Wife Of Baths Tale Analysis - 1265 Words

In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer gives multiple examples in â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale† of Alice, The Wife, intellectually manipulating her husbands, which portray her as a rebel against female norms of her day and a trailblazer for women going forward. However, there are some incredibly conflicting aspects of the Wife of Bath’s portrayal of women. Certainly, it can be said The Wife of Bath’s Alice was far ahead of her time. In a period when men ruled and women were expected to be subservient, she was the rare exception. She contradicted all the norms of the day and even at times seemed to contradict herself. Although she uses her intelligence to achieve what she wants, she uses another woman’s misfortune as a catalyst for her story and a†¦show more content†¦For example, she partially justified having been married five times on the basis that it was her duty to continue to bear children as â€Å"God bade us to increase and multiply† (28). She was so adamant that her beliefs were the correct ones that she would grow upset when Jenkin, her fifth husband, would â€Å"search his Bible through for a proverb of Ecclesiasticus† as an attempt to try to change her opinion (649-50). Although half her age, Jenkin, obviously bullied The Wife of Bath with his misogynistic views of women and his belief that women were the cause of men’s downfall. Finally, after a night when Jenkin blamed Eve as â€Å"the reason Jesus Christ himself was slain,† she could take no more (717). Alice â€Å"tore [three leaves] out of his book† and then with her â€Å"fis t gave his cheek a hit and he fell backwards right into the fire† (792-93). In the past, Alice had not been afraid to manipulate men and in this instance, Jenkin, to acquire what she wanted. She ripped Jenkin’s book, hit him, knocked him into the fire and when he â€Å"jumped up like a lion full of ire† and hit her back, she pretended to be dying (794). However, her manipulations came to fruition as evidenced by her declaration â€Å"thus gained for myself all the sovereignty—when he had said to me, ’my own true wife’ do as you please the balance of your life† (818-20). Her manipulations were successful in gaining the control she so preferred over her husband. Even though Alice wasShow MoreRelatedThe Wife Of Baths Tale Analysis793 Words   |  4 Pagesthere were knights, kings, queens, and crusades because adultery was looked as a sin due to the fact that in the mid-1400s there was no law higher than the church. In the passage The Wife of Bath’s Tale, Geoffrey Chaucer characterizes the Wife of Bath as a woman who uses men for her needs and pleasure. For example, the wife explains she has many husbands but desires to lust and love other men she acknowledges. In the second passage La Morte D’ Arthur, Thomas Malory explains how people use each otherRead MoreThe Wife Of Baths Tale Analysis1047 Words   |  5 Pagesbecause they considered wives to be gold diggers in which men would pay for their fancy lifestyle. The â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Tale,† was written around the year 1386, by Geoffrey Chaucer who tells a tale about a wife that wants sovereignty over her husbands. Book 18 of â€Å"Le Morte d’Arthur,† was written by Thomas Malory, he tells a tale about Queen Guinevere who wanted to follow the traditional role of a wife, who wanted to marry Sir Lanucelot but never could and have happiness because of the tragic that sheRead MoreEssay on Summary and Analysis of The Wife of Baths Tale1857 Words   |  8 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Wife of Baths Tale Prologue to the Wife of Baths Tale: The Wife of Bath begins the prologue to her tale by boasting of her experience in marriage. 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The Wife of Bath is portrayed as a very flamboyant and domineering character. She enjoys things such as romance, traveling, and talking. The Wife of Bath is a feminist who depicts through her tale her radical belief that women should have dominion over their husbands. As shown in the opening quotation, the Wife of Bath is not afraid to admit that she had experienced five marriages. The Wife of Bath’s radical beliefs are demonstrated through the phylogeny in â€Å"The Wife of Bath PrologueRead MoreUse Of Satire In Canterbury Tales1301 Words   |  6 PagesChaucer’s Satyric Attack (An analysis of Chaucer’s use of satire to reach his intended audience in his Canterbury Tales) Satire is defined as â€Å"the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize peoples stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues† (Oxford). Another term that people would be more familiar with to describe this would be sarcasm. Language can be utilized in a nasty way, especially when wanting to demoralizeRead MoreEssay about Common Sense, Ethics, and Dogma in The Wife of Bath3354 Words   |  14 PagesSense, Ethics, and Dogma in The Wife of Bath In his Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer assembles a band of pilgrims who, at the behest of their host, engage in a story-telling contest along their route. The stories told along the way serve a number of purposes, among them to entertain, to instruct, and to enlighten. In addition to the intrinsic value of the tales taken individually, the tales in their telling reveal much about the tellers. The pitting of tales one against another provides a