Gender Stereotypes In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales
Often, figures may seem ahead of their times, yet further analysis reveals that the appearance of being revolutionary is a charade. “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer tells the story of a group of characters who go on a pilgrimage during the Middle Ages. Pilgrimages lead to either a shrine or a holy place, and in this story, the pilgrimage leads to Canterbury. In the tale, one of the characters on the pilgrimage, the Wife of Bath, has sparked a debate among people about whether Chaucer addresses modern ideas about women or if he enforces gender stereotypes. However, Chaucer’s characterization of the Wife of Bath proves that he fortifies stereotypes rather than diminishes them.
The Wife of Bath’s description in the prologue demonstrates …show more content…
The Wife of Bath appears to be dominate when in the relationship. She tells the pardoner before her tale “that is to say, myself have been the whip,”(line 13). People view whips as an item of authority because slave owners would whip slaves and farmers would whip cattle to demonstrate power. Because the Wife is comparing herself to a whip, it appears although she has been in charge during her marriages. A woman being in charge was a foreign idea in Chaucer's time, which again shows Chaucer’s modern philosophies. However, the Wife’s marriages, and “other company in youth”(471), show that she needs a man in order to be happy. She could have been an independent woman, but instead she kept remarrying. Also, along with the marriages, the wife had many affairs with other men, enforcing that the wife exemplifies gender stereotypes. People have viewed single women and widowers as inferior to other women, therefore the Wife had to remarry in order to be accepted by society. The Women of Bath’s multiple marriages do not make her a feminist figure; instead they reinforce her as a stereotypical woman during the Middle
The Wife of Bath’s description in the prologue demonstrates …show more content…
The Wife of Bath appears to be dominate when in the relationship. She tells the pardoner before her tale “that is to say, myself have been the whip,”(line 13). People view whips as an item of authority because slave owners would whip slaves and farmers would whip cattle to demonstrate power. Because the Wife is comparing herself to a whip, it appears although she has been in charge during her marriages. A woman being in charge was a foreign idea in Chaucer's time, which again shows Chaucer’s modern philosophies. However, the Wife’s marriages, and “other company in youth”(471), show that she needs a man in order to be happy. She could have been an independent woman, but instead she kept remarrying. Also, along with the marriages, the wife had many affairs with other men, enforcing that the wife exemplifies gender stereotypes. People have viewed single women and widowers as inferior to other women, therefore the Wife had to remarry in order to be accepted by society. The Women of Bath’s multiple marriages do not make her a feminist figure; instead they reinforce her as a stereotypical woman during the Middle