The Color Red In Chaucer's The Wife Of Bath

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The Wife of Bath belonged to the middle class and worked as a skilled cloth maker, however; she wanted people to think that she had aristocratic blood by her clothes and by sitting at the front of Church. Chaucer states how she reacted when parishioners cut in front of her “… And indeed if they did, so wrath was she as to be quite put out of charity”. Her description is based heavily off of her appearance rather than her deeds. The color red plays an important role for the Wife of Bath because it represents passion, love, and sin. Her appearance is also highlighted by the description of her gapped teeth which denotes sexual activity and very bold personality as well. The Wife of Bath’s bold character shaped her into a woman of strong passion and desire. …show more content…

The Wife of Bath’s appearance is crucial to understand because it allows the reader to grasp what her clothes and physical appearance signify. The quote, “Her hoes of the finest scarlet red and gartered tight”, is significant because the color red not only describes her hoes but it also describes her passionate and sinful personality. The Wife of Bath’s physical appearance yet again is described through the use of the color red: “Bold was her face, handsome, and red in hue.” The Wife of Bath, a cloth maker, takes pride in the clothes she wears so that she can make herself look more rich. The quote, “Her kerchiefs were of finely woven ground; I dared have sworn they weighed a good ten pound”, shows that even the kerchiefs she wore needed to display pomp in order to catch people’s attention. Chaucer also describes her as a heavy set woman with the quote: “She had a flowing mantle that concealed large hips”. The Wife of Bath’s appearance works in accordance with her personality because without her personality, she would have nothing interesting about

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