In Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath Prologue, Alison defies her society’s strict Christian and wifely beliefs that they hold for women. Alison has been married five times, and she feels that her experience should make her more knowledgeable, so she should be the dominating spouse of the marriage. She defends others’ opinions by defending herself in saying that God made women so that they could multiply. Alison manipulates her husbands by verbally and sexually luring them into obeying her every command. Although Alison’s approach to gaining more respect as a woman was not necessarily morally right, she did successfully lay a base for today’s ideas of feminism.
Chaucer wrote the Wife of Bath around 1387, during the High Middle Ages. During this time
…show more content…
Alison stood up to change the ideas men held toward the female population. However, Alison is perceived negatively by others because of the manner in which she treats her husbands. She accused her husbands of affairs while they were drunk, would refuse to sexually satisfy them until they promised her money, and used verbal and sexual power in order to bring her husbands into total submission. Alison’s fourth husband had a mistress, and her fifth husband was half her age, and he beat her. Alison defends her multiple marriages by referring to Lamech, Abraham, and Jacob, who had multiple wives. She asks why it is not acceptable for her to have married multiple times if those Holy men were not ridiculed for their polygamy. In the thirteenth century, Alison has already recognized the double standard that exists within her medieval society. Alison’s fifth husband explains to Alison that clerks treated wives badly because church writings are hostile toward women. They always contradict Mercury, scholars, and Venus, lovers. He says “That women cannot keep the vow of marriage” (363). Additionally, her husband adds that because of Eve, “that woman was the ruin of mankind” (363). There was obviously much prejudice displayed toward women, and Alison felt the urge to stand up for women and to attempt to provide them with more power. Alison was a …show more content…
Alison believes that women should dominate their husbands, and she feels no guilt for her beliefs. She remains firm in her belief throughout her prologue. Alison admits that she is not perfect, and accepts the fact that she has lied to her husbands and has manipulated them many times. The Wife of Bath is admirable because she does not care what others think about her imperfections, and she does not seek their approval. The Wife of Bath is so admirable because she is a confident woman who knows exactly what she wants in life. Alison is brave because she asserts that sex is a good thing, that women should have more power, and most importantly that wives should be obedient to her husbands. The most important aspect of her prologue was her mentioning of biblical characters that had been married multiple times. During her time, it was acceptable for men to have multiple marriages, but not for wives. Alison presented the beginnings of feminism by standing up against her society’s sexually-prejudiced beliefs in order to try to achieve more justice for
The Wife of Bath upholds the misogynistic image of women for only one of many reason: she is controlling. She is a very forwardly dominant female, and she likes to be in control of her relationships. She shared in the prologue that she liked to govern her husbands according to the way she saw fit. She believes
Additionally, Wife of Bath’s idea and desire is for all women to achieve sovereignty which doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t favor men. As you can see, the Wife acts as a feminist here. Although, Alison wants to have the power in the relationship, she b...
In the words of the Broadview Anthology’s introduction to the Wife of Bath, she is “a sexually experienced cynic who teaches young people the tricks of love…. The Wife’s history and the literary shape of her prologue conform to many of the traditional misogynistic stereotypes found in her husband’s book” (Broadview 298). Why would Chaucer write such a clever portrayal of personal pleasure through the eyes of a woman, and yet design her to possess every quality so despised and abhorred within her so-called lifetime? Because the audience of this poem would probably include wives, and because everything the Wife describes is almost laughably vulgar, it can be understood that this poem would not be interpreted literally and women would instead be forced to listen to an account about female power, desire, and pleasure written, unfortunately, as cruel satire of their
Boardman, Phillip C. "Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343-1400)." Enduring Legacies: Ancient and Medieval Cultures. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson Custom Pub., 2000. 430-54. Print.
As the Miller's tale progresses this exposition of jealousy is shown to have a good cause. Because the wife is young and desirable she is seen as unable to resist the advances of an equally young scholar, “while her husband was at Osney / (these clerks are very subtle and sly) / and privily he grabbed her by the crotch” (line 87-89). The clerk forces himself upon Alison, “and said, Unless I have my will of you, / sweetheart, I'm sure to die for suppressed love” (lines 91-92). Alison being so young and inexperienced is unable to resist the urges of the clerk Nicholas, “and made her oath, by Saint Thomas a Becket, / that she would be his to command (lines 105-106).
