In the tale that Geoffrey Chaucer had wrote, The Wife of Bath’s Tale, a man was described as a Knight. This Knight wasn’t like any normal Knight, he messed up and raped a girl. This is a big mistake, giving a lot of Knights a bad name, and having those that look up to them start to be disappointed in them. Usually the punishment that is given to those that rape, or in general any other crime, is death or time in the slammer, however, the Queen says no because he is a good looking guy. Instead of death, he had find out what women most desire from men. He is given a year and a day to find out, and on the last day, when he nearly had given up all hope, he sees an old woman in a field who makes a deal with him. The old lady gives the Knight a choice: to have an old, but faithful, wife, or to have a drop-dead gorgeous woman, but to have her never to be faithful, before she tells him what the Queen wants to know. The old lady and Knight get married and she wants him to sleep with her, like husbands are supposed to do with their wives. They argue and she gives him the two choices again; to have an ugly wife, but she is faithful. The other choice is to have a drop-dead gorgeous wife, but is never faithful. With this, he learns a lesson, and sufficient punishment.
To be given the choice to have a beautiful wife is something I look forward to when I decide to settle down and get married, but the wife of the Knight makes a good point. On page 149 the old lady gives him the choice “You have two choices; which one will you try?/To have me old and ugly till I die,/Or would you rather I were young and pretty/And chance your arm what happen in a city/Where friends will visit you because of me.” (lines 365-371) I honestly wouldn’t mind ...
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..., and learning his lesson on the nature of women, he conquered things that most men would just say “Take me, I don’t want to go through this kind of stuff”. Luckily for me I found a gal that is very beautiful and I can trust, and hopefully we will move on from where we are as of now. Unfortunately, she has probably read The Wife of Bath’s Tale, and is going to want the same thing all women want, but strangely I’m okay with this because if a big bad Knight and other men have done it, hey, why not go for it. I’m just in the position that the Knight was never in, and she isn’t old, poor, or ugly, so I don’t have to choose her or a beautiful unfaithful chick. But the sad part about this is,like the Knight, I need to be punished because I did something very bad on Wednesday that I am going to be punished for on Thursday, but a MIP is not as bad as raping a girl. HAHA..
However, later, in her "Tale" the Wife of Bath presents another opinion - women wish to have emotional power over their husbands as well. The fact that the hag is able to decide for herself whether to turn into a beautiful wife or to remain in her present state, manifests her power over the husband. It is up to her whether to make the knight the happiest men on earth or to make him miserable for as long as she lives:
In the story of Dame Ragnell and "The Wife of Bath's Tale," the men in question are in a very serious predicament. The knight in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" gets into his predicament by raping a young maiden. In "Dame Ragnell," King Arthur is accused of giving Sir Gawain land that belongs to someone else, Gromer Somer Joure. Their crimes are completely different, yet they still warrant similar punishment. Although the reason that each character is in his situation is a glaring difference between the two stories, in both cases the character's lives are at stake because of something they have done. In order to be saved from death they must answer a question: "To shewe me at thy coming whate wemen love best in feld and town." (Ragnell 91-92) This is what King Arthur is asked by Gromer Somer Joure in the story of Dame Ragnell. In "The Wife of Bath's Tale," we can see the question is worded differently. The Queen says to the knight: "I graunte thee lif if thou canst tellen me what thing it is that wommen most desiren." (Bath 910-911) Although there is a slight difference in the wording of the question in each tale, each still has the same idea: What is it that women want the most? In both stories the main characters, the knight, in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" and King Arthur in, the story of Dame Ragnell, search out the answer to this question.
... she responded in the fullest measure With all that could delight or give him pleasure.” Basically the Knight got a beautiful on the inside and out woman and wife. He never really got punished like he should’ve for raping that woman. In a way this seems to be mocking rape that solving a stupid question could get a man a beautiful wife and out of a crime he committed. He should’ve been killed in the very beginning of the story.
