The Revolutionary Wife of Bath
Wife of Bath – Analytical Essay
In the Medieval times, women were subjected to men in every aspect of life and would have much difficulty striving to advance to a higher status a male could reach. Geoffrey Chaucer presents such an unconventional woman, who refuses to conform to the expectations of her gender. In Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath is considered a revolutionary female in her time because of her aggressive, outspoken, and rebellious behavior in her attempt to challenge the supremacy of men.
The Wife of Bath’s actions embody her as a provision to the typical social order the people of the time follow, especially regarding gender. Her aggressiveness is expressed greatly in her behavior towards men. In the 14th Century, it was not appropriate for women to go from husband to husband so easily. Their “maidenhead” was a gift very precious and valued to the image of all women. However, for a widow another marriage was allowed in the Church if the marriage was terminated by death of the husband. Such was the case with the Wife of Bath. “She’d had five husbands, all at the church door, apart from other company in youth…” (105). The Wife of Bath antagonized the thought that a man should be in control of the relationship and believed in gaining the upper hand from her husbands sexually. Besides the common way of a wedding proposal which includes the husband making the choice, the Wife of Bath chose the men she would wed. “A knowing wife if she is worth her salt can always prove her husband is at fault…” (123). During the progression of her five marriages, she states that three of them were happy for her due to the fact that she controlled the husbands mentally and physically. This aggressive and unusual behavior of a woman in her time was one of the reasons she is labeled as revolutionary.
Another characteristic of the Wife of Bath is she is very outspoken with her opinions including her view on chastity and how it is not a demand. In
In the Medieval times, women were subjected to men in every aspect of life and would have much difficulty striving to advance to a higher status a male could reach. Geoffrey Chaucer presents such an unconventional woman, who refuses to conform to the expectations of her gender. In Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath is considered a revolutionary female in her time because of her aggressive, outspoken, and rebellious behavior in her attempt to challenge the supremacy of men.
The Wife of Bath’s actions embody her as a provision to the typical social order the people of the time follow, especially regarding gender. Her aggressiveness is expressed greatly in her behavior towards men. In the 14th Century, it was not appropriate for women to go from husband to husband so easily. Their “maidenhead” was a gift very precious and valued to the image of all women. However, for a widow another marriage was allowed in the Church if the marriage was terminated by death of the husband. Such was the case with the Wife of Bath. “She’d had five husbands, all at the church door, apart from other company in youth…” (105). The Wife of Bath antagonized the thought that a man should be in control of the relationship and believed in gaining the upper hand from her husbands sexually. Besides the common way of a wedding proposal which includes the husband making the choice, the Wife of Bath chose the men she would wed. “A knowing wife if she is worth her salt can always prove her husband is at fault…” (123). During the progression of her five marriages, she states that three of them were happy for her due to the fact that she controlled the husbands mentally and physically. This aggressive and unusual behavior of a woman in her time was one of the reasons she is labeled as revolutionary.
Another characteristic of the Wife of Bath is she is very outspoken with her opinions including her view on chastity and how it is not a demand. In