The Wife of Bath is a complex character-she is different from the way she represents herself. Maybe not even what she herself thinks she is. On the surface, it seems as though she is a feminist, defending the rights and power of women over men. She also describes how she dominates her husband, playing on a fear that was common to men. From a point of view of a man during that time period, she seemed to illustrate all of the wrongs that men found in women. Such as a weak parody of what men, then saw as feminists. The Wife of Bath constantly emphasizes the negative implications of women throughout the ages. She describes women as greedy, controlling, and dishonest.
The Wife of Bath has used men in her life for riches. She leans toward a feminist nature and seems resentful toward most men. For women, she is easy to respect and admire. She is an intelligent woman, however, she may not know the limits of her games. That is the beauty of society. Thousands of years after this novel has been written, men and women still don not know what one another want. In taking both Psychology and Sociology this year, I hope to grasp a better understanding on how both sexes co-exist with one another.
The character of the Wife of Bath in Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Prologue is a strong woman who knows what she wants from life. She is ahead of her time, seeing that women who portrayed themselves the way she does were not necessarily looked positively upon. In this sense, I believe that the Wife of Bath is a feminist. When I use the word feminist I do not mean bra-burning, men hating feminist. I mean a woman who is in touch with herself. She is her own genre when it comes to feminism. She is comfortable with her sexuality and what she wants from life. Through Chaucer, she is viewed as a promiscuous; however, she is actually in control of her sexual adventures.
... The Miller portrays Alison as a "wild and young" (205) woman throughout the entire tale, making it clear that she does not respect the relationship with her husband at all. It can also suggest that she is not an angel or the “good wife” that she likes to pretend to be. It is obvious that Alison likes to use her beauty and body in ways to make it easier to obtain the things that she desire just like The Wife of Bath indirectly hints in her tale.
In The Wife of Bath Prologue, Dame Alison discusses how a successful relationship between a man and woman is one where the woman is in control. She uses her experiences to defend her views. A woman who has been married five times, Alison clearly endorses herself as being a woman of sexual desires, and in doing this she also makes a defense for women like herself. She disputes the notion that marriage is inferior to chastity by giving examples from the Bible. She cites King Solomon who had numerous wives and was not condemned for his behavior so why should she. She also quotes St. Paul’s statement that it is better to have passion while married, “It’s no sin to be married, he said, / For if you’re burning, better to be wed” (50-51). She does not throw out virginity, but rather argues, “A woman may be counseled to be pure, / But to counsel and commandment aren’...
Throughout the ages, the story of the original sin is used to explain the struggles of women and why they are inferior to man. Eve “took of [the forbidden tree’s] fruit and ate” (Genesis 3:6), and as punishment, God made it so “[her husband] shall rule over her” (3:16). As an important text during the lifetime of the characters who tell the collection of stories that compose the Canterbury Tales, most of the pilgrims were familiar with this scripture and believed that the Bible’s word was law. For that reason, the popular belief of the time was that women were inferior to their male counterparts. However, a couple of characters in the tales challenge this viewpoint and show that women were also capable of making their own choices. As the pilgrims struggle with the issue of where women belong, their view of Eve in the story of original sin is altered as well. From mild indifference to intimate involvement, each pilgrim has a different attachment to the story of the Eve, and their views on women in society are reflected in their connection to the story.
In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath is a strong woman who loudly states her opinions about the antifeminist sentiments popular at the time. Chaucer, however, frequently discredits her arguments by making them unfounded and generally compromising her character. This brings into question Chaucer's political intent with the Wife of Bath. Is he supportive of her views, or is he making a mockery of woman who challenge the patriarchal society and its restriction and mistrust of women? The Wife's comedic character, frequent misquoting of authorities, marital infidelity, and her (as well as Chaucer's) own antifeminist sentiments weaken the argument that Chaucer supported of the Wife's opinions.
Chaucer, Geoffrey (1987). “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue.” The Riverside Chaucer, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 105-116.
The knight tells the woman his true feelings about her. According to Arthurian” “She is the most hideous woman he has ever seen”. Furthermore, it is unusual for a young man to marry an old women. Women have a lot of power in their appearance because a woman uses her appearance to seduce and control men. The woman inner desire in this time period is to have power over there husband. However during this time period Christians believe that a man and women should treat each other equally. According to 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body”. Woman still felt look down upon compared to men because there duties are to stay at home cook and
Rigby, Stephen Henry. (2000). The Wife of Bath, Christine de Pizan, and the Medieval Case for Women. Chaucer Review, (pgs 133-165)