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Women in medieval literature and society
Women in medieval literature and society
Women in medieval literature and society
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The Wife of Bath’s “mouses herte”
There is a passage in the ‘Wife of Bath’s Prologue’ wherein the Wife explains and justifies her early relationship with Janekin. For some critics, like Mary Hamel and Dolores Palomo , this is where the Wife entices Janekin to murder her fourth husband in order to wed her. However, whether this occurred is not the argument here. Instead, discussion shall draw attention to a specific stylistic choice that is often overlooked when focusing on the Wife’s murderous intent, despite it raising some interesting questions about the Wife’s character.
The stylistic choice in question is the proverb used by the Wife to justify finding a potential fifth husband whilst still married to her fourth: ‘I holde a mouses herte
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nought worth a leek /That hath but oon hole for to sterte to, /And if that faile thanne is all ydo’ . The ‘moral’ being that to reduce the risk of being caught, it is better to have several ‘holes’ to escape through in case one should fail, thus Janekin is her backup in case something should happen to her fourth husband, which it does. However, closer consideration suggests the proverb is not just so simple. The proverb implies that it is better to have several options, however if Janekin is one of these then by extension so is her current husband. If her fourth husband was the ‘oon hole’ then all would be lost, but because Janekin is an alternative option, the Wife is safe. This thus raises the question of from what ‘cat’ the Wife needs her husbands to escape. Given the Wife’s need for ‘sovereinetee’ and that the only way for her to get this, as well as money and sexual pleasure, is through her marriages, it may be a single life she wishes to escape. Additionally, the proverb becomes more complex when considering Chaucer’s use of ‘mouses herte’, rather than simply ‘mouse’.
Whilst possibly meaning a literal mouse’s heart, the Middle English Dictionary (MED) defines ‘mouses herte’ to mean a coward, and as also used in Troilus and Criseyde to refer to a shy or weak man , it is likely Chaucer is using it in a similar way here. As this is her justification, it is strange that the Wife should refer to herself as a coward, for this is not how she is conveyed throughout the rest of this passage. Instead, many of Chaucer’s stylistic choices display the Wife’s confident and open manner in her dealings with male-female relations. The use of French vocabulary (‘daliaunce’, ‘bobaunce’) could be an attempt to raise the register of her tale, as French is usually associated with wooing scenes in Romances, whilst she demonstrates her dominant nature by telling Janekin he should marry her with the declarative ‘I spak to him’ . The further seemingly nonchalance displayed through the iambic pentameter and syntactic coordination ‘And al was fals’ shows she has no qualms about lying to Janekin, or admitting to it. Furthermore, despite claiming that her narrative is for ‘no bobaunce’ , the Wife’s emphasis through repetition that she found Janekin through her skills of ‘purveyaunce’ or foresight show her to be boastful and proud, not
cowardly. However, there are elements of the diction used in the passage that could hint at the Wife’s insecurities. The Wife’s decision to describe her relationship with Janekin as ‘swich daliaunce’ , or a ‘flirtation’ seems somewhat of an understatement given that Janekin is supposedly the only husband she loved. Her attraction is complicated; she wants power, but she likes Janekin’s ‘ability to manage her’ . Although perhaps not quite the ‘mouses herte’, it is plausible that the Wife wishes to downplay how much she fell in love with him; unlike her openness about her sexual desires, this is possibly too personal a topic to fully reveal. Thus, what a close analysis of Chaucer’s stylistic choices suggests is that the Wife herself is not so simple a character. Whilst the tone of the passage demonstrates the Wife’s bold and unapologetic role as narrator, the decision to use the ‘mouses herte’ proverb seems to suggest something different. Yet given the parallelism of the first and last lines, with the Wife opening with ‘I woll tellen forth what happed me’ but similarly finishing with ‘I have my tale again’ , it is not surprising that this passage may not be as straightforward as its chronological content structure may first seem. The ambiguity of the ‘mouses herte’ is perhaps not easily answered, and criticism on this passage that focuses on the Wife’s murderous intent does not provide enlightenment. However, it does suggest, along with the other stylistic choices made by Chaucer, that the Wife is more than just a stereotype, but is instead a complex character worthy of critical analysis.
In her "Prologue" the Wife of Bath describes her last, fifth, marriage to Janekin. After a huge fight with him, caused by Alisoun's ripping pages out of his book of wicked wives, Janekin grants her the control over the house and the land, what makes her very happy, and she treats her husband with kindness from then on. He yaf me al the bridel in my hand. To have the governance of houses and land. After that day we had never debated.
It is first important to understand the background of both The Wife of Bath and Margery Kempe’s stories. The Wife of Bath was a character created by Geoffrey Chaucer who is radically different from the nonfictional character of Margery Kempe. The Wife of Bat...
