Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay - The Powerful Wife of Bath

The Powerful Wife of Bath In Geoffrey Chacers The Canterbury Tales we are introduced to 29 people who are going on a pilgrimage to St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. Each person is represented to fit a unique type of behavior as shown by people during the medieval ages. My attention was drawn to the Wife of Bath through which Chaucer notes the gender inequalities. Predominantly, women could either choose to marry and become a childbearing wife or go into a religious order. Women were seen as property. Women during this period of time, had limited choices when it came to societal roles. The Wife of Bath exonerates the accepted roles of society, reflecting womens attempt to gain†¦show more content†¦1-2) She is confident about her knowledge of love, virginity and marriage (after all she has been married five times). Just as men use the bible to justify womens oppression, so did the Wife of Bath. She states that double standards for women are deeply rooted in society. The Wife of Bath addressed and dispels the justification for multiple marriages through biblical figures and stories. I woot wel Abraham was an holy man, And Jacob eek, as fer as evere I can, And eech of hem hadde wives mo than two, And many another holy man also (p.118, ll. 61-64) The Wife of Bath relied on the bible to justify her unaccepted views, but when the bible did not favor her views she simply disregarded it. The Wife of Bath is a widow and therefore it is assumed that she would dress rather conservatively. This is not the case for the Wife of Bath. Her clothing is quite flamboyant with scarlet red leggings, soft new shoes, broad hat, and spurs on her feet. She is obviously not dressed in a typical manner or style of other women in her time (Hallissy 42). She disapproved of her husbands attempts to inflict control upon her. SheShow MoreRelated Powerful Satire in Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay3466 Words   |  14 PagesPowerful Satire in The Canterbury Tales If one theme can be considered overriding or defining throughout Medieval European society, it would most likely be the concept of social class structure. During this early historical period in Europe, most of society was divided into three classes or estates: the workers, the nobles, and the clerics. By Chaucers time, however, the powerful estate structure had begun to wear down. Weaknesses in the system became apparent, as many people, such as ChaucerRead MoreEssay about Chaucers Wife of Bath2474 Words   |  10 PagesChaucers Wife of Bath Before beginning any discussion on Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, one must first recognize that, as critic Elaine Treharne writes, â€Å"Critical response to the Wife of Bath has been as diverse as it has been emotive† (2). Some critics love the Wife of Bath and her controversial prologue, proclaiming that she is a woman of strength and powerful words; others hate her and cover the eyes of younger girls, determined that Wife of Bath is instead a role model of what women should notRead MoreThe Fight For Gender Equality Essay1357 Words   |  6 Pagesargued for gender equality. Now, this essay won t focus on every aspect of gender equality by every single influential person, but it will zoom in on certain notable literary figures that incorporated progressive views within their work. All things considered, the essay will analyze the role of women within Chaucer and Shakespeare s literary work while keeping the historical, Middle Ages and Renaissance, time periods in mind. More Specifically, â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue,† by Chaucer and â€Å"AsRead MoreWomen s Unequal Portrayal, And The Struggle For Identity Of Female Writers1777 Words   |  8 PagesIn this essay I will examine the ideas behind women’s unequal portrayal, and the struggle for identity of female writers. Before recently, most published writers were male, so representation was obviously one-sided. Literacy in the ancient worlds was limited anyway, and few that could write were female. Oral culture is undervalued, though, because folktales were predominantly passed down by women. Religion played a huge part in early misrepresentation. Plato laid the philosophical foundations forRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 PagesYou also ought to place [the Moon] in this Mansion for all images you intend to fashion that you might travel on the road and be returned home safely. They also account this sign [Mansion] good for the creation of discord and enmity between a man and wife, and for the creation of enmity between two friends. The foundation of all acts for good purposes is an observation, namely to see whether or not the Moon is in a good condition, and is safe from [aspect with] Saturn, Mars and from combustion with