Some say women can get the worst out of a man, but in The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1485, proves it. The tales were originally written as a collection of twenty four tales, but has been narrowed down to three short tales for high school readers. The three tales consist of “The Miller”, “The Knight”, and “The Wife of Bath” along with their respective prologues. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer shows the weak but strong role of women throughout the “The Knight’s Tale” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” to contrast different human characteristics and stereotypes on the spectrum of people.
The Canterbury Tales by Gregory Chaucer are set around the time of Medieval England. Specifically, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” takes place during King Arthur’s rule in the 600s. In, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” Gregory Chaucer uses satire as a form of humor to point out the underlying power that women have in Medieval England. As the knight struggles to find out what women desire most, he stumbles upon this old woman known as Crone. After the knight grants his freedom he must answer to the old woman and do whatever she wants, thus leading her to take control over his life.
In most cases today rape gets you sentenced to prison and sometimes death. Back in Chaucer’s day, in the text The Wife of Bath’s Tale, Chaucer wrote about a knight in the text The Wife of Bath’s Tale. This knight was arrested for his deed of raping a woman. His punishment is not as suffice as it would be in the modern world. The life of the knight was spared because of his beauty that the Queen had seen. Instead, the Queen insisted that the knight go on a trip; a trip that would last a year and a day. When the knight’s time was up, he would return to the Queen and explain what she had asked him before he left on his journey. The question that was asked was, “’yet you shall live if you can answer me: what is the thing that women most desire?’” says the queen ([Prentice Hall Literature] page 140 lines 50-51).As for the knight, what final choice does the old woman offer the knight? In what way does his response show that he has finally learned his lesson about the nature of women? And finally, Has the knight experienced sufficient punishment and redemption for his crime.
One of the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer is a tale told by the Wife of Bath about a knight. In the story, the knight is in trouble for raping a woman. The punishment for such a crime in that time was death. The knight is in front of the king and queen, expecting to be condemned to death. Something truly weird happens. The queen decides that since the knight is such a handsome man, he should be spared. That’s just unfair. Sadly, though, I can think of some modern instances of people being treated unfairly on account of their physical appearance. Anyway, this knight dude must have been a major hunk to avert such punishment with nothing but his looks in his defense. The queen gives him one year to find the answer to a question. Of course, when I read that, I thought, “Oh, wow. He’s getting off really easily. A year is more than enough time to find the answer to any question that I would be able to ask. This queen is dumb.” The next few words changed my mind. The knight was to find the one thing that all women desire. Then, I started something along these lines. “Ok, lady. Humankind has been in existence for hundreds of thousands of years, if not millions, and no man has ever come close to finding the answer to that question. How is this dumb knight going to find it in a year? Have you lost your marbles?” I guess I was wrong, because sure enough, a year later, the knight found the answer. He met an old woman. He asked her and she told him the answer. The knight told the queen that answer, and he was set free. Hurray! I’m sure that he was just about to ride off into the sunset and go do some knightly stuff, but the old woman kind of ruined that for him. The knight remembered that he owed the ol...
...ueen. As nobles, knights had to be always fair, especially toward ladies. After all, in a successful relationship, both members must be submissive, brave, and learn. Although I’m young and not marry, I believe that if any relationship were to succeed there someone has to passive. In a good relationship, both partners are willing to listen and accept the opinions and actions of the other. I also believe that both have to be brave. When both sides are devoted and brave, the relationship will succeed. I highly believe that both sides must be willing to change. When a relationship is not functioning, it is because both side must change and adapt a mutual ground.
with words and looks.” (pg.157) In turn the lady “Went to the window because of her lover, who, she knew was leading the same life, awake most of the night. Each took pleasure in the other’s sight since they could have nothing more.” (pg.157) Although the heroine is described as being wise, courtly, and unhappy with her marriage and the knight being regarded as brave and a man of valor; the couple continued in a relationship that is frowned upon. It is out of their wise and noble characters to lie and betray a fellow knight/husband. Love was the root of their deception bought upon the husband. However, love clearly can’t overcome all diffuculties, and those who don’t obtain the love they hope for endure the anguish of love more than those
T his outrageous act created a great stir and King Arthur was petitioned for justice. The Knight was condemned to death according to the law and would have been beheaded if the queen had not mediated on his behalf. After many pleas for mercy King Arthur finally told the queen to decide the Knight’s fate. The queen then told the Knight to answer the question what women desire the most in order to save his life. She also gave him a time period of one year to find an answer and appear before her. Seeing no other solution the Knight decided to go in search of the answer. He visited every house and every spot in the country but couldn’t find any two people who agreed on the subject. Some women loved riches and wealth while others loved fine clothes. There were yet others who claimed that they best loved flattery and attentiveness. There were still others who took great delight at being considered as dependable and discreet. In short everybody held a different opinion. The one-year granted to the Knight eventually drew to an end but he had still not found an answer. He rode back home with a heavy heart. On his way he happened to catch a glimpse of twenty-four ladies dancing but they miraculously disappeared when he reached the spot. There was nobody in sight except for an extremely ugly old woman. She asked the Knight, what he was looking for, as she might be able to help him since old women know plenty of things. The Knight explained his predicament. The old woman said that if he would pledge to do the first thing that she required of him then she would give him the correct answer before the night. The Knight promised to grant her a wish and they rode for the Court. The Knight proclaimed that he had found the answer and told the entire court that women most desire to have mastery over their husbands and their lovers. None of the women assembled in the court could contradict the Knight and the queen spared his life. Thereupon the old woman sprang up and told the queen that she had taught the answer to the Knight in exchange for a wish. She now demands, that the Knight marry her and fulfill her wish. The Knight pleads with her to ask for ...
Moving towards the second tale “The Wife of Bath” love and death play a very large toll on the outcome of the story. We begin with a knight who rapes a woman and is given the death penalty. His “love” for her granted him a golden ticket to a death, but miraculously is spared to find the answer to question his life depended on. When introduced to the old woman, he is forced to pledge himself to her in order for help. She helps him and he lives but is now burdened with a woman he does not love. He has no love for her yet is forced to marry and remain miserable.
The Wife of Bath tells the tale of a young knight whom, after the rape of a maiden, must search for the answer to the question, "what is it that women most desire?" The knight has one year to find the answer and return to King Arthur's court, or else he will be sentenced to death. The knight's journey does not go well. No matter where he goes or whom he asks, he does not get a good answer. As he approaches, they disappear leaving an old woman. She says that she has the answer to his question, but will only state it before the queen, and on the condition that he does whatever she asks of him. The knight agrees.
In “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale” of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath challenges the oppressive standards women are expected to uphold and asserts her agency by reassessing women’s public and interpersonal roles. However, rather than naively disregarding the influence of gender constructs, the wife manipulates the “limitations” that binary oppositions create for her gender in order to dominate the skill of persuasion. Through the careful use of language, the Wife of Bath exploits societal standards placed upon females in order to reconstruct women’s role within her culture and the institution of marriage. In particular, the Wife argues that her opinions should be regarded because her amount of marriage experience undermines authority. By invoking experience over authority, the Wife is able to disguise her domineering arguments, references, and ethics as informed opinions rather than efforts to overturn masculine supremacy. Although her scandalous actions and suggestions within her prologue and tale are seen as distasteful by many of the pilgrims, she still seemingly adheres to the customs appropriated for her gender. She is able to re-interpret said customs through the manipulation of semantics, and in doing so she successfully overturns patriarchal power. By working the system to her advantage, the Wife of Bath contests for the re-evaluation of the power dynamics within marriage.
Geoffrey Chauncery, the author of the Cantebury tales, tells many similar tales that portray a lesson in the end. In the Canterbury tales, the stories can have similarities and differences by following the same outline but filled in with a different plot or plot twist. Two tales I have chosen that have shown a little bit of similarities and differences are, "The wife of bath" and "The Knight's tale."
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...