” (“Feminist vs. Misogynist” 1).
Despite The Wife of Bath’s, or Alison’s, claim to construct an argument of experience rather than authority, she retreats against this by using bible verses and scriptures to support her argument.
“Whanne saugh ye ever in any manere age,/That hye God defended marriage/By expres word? I pray you, telleth me,/Or wehre commanded he virginitee?” (Prologue 65-69). Here, The Wife of Bath questions what god truly means in these scriptures and where it is within the bible that God forbids multiple marriages and condones virginity. In doing so, it would seem that she does not have the original and plain experience needed to make the argument that she previously claimed. Instead, she combats the argument used by the clergy against her argument of the acceptance of sexual promiscuity. This contradiction, makes the Wife of Bath seem less credible, and therefore less powerful in the eyes of her readers. Having power is something that the Wife of Bath holds as an important factor in her pro-feminist argument, and in this case that was not
supported.
A feminist is described as an advocator or supporter of the rights and equality of women. Provocative nature, power, dominance, and confidence are also related to the term. These qualities are present within the spoken words of the Wife of Bath throughout her prologue. Leicester describes her approach in conveying her messages of femininity, “Combative and competitive as ever, she takes an aggressively feminist public position in structuring the world of the tale and pointing its moral” (2). She does this most specifically when she speaks of her five husbands. “Unnethe myghte they statur holde/In which they were bounden to me./Ye woot wel what I meene of this, pardee!/As help me God, I laugh when I thynke /How pitously a-nyght I made them swynke!” (Prologue 204-208). Here the Wife of Bath describes the immense power she has over her husbands to the pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. She describes the way in which she dominates them sexually. She continues on to describe herself as a women who is comfortable, open, and experimental towards sex. She believes that sex is not simply for procreation, but for pleasure as well. Here, The wife exposes her sexuality further as she uses symbolism as a tool to further advance her argument “Of tribulacion in mariage/Of which I am exper in al myn age –f/This is to seyn myself have been the whippe” (Prologue 179-181). Here, she physically uses the object of a whip to represent dominance in her position over her husband. In both medieval times, as well as modern, there is a notion that a “feminist” takes charge of her sexual appetite, and expresses her belief in gender equality by enjoying sex and being confident about her own sexuality. This is strongly expressed in The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. In describing this sexual openness she brings to light a feminine viewpoint by the means of sexual promiscuity. Susan Carter further develops this idea, “She is sexually active; her will must be done. From her inception, she scrambles the semiotics of the female body, and confounds gender role restriction” (1). The Wife of Bath, intends to level the playing field by insinuating that women hold a sexual appetite that is equivalent to men.
However, while communicating her promiscuous feelings of her own sexual empowerment, The Wife of Bath also demonstrates misogynist views through her language. Misogynist is classically represented as an anti-feminist motif in terms of sex. Medieval culture often practiced that the responsibility of married women was to gift their husband with sex. When The Wife describes her habit to always consent to her husband’s sexual desires, the wife is giving more power to her husband then she might intend to. Although this theory opposes her intended lesson, she is doing a feminist disservice by acknowledging that the intimacy in the relationship is controlled by her husband. Furthermore, the Wife of Bath vaguely describes another misogynist stereotype that took place in the medieval times. During this period, and even in modern times, women who participated in prostitution were looked down upon. Although, The Wife of Bath doesn’t perfectly fit in the stereotypical mold of a prostitute, she is widely open about the fact that she marries her first three husbands strictly for their wealth and land. “They loved me so wel, by God Above/That I ne tolde no dyntee of hir love” (Prologue 213-214). Here, the Wife of Bath states that she would not bother with the act of marriage if she was not granted prosperity. Further depicting the text, it seems that the Wife of Bath would in fact, use sex as weapon. “I woulde no lenger in the bed abyde,/If that I felte his arm over my side/Til he had maad his raunson unto me/Thanne wolde I suffer hym do his nycetee/And therefore every man this tale I telle/Wynne whoso may, for al is for to selle” (Prologue 407-414). Here, The Wife of Bath describes her strategy to withhold sex from her many husbands if they do not abide by her rules of marriage. Although, to some this may seem as a strategic move to gain power over her husband, other think less of the wife’s intention and thus compare her to the stereotypical “evil” woman of medieval times whose intentions were not for gender equality, but for her own selfish and personal reasons. Rigby further develops this concept by stating “The wife does not provide a refutation of medieval stereotypes of women but is herself meant as the supreme embodiment and confirmation of such stereotypes” ( “Medieval Case for Women” 2).
