Femininity In The Wife Of Bath

“By God, if wommen hadde writen stories as clerkes han (have) withinne hire (their) oratories (chapels) they would han (have) writen of men moore wikkednesse than al (all) the mark of Adam (men) may redresse” (693-696). This quote from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath’s Prologue from the Canterbury Tales highlights the Wife’s displeasure towards the general stigmatization of women during the 14th and 15th Centuries. More importantly, it represents the Wife’s significance as a hero in this story. With the Wife of Bath, Chaucer defies the stereotype that women are submissive, a vilification that would continue for many centuries. Despite cultural stigmas, the Wife represents a turning point in literature of an emergent structure of feeling
Therefore, the character that Chaucer describes in the Wife of Bath is meant to shock and inspire. The Wife’s clearly lax attitude about her own sexuality is supported by the way she controlled her numerous husbands. Describing her sexual prowess as a “gift,” the Wife uses sex to her advantage to get what she wants. She says, “Namely (especially) abedde (in bed) hedden they meschaunce (misfortune); ther wolde I chide (nag) and do hem no plesaunce (pleasure). I wolde no lenger (longer) in the bed abyde (remain) if that I felt his arm over my syde (side) til he had maad his ransoun (paid his ransom) unto me” (407-411). This is possibly the most obvious use of the Wife’s power. Without any other means to control her husbands, the Wife teases them in bed to control their actions. While using to sex as an instrument may appear sinful, it is the Wife’s only feature she can use. Therefore, it can be interpreted as feminist and, more importantly,
Ultimately, the Wife of Bath shows to be a feminist hero through her use of Biblical interpretation and her experiences with five different husbands. Seen by some as a sin and by select others as a virtue, the Wife’s heightened sexuality serves as a focal point for her heroism. By both word and action, she shows that women should not be condemned for sexual acts or multiple husbands and should exercise control over men. This undeniably feminist view has lasted for centuries and persists through modern culture. As possibly the first feminist hero in literature, the Wife of Bath represents a pre-emergent structure of feeling that suggests feminist characteristics are