The Wife of Bath in The Canterbury Tales, a novel by Geoffrey Chaucer, is defined by her desires. Firstly, “Why should I care if they were pleased/ I was the one to be appeased.” (Line:220-221 pg:112) Her principal focus is to suffice her pleasures rather than to have a good relationship with all five of her husband's. She Also disregarded all their emotions and if she hurt them during the process of satisfying her ambitions. Additionally, “No doubt you understand this tale/ prepare to pay; it’s all for sale.” (line:420-421 pg:117) In this quote she even admits that her desires for money override her need of sexual activities. She is risking everything, even her body, all because she has this thirst for money. Finally, “Robbed and murdered,
Leicester, Jr., H. Marshall. "Public and Private Feminism in the Wife of Bath's Tale." Women's Studies 11.1-2 (1985): 157-78.
Eisner, Sigmund. A Tale of Wonder: a Source Study of the Wife of Bath’s Tale. New York: B. Franklin, 1969.
The use of euphemism and crudeness in “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue” is simultaneously unnerving and amusing, and begs the question of how a “wicked” woman like The Wife could ever actually progress in medieval society. Chaucer incorporates subtle allusions to female sexual organs and it is this bluntness (that would raise eyebrows even today) which establishes the Wife as such a powerfully outspoken character. Because courtship in Chaucer’s time was considered worthy of complete submission, the fact that the Wife places such emphasis on domination and even psychological power hints at her being an object of irony (and not a feminist figure “before her time”). It is for this reason that Chaucer’s delicate use of “queynte”- a term from which
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.
Chaucer chooses to make a comedy of the Wife, putting into question the seriousness of her character. What opinion is the reader to make of a woman who rants about marriage and female domination when she is described as a clown prepared for battle in the General Prologue ? Her bright red stockings, bold scarlet face, shield-like hat and sharp spurs draw the picture of a silly, if not crazy, woman whose manner is larger than life. The Wife's comical 'larger than life' characteristics apply to her feminist beliefs as well. Equal coexistence is not enough; she says men "shall be bothe my dettour and my thral "-something likely unheard of when this piece was written. Much of what makes her comical is the plethora of sexual innuendoes dispersed throughout her dialogue. For instance, when she irrelevantly mentions in her tale the eager friars that have
During this era, women were intended to be ruled rather than be in a position to rule themselves. Lines 660-664 of The Wife of Bath describe not only Janekyn’s view of a husband’s supposed dominance of a wife, but also the general view held by society at the time. Through the passage, Janekyn advices that “Thanne woulde he saye right thus withouten doute/ Whoso that buildeth his hous al of salwes/ And priketh his blinde hors over the falwes/ And suffereth his wif to go seeken halwes/ Is worthy to be hanged on the galwes” (Chaucer 297). In other words, Janekyn is suggesting that any husband that is a pushover and not only allows, but also encourages his wife to run around and go on trips is foolish and worthy of the worst punishment. These lines are important because they seem to contradict what has happened in the paintings. Janekyn talks as if he defines social hierarchy as a man controlling what his wife does in order to not be seen as one who is stepped all over. The Wife of Bath’s description in her prologue suggests that she was not easily dominated, and more of the taking rather than giving type. It also implies that her love stems from ability to satisfy her appetite, and she often chose direction based on satisfying these desires rather than rule. Similarly, Phyllis atop of Aristotle suggests her overpowering of him. Not only were the roles of men and women reversed in this work, but also the roles of man
The Wife of Bath, with the energy of her vernacular and the voraciousness of her sexual appetite, is one of the most vividly developed characters of 'The Canterbury Tales'. At 856 lines her prologue, or 'preambulacioun' as the Summoner calls it, is the longest of any of the pilgrims, and matches the General Prologue but for a few lines. Evidently Chaucer is infatuated with Alisoun, as he plays satirically with both gender and class issues through the Wife's robust rhetoric. Scholars and students alike have continued this obsession with her, and as a consequence Chaucer's larger than life widow has been subject to centuries of scrutiny. Indeed, she is in the vast minority amongst the Canterbury bound pilgrims; apart from the in-vogue Prioress she is the only female - though she appears in no way daunted by the apparent inequality in numbers. It seems almost a crime to examine masculinity in her prologue and tale, but as I hope to show, there is much to learn both about the Wife and about Chaucer from this male presence.
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.
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...
Olson, Glending. "The Marital Dilemma In The Wife Of Bath's Tale: An Unnoticed Analogue And Its Chaucerian Court Context."English Language Notes 33.(1995): 1-7. Humanities Source. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
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...