As we further interpret the Wife of Bath, we remove our focus from her prologue to her actual Tale. This tale, told to the Pilgrims on the voyage to Canterbury, begins with the setting of the tale taking place in King Arthur’s Court. When a young knight, rapes a young woman in the kingdom, he is treated harshly and as the law states, is planned to be put to death. However, we see feminism being emphasized when the King overrules the law and leaves the knight’s fate to his Queen. The speaker, or the Wife of Bath, showcases female power when she grants the power unto the queen, a woman, and takes away that power from the King, a man. “I grante thee lyf, if thou kanst tellen me/What thing is is that women moost desiren/Be war and keep thy neeke-boon from iren!/And if thou kanst nat tellen it anon,/Yet shal I yeve thee leve for to gon” (Tale 910-914). Here, the queen grants the knight with a proposition: In one given year, he is to find the true desire of women, and if he does not provide the correct answer he will be put to death. When considering this text, initially, the speaker shows an anti-feminist component when a man commits sexual abuse over a physically weaker women. However, The Wife of Bath turns the tables when the main whom overpowered that women, was overpowered himself by another woman when determining his fate. This exhibits a simple and classic element of feminism in the narrative.
The knight begins his journey by seeking women throughout the land to grant him the answer he needs to save his life. Some women state that women desire beauty, wealth, while others believe multiple men, and fame are the key to a women’s heart. But none were able to supply the true meaning of what women truly wanted out of life. However, towards the ending of the knight’s given year, he finds an elderly hag willing to grant him the answer that will save his life. The fact that the young knight chooses to request an answer from an elderly women of low stature confirms the wife’s idea in the prologue that women are to be praised for their experience rather than their authority. Chaucer’s knight seems to accept that an ugly old woman may know something he does not. With no premonition, the knight approaches her and asks the question, what is it that women desire? The answer to that question would end up saving his life. (Feinstein 9 ). “Plight me thy trouthe, here in myn hand,”quod she/The nexte thing that I require thee/Thou shalt it do, if it lye in thy might,/And I wol tell it yow, er it be nyght,” (Tale 1015-1018). Here, the hag offers the knight the answer to his question, but with the condition that when she has saved his life, he must grant her wish, no matter what it may be. The knight agrees, and the wife grants him the correct answer to his fateful question. When analyzing this excerpt in terms of femininity, we see a power shift in the male as his life literally lies in the intelligence of women. S.H. Rigby develops this further when stating “She is thus presented as a perceptive critic of misogynist orthodoxy who beats male scholars at their own game and creates her own authoritative position from which to speak in defense of her sex and to convince us over her views” (Medieval Case for Women 1). When the old hag provides the correct answer to the knight she is represented as a worldly and smart individual in comparison to the knight, which emphasizes the intention of The Wife of Bath to promote a sense of strong feminism throughout the tale.
When the knight returns to King Arthur’s court he speaks the answer that the elderly hag granted him, he is rules correct and therefore prevents his own beheading. “Wommen desiren to have sovereynetee/As wel over hir housbond as hir love,/And for to been in maistrie hym above/This is youre mooste desir, thogh ye me kille./Dooth as yow list, I am heere at youre wille,” (Tale 1044-1048). Here, the knight enlightens the court with what women truly desire, sovereignty. In clarifying this, sovereignty, becomes the most distinguished theme present in both The Wife of Bath’s Tale and Prologue. Considering that feminism is related to the idea of sovereignty, we will further examine this theme later in the text.
