The Wife of Bath

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The Canterbury Tales are an accumulation of many pilgrims’ stories as they make their journey to the site of Sir Thomas a Becket’s shrine, as he was the martyred saint of Christianity. There are many stories included in The Canterbury Tales. Of these many tales, one of them is the story of the Wife of Bath, whose real name is Alisoun. From her appearance and behavior, to her political and religious views, there is much to tell about the Wife of Bath, for her prologue and tale are quite long. The Wife of Bath is a very interesting character. In addition to Alisoun as a person, her story is fascinating as well, with a surprising and compelling end to the story. (SparkNotes Editors)

According to the story, the Wife of Bath has a very distinct appearance. Her kerchiefs are of finely woven ground and her tightly gartered hose are of the finest scarlet red. Her shoes are soft and new, and her heals are spurred sharply. She has a bold and handsome face, red in hue, with a gap in her teeth. She also wears a scarf covering her head, neck, and chin, as well as a hat as broad as a buckler. She carries herself with a flowing mantle that conceals large hips. Alisoun has a very precise demeanor about herself. (Chaucer 106)

Furthermore, the Wife of Bath has a very definite personality. She is, believe it or not, somewhat of a dynamic character. Through most of her story, she has a choleric personality type. Alisoun is extremely controlling and ambitious. She has a way of instilling her power in others and getting her way. She is very domineering over others. For example, she uses her sexual power as an instrument to control her husband’s actions by provoking them until she gets what she wants, which is usually money. Th...

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...ER MAID: TALE-TELLING AND THE TRIAL OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND WRITTEN AUTHORITY." Modern Language Review Oct. 2007: 933-46. Academic Search Elite. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. .

"The Canterbury Tales Book Notes Summary by Geoffrey Chaucer: Plot Summary Book Notes Summary." BookRags.com: Book Summaries, Study Guides. Ed. BookRags. BookRags, Inc., 2010. Web. 01 Feb. 2010. .

Chaucer, Geoffrey. Prentice Hall Literature The British Tradition Timeless Voices Timeless Themes. Trans. Nevill Coghill. Platinum ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.

"SparkNotes: The Canterbury Tales." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Ed. SparkNotes. Spark Notes LLC, 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

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