An Analysis Of The Wife Of Bath

The Wife of Bath spends a large amount of time establishing her own history before actually launching into her Tale. In her Prologue she makes a point to argue against the social structure and biblical lore that condemn her lifestyle. She then describes her first three husbands as “gode, and riche, and olde” (300, 197). She then moves into explaining her relationship with her fourth husband, in which she was equally matched in the struggle for power. Lastly she describes her relationship with her fifth husband, Jankin, who was ostensibly the worst of them all, but the Wife of Bath describes him as the one she loved the most; “That thogh he hadde me bet on every boon / He coude winne agayn my love anoon. / I trowe I loved him beste for that he / Was of his love daungerous to me.” (316-18, 511-14). The main idea that the Wife of Bath, Alisoun, presents in her Prologue is the importance of sovereignty in marriage, and how that is what she believes will bring her the most happiness. The Tale she tells relates to her Prologue. Alisoun’s Prologue discusses what is important to her in life and what is, from a woman’s perspective, unjust about the society she lives in;

Women are discriminated against, taken advantage of, and not protected by those who claim to do so. The friars and knights of the world are not nearly as heroic as they claim to be, nor are they knowledgeable about a woman’s experience. She tailors her Prologue and Tale to deliver very specific messages to her audience, who are mostly men, some of whom are part of the clergy. The Wife of Bath clearly demonstrates in her Prologue and Tale that women cannot be satisfied in a world dictated by male opinions and rules; their opinions are not valid in determining what can make a woman happy in life. The Wife of Bath realizes that no woman can be happy without seeking out equality or sovereignty in a