Colin Roy English 2401-001 Close Reading Assignment #1 2.10.2013 The poem “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue‚” by Geoffrey Chaucer‚ is a very unique and interesting piece of dramatic poetry. It is certainly considered dramatic poetry due to its lack of focus on God‚ nature‚ and the universe‚ which would classify it as epic poetry‚ and its lack of musical or emotional connection to the reader‚ which would classify it as lyric poetry. Instead‚ it is a narrative piece with both rhythm and imagery
Free Poetry Poetic form
Can an Immoral Storyteller tell a Moral Tale? Geoffery Chaucer has gone into such depth to describe the characters in Canterbury Tales. He focuses on their immoral character‚ physical appearance‚ and their main purpose. Many of Chaucer’s stories parallel with each other acknowledging the sinful nature of the characters. The comparison of the three stories “Miller’s Tale‚ Pardoner’s Tale‚ and The Wife of Bath Tale”‚ will show how immoral can sometimes bring moral values into a person’s life. Immorality
Premium Morality The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer
Among unequals what society Can sort‚ what harmony or true delight? Milton‚ Paradise Lost‚ VIII‚ ll. 383-4 GEOFFREY CHAUCER AND THE WIFE OF BATH´S TALE Chaucer begins the tale by exploring the institution of marriage‚through the character of the Wife who starts by making an statement of authority‚ her own experience on marriage. In order to show her experience in relationships she states that three of her husbands were old and rich and two of them‚ young and wild. Marriage
Premium Marriage Wife
In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale‚” Chaucer uses the old woman’s unexpected contrasts between good poverty and bad wealth to show that poverty is actually better than being wealthy. The old woman describes “The poor can dance and sing in the relief / Of having nothing that will tempt a thief/ Though it can be hateful‚ poverty is good‚ / A great incentive to a livelihood” (270). Although her life is near the bottom of the social hierarchy‚ “dance and sing” suggests hope‚ happiness‚ and celebration. Adding
Premium
made for interesting characters. Chaucer’s use of women and their overstepping their boundaries and typical roles in society make them most memorable. Most of the gender expectations stemmed from the Church and biblical history. There were many anti-feminist feelings due to Eve causing the fall of Man. Women were perceived to be responsible for most of the suffering to man‚ and were therefore inferior and to be dominated by their husbands and men in general. "The courtly lady of medieval poetry
Premium Woman Gender role Gender
Canterbury Tales‚ by Geoffrey Chaucer‚ the narrator introduces many characters in “The Prologue.” Twenty-nine strangers embark on a pilgrimage to Canterbury‚ one of them being the Wife of Bath. In “The General Prologue”‚ “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue”‚ and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”‚ the Wife of Bath is described in a very critical‚ yet amusing way. In “The General Prologue” the narrator introduces the characters in order of who he likes the best‚ to who he likes the least. The Wife of Bath is in the
Premium Marriage Wife Husband
Geoffrey Chaucer’s work “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is one well known piece in the Canterbury Tales. This tale is a representation of the type of role a woman had in the Late Middle Ages. In the Canterbury Tales‚ he portrays the Wife of Bath‚ Alison‚ as a woman who does not go by the tradition of her times with her boldness and desire for authority. Chaucer presents a woman’s point of view throughout this tale. Alison‚ the Wife of Bath‚ was one of the main medieval women in literature. She refused
Premium Marriage The Canterbury Tales Middle Ages
The Canterbury Tales: Wife of Bath In the Hollywood blockbuster Basic Instinct‚ Sharon Stone plays a devious‚ manipulative‚ sex-driven woman who gets whatever she wants through her ploys for control. Stone’s portrayal of this character is unforgettable and makes the movie. In book or film‚ the most memorable female characters are those who break out of the stereotypical "good wife" mold. When an author or actress uses this technique effectively‚ the woman often carries the story. In Geoffrey
Premium Marriage Love Jane Eyre
The Canterbury Tales‚ the Wife of Bath represents a nontraditional role for women of that time. A woman’s role customarily did not include a voice in society‚ religion‚ or government. The Wife of Bath’s history includes five marriages‚ numerous lovers‚ and three trips to Jerusalem. The Wife of Bath’s character steps outside tradition in both the physical and the psychological aspects‚ emerges as a heroine for women‚ but surfaces as a villain for men. Physically‚ the Wife of Bath may have grown unattractive
Premium The Canterbury Tales Middle Ages Husband
In the General Prologue of the Canterbury Tales‚ author Geoffrey Chaucer introduces his character through brief descriptions of their lives. He offers information on things such as their occupations‚ personalities‚ and even appearances. For the majority of the characters’ descriptions‚ Chaucer maintains either a negative or neutral opinion of the characters. However‚ as he describes the Wife of Bath‚ it is clear that Chaucer thinks differently of her than he does of the other characters in the General
Premium The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer