Riddled with a lifetime of experience and the pleasure of a plentiful amount of men, the Wife of Bath shamelessly exploits her sexuality and uses manipulation to gain wealth and power. Her shameless seething is entirely for her own gain and unquestionably confirms the long tradition of anti-feministic literature that presents women as morally corrupt and lustful. The Wife of Bath uses sex as a way to get into her husband's wallets. “So I made them work hard every night to please me, which often made them sigh in frustration. I had each of them wrapped around my little finger so tightly that they were all too happy to buy me nice things and jump for joy whenever I said anything nice to them (because God knows I scolded them often!)” (Chaucer …show more content…
In his apoplectic state, Jankin hit her so hard she thought he killed her. Soon in the wake of their fight, they recovered and worked things out. As a result of this bout, Jankin put the Wife of Bath, “in charge of our household and overall money and property” (Chaucer 826-827). At the end of the day, the Wife of Bath reigned supreme through mass manipulation. She knowingly made Jankin so angry that she would hit her. Her knowledge of his actions following her ripping his book was derived from a previous experience in which she ripped out a page of his book and her hit her so hard she went deaf in one ear. From knowing his previous actions she knew that Jankin after committing violence against her he would see what he had done to her, subsequently feel guilty and then in return for his bad behavior reward her with both power and money. The Wife of Bath did not rip out a page of Jankin’s most beloved book by accident it was a preemptive strike. She pulled her husband's strings and through this manipulation, the Wife of Bath got what she truly wanted. These actions alone confirm a long tradition of anti-feminist literature that portrays women as morally corrupt and …show more content…
Thus fitting her own narrative. When rationalizing how many times she has married, the Wife of Bath uses the Bible to state that God, never said, though, how many men I could marry over the course of my life, so why do people look down on marrying more than once- or eight times for that matter- as much as they do?” (Chaucer 32-34). The Wife of Bath uses what God did not say to justify her five marriages. By implying that God didn't say that she only could have one husband she is spinning his words to fit her own. The Wife of Bath additionally uses her knowledge of the Bible to justify her love of engaging in experiences of sexual pleasure. She rationalizes her actions by expressing, “I know as well as you that St.Paul only recommended women to maintain their virginity- he never ordered it” (Chaucer 67-69).In expressing her opinion that a saint never condemned women to remain celibate she is proclaiming that her love of sex does not impune any rule and therefore is not a sin. This manipulation of Gods words defines the very basis of anti-feminist literature that paints women as manipulative and deceitful. Furthermore, the Wife of Bath continues to justify her actions including her sexually provocative nature through God’s gospel. When declaring the compatibility of the male and female genitals, she employers that
Leicester, Jr., H. Marshall. "Public and Private Feminism in the Wife of Bath's Tale." Women's Studies 11.1-2 (1985): 157-78.
The Wife of Bath is portrayed as a strong-willed, alpha female. The Wife of Bath upholds the misogynistic ideas of Chaucer's time because she is a controlling, manipulative, know-it-all woman. Her personality and behavior both reflect the negative attributes that women were shamed for during that time. She is opinionated, dominate, and diabolical; all qualities that were not accepted easily in a woman. She defied the norm of that time.
Regularly characterized as monsters, women were ridiculed for being sexually unappeasable, lustful, and shrewish, and they were regarded with condescension by the church authorities. Similarly, people in the medieval era regarded multiple marriages as highly questionable, and it is for this reason that the Wife of Bath carefully examines the words of God as revealed in scripture (revealing her to be more than a simple-minded woman: a knowledge of religious texts proves she is definitely educated and well-read). She confesses that nowhere can she find a stricture against her having more than one marriage, and her five husbands are therefore her choice and hers only. “He seith to be wedded is no synne:/ Bet is to be wedded than to brynne”, she remarks humorously, drawing on the fact that by God’s permission, finding a partner through marriage is a pastime with little consequences, for it is better than engaging in sin and burning for it (50-53. 301). This begins her analysis of the bible and the often “sinful” breakdown of a sexual relationship between man and woman, and introduces her repetitive idea of the
Shead, Jackie. "'The wife of bath's tale' as self-revelation: Jackie Shead discusses how far the Wife's Tale perpetuates the picture we have gained of her from her Prologue." The English Review Feb. 2010: 35+. General OneFile. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.
Huppé, Bernard F. "Rape and Woman's Sovereignty in the Wife of Bath's Tale." Modern Language Notes 63.6 (1948): 378-81. The Johns Hopkins University Press.
The tale is that of power and who has or should have the control in a relationship is it political, economical, governmental or sexual. The Wife of Bath clearly believes that she, and all women, should have the control in relationships and especially over husbands.
In the “Wife of Bath’s Prologue” and Margery Kempe women are empowered to make decisions regarding their own sexuality. This deviates from the gender constructs of the time period by allowing these women to dictate the course of their own lives: the Wife of Bath chooses to use her sexuality to acquire money and possessions, while Margery Kempe dedicates her sexuality to her spiritual beliefs. By working strategically to gain sexual independence both women move beyond the generally accepted position of a women at the time.
Of the thirty one lines devoted to the portrait of the Wife of Bath only those four are committed to that portion of her character. By today’s standards that is an infinitesimal amount to be dedicated to the salacious parts of a character portrait. The mere fact that this woman had been married five times and that there was a possibility of a scandal in her youth would be enough to wipe out any discussion of her piousness, her travels and most especially her good work. In todays world it would be more likely that her possible promiscuity would be used specifically to undermine any skill she might have to promote herself.
Leicester, Jr., H. Marshall. "Of a fire in the dark: Public and Private Feminism in the Wife of Bath's Tale." Women's Studies 11.1-2 (1985): 157-78.
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.
Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale" is a medieval legend that paints a portrait of strong women finding love and themselves in the direst of situations. It is presented to the modern day reader as an early tale of feminism showcasing the ways a female character gains power within a repressive, patriarchal society. Underneath the simplistic plot of female empowerment lies an underbelly of anti-feminism. Sometimes this is presented blatantly to the reader, such as the case of Janekin's reading aloud from "The Book of Wikked Wives" (The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale 691). However, there are many other instances of anti-feminism that may not scream so loudly to the reader. This is shown in the disappearance of the rape victim and the happy ending for the Knight. While the overall story is one of supposed feminism shown through women's empowerment, there are many aspects of "The Wife of Bath" that are anti-feminist in nature.
The Wife of Bath’s insecurity and cynicism are just two of the ways in which she fulfils negative stereotypes of women. She tries to separate herself from other women of her time by taking control of her life by means of sex, but if she were truly progressive, she would have found a way to elevate herself without using her body. Alisoun is exactly what men fear and dislike about women; she is promiscuously sneaky, and she takes advantage of men. This is why while trying to present herself as strong and independent, her actions ultimately confirm misogynistic stereotypes of women; in the end, she is even more digressive to the cause feminism than a normal woman would be.
Many critics throughout the years have given the Wife of Bath a title of that of a feminist. She is a strong-willed and dominant woman who gets what she wants when she wants it, by manipulating her husbands into feeling bad for things that they didn’t do, or by saying things that put them to utter shame. No man has ever been able to give an exact answer when she asks to know how many husbands a woman may have in her life...
The wife of bath strongly argued in favour of female “maistrye.” She argued this in the prologue and used the tale to bring the message home. Her arguments are weakened however by the destructive and careless behaviour of the Wife of Bath. She openly laughs at them (“I laugh whan I thinke”) when she thinks of how she made her husbands toil at night. She doesn’t seem to regret the...
Women have the ability to get what they want, when they want it. Chaucer portrays the Wife of bath as the dominant person in her marriages. She looks at men as her trinkets to be used and played with. She moves from one man to another, always looking for more. The Wife of Bath is a control freak, wanting to have sex when she desires it and with whom she desires.