As the knight has now survived from the help of the elderly woman he must now honor the promise he made to her. “Quod she, ‘that thou me take unto thy wyf,/For wel thou woost that I have kept thy lyf./If I seye fals, sey nay, upon they fey!” This knight answered, “Allas and weylawey!/I woot right wel that swich was my biheste!/For Goddes love, as chees a newe requeste!/Taak al my good, and lat my body go!” (Tale 1061-1067). This quote explains that the wife wishes to marry the knight. The knight is repulsed by this idea, and although he plans to remain true to his promise, he begs that the elderly women ask him of anything else beside his hand in marriage. The elderly woman rejects this request, and the two are then married in a dismal and heavy hearted ceremony. Despite the hag’s relentless attempt to remind the young knight of the savior she has been to him, he sustains his disgust in sharing a bed with her. Alas, the old women cannot bear her husband’s unhappiness and offers him with this proposition: “Chese now,’ quod she, ‘oon of thise thynges tweye:/To han me fould and old til that I deye,/ And be to yow a trewe humble wyf,/ And nevere yow displease in al my lyf;/ Or ells ye wol han me young and fair,/ And take youre aventure of the repair/That shal be to youre hous, by cause of me,/Or in some oother place may wel be./Now chese yourselven wheither that yow liketh.” (Tale 1225-1233). Here she gives the young knight the choice for her to remain old but stay faithful, or be transformed to a young lady whom is ungrateful of his love. After some contemplation, the knight leaves the decision to his new bride. With giving her the authority to make this decision, he grants the old women sovereignty, fulfilling her greatest desire. With this, the women transforms to a young lady, and explains to the young knight that she will also be a faithful wife. Because he has respected her enough to put the fate of their marriage in her hands he has given her the power in the relationship, and therefore he will be rewarded with his perfect woman. This relates to our earlier theme of sovereignty. Sovereignty becomes the overall theme of this Canterbury Tale as we conclude the narrative. Leicester states this to be the Wife of Bath’s objective from the start, “We can assume, I think, that the wife knows before she begins the story what she intends to do with it, and that she has already decided on the changes in the plot of the traditional version that will produce the polemical feminist moral she draws at the end.” The moral of sovereignty is enforced in the knight’s decision to put his fate in her hands. In this the moral of the story is accomplished, and the Wife of Bath has executed a solid platform for the argument against anti-feminism.
Still in this seemingly conclusive ending we see a contradiction of feminism. Instead of learning to love a woman despite her physical appearance, the young knight is granted the privilege to have everything he has desired. When considering that this blissful state was driven by his initial actions of raping an innocent woman, the moral does not correlate with the ending. The fact that the young knight’s life ended so splendidly conflicts with the Wife of Bath’s intention to teach us the power of the female gender, and the outcomes of those who do not hold women in an admirable position (Carter 7).
Despite the fact that contradictions are present in both The Wife of Bath’s Tale and Prologue, with analyzing the narrative I still hold that the belief that through his character, The Wife of Bath, Chaucer was able to develop a storyline that successfully promoted feminism. Throughout the majority of the tale and prologue the Wife of Bath upholds a sense of confidence, is unapologetic, brave, proud, and does not allow fear to withhold her true feelings and hope for female empowerment. Some critics believe that The Wife, despite being conjured, is considered an idol in the feminist struggle. Elaine Hansen further explains, “Where treated as a fictive character, she is often read in a sociological and historical context, as a sign of Chaucer’s empathy with real women, and as realistic, historically plausible foil to the idealized views of femininity found in prescriptive texts of the period, possibly even “a truly practicing feminist,” and indubitably a survivor and a spokeswoman” (1) Although, the contradictions of feminism cannot be ignored throughout the narrative, it can be assumed that these intricacies were merely unexamined or unrecognized by Chaucer, or an attempt from Chaucer to show the main character as a flawed, and layered individual. Chaucer’s Wife of Bath remains one of the most memorable in all of the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer and his iconic character, were able to express a pro-feminist outlook during a time that most, men especially, were not commonly receptive to. Yet, in doing this he produced a character that will be recognized as pioneer in the fight for feminism and gender equality.
Works Cited
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Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Wife of Bath 's Prologue." The Longman Anthology British Literature. 4th ed. Vol. 1A. N.p.: Pearson, 2010. 375-94. Print.
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Hansen, Elain Tuttle. “The Wife of Bath and the Mark of Adam.” Women’s Studies 15.4 (1988): 399-416. Rpt. In Poetry Criticism. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 58 Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
Leicester, H. Marshall, Jr. “Of a Fire in the Dark: Public and Private Feminism in The Wife of Bath’s Tale.” Women’s Studies 11.1-2 (1984): 157-178. Rpt. In Poetry Criticism. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 58. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
Rigby, S. H. “Misogynist versus Feminist Chaucer.” Chaucer in Context: Society, Allegory and Gender. Manchester University Press, 1996. 116-163. Rpt. in Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 56. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Oct. 2013
Rigby, S.H. "The Wife of Bath, Christine De Pizan, and the Medieval Case for Women." The Chaucer Review 35.2 (2000): 133-65. Project MUSE. Web. 15 Oct. 2013