WOMEN IN THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE AND TALE
IES en Lenguas Vivas “Juan Ramón Fernandez”
Literature I
WOMEN IN
“THE WIFE OF BATH´S PROLOGUE /TALE”
AND
“THE CLERK´S TALE/ENVOY”
Tutor: Alejandra Simari
Student: María Alejandra Amui Azize
2013
INTRODUCTION
Chaucer´s portrayal of the two characters under analysis is clearly a study of opposites. The Wife of Bath and Griselda are as different as it is possible to be. The reader perceives that both characterizations are caricatures or at least extreme characters and not real women and wonders at the meaning of such opposition. A possible explanation to this dichotomy would be the medieval tendency to distort real women either by idealizing or demonizing them. As Judith M. Bennett argues: “…medieval men thought of women in extreme terms: the impossibly perfect Virgin Mary who was both virgin and mother; the alluringly beautiful but unattainable ladies of courtly lyrics; the awesomely brave virgin martyrs of Christian legend: On the other hand, medieval men also relished tales of wicked women, especially Eve, who not only had sinned herself but also had enticed poor Adam to sin…”.1
The purpose of this essay is to analyze the elements present in these two opposite archetypes of women and through them evaluate the desires and fears of a patriarchal world.
Good start!
I.- The Wife of Bath and Griselda contrasted: The “worthy” woman “from beside Bath city” is half deaf, “handsome”, proud and prone to show her feelings:
“In all the parish not a dame dared stir Towards the altar steps in front of her, And if indeed they did, so wrath was she As to be quite put out of charity.” (General Prologue, lines 459/462)
She has a “gap-teeth”, large hips, is expensively dressed, has travelled around the world and has married five times. She is conversational and lively and very experienced in love matters: “In company she liked to laugh and chat
And knew the remedies for love´s mischances,
An art in which
Literature I
WOMEN IN
“THE WIFE OF BATH´S PROLOGUE /TALE”
AND
“THE CLERK´S TALE/ENVOY”
Tutor: Alejandra Simari
Student: María Alejandra Amui Azize
2013
INTRODUCTION
Chaucer´s portrayal of the two characters under analysis is clearly a study of opposites. The Wife of Bath and Griselda are as different as it is possible to be. The reader perceives that both characterizations are caricatures or at least extreme characters and not real women and wonders at the meaning of such opposition. A possible explanation to this dichotomy would be the medieval tendency to distort real women either by idealizing or demonizing them. As Judith M. Bennett argues: “…medieval men thought of women in extreme terms: the impossibly perfect Virgin Mary who was both virgin and mother; the alluringly beautiful but unattainable ladies of courtly lyrics; the awesomely brave virgin martyrs of Christian legend: On the other hand, medieval men also relished tales of wicked women, especially Eve, who not only had sinned herself but also had enticed poor Adam to sin…”.1
The purpose of this essay is to analyze the elements present in these two opposite archetypes of women and through them evaluate the desires and fears of a patriarchal world.
Good start!
I.- The Wife of Bath and Griselda contrasted: The “worthy” woman “from beside Bath city” is half deaf, “handsome”, proud and prone to show her feelings:
“In all the parish not a dame dared stir Towards the altar steps in front of her, And if indeed they did, so wrath was she As to be quite put out of charity.” (General Prologue, lines 459/462)
She has a “gap-teeth”, large hips, is expensively dressed, has travelled around the world and has married five times. She is conversational and lively and very experienced in love matters: “In company she liked to laugh and chat
And knew the remedies for love´s mischances,
An art in which
Bibliography: Bennett, Judith M.: Queens Whores and Maidens: Women in Chaucer´s England. Royal Holloway, University of London, 2002. Vaneckova, Vladislava. Women in Geoffrey Chaucer´s The Canterbury Tales: Woman as a Narrator, Woman in the Narrative. Master´s Diploma Thesis (2007).http://is.muni.cz/th/74590/ff_m/chaucer_4o6or.pdf. Storm Corsa, Helen. Chaucer poet of mirth and morality italics needed / capitalise content words. Canada: Forum House, 1970. Salzman, L.F. English Life in the Middle Ages italics needed. London: Oxford University Press. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales: A new Translation by Nevile Coghill. Penguin Classics. Suffolk: Datix International Limited, 2003. Kittredge, George Lyman. “Chaucer´s Discussion of Marriage” http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/canttales/franklin/marriage.html Interesting research!