What is the most important quote from the Wife of Bath?
I grante thee lyf if thou kanst tellen me What thyng is it that wommen moost desiren. Be war, and keepe thy nekke boon from iren.
How does Chaucer describe the Wife of Bath in the prologue?
In “The General Prologue,” Chaucer describes the Wife of Bath as a deaf, gap-toothed woman. She has a bold face and wears ten pounds of “coverchiefs” and a hat on her head (Chaucer 91). She is described in “The General Prologue” as being a worthy woman who has only had five husbands.
How successfully does the Wife of Bath assume authority in her prologue?
The Prologue begins like a sermon and then takes on the terms of misogyny and misogamy as the Wife describes her first three marriages, demonstrating her success in manipulating the marriage system to her own advantage as a means to consolidate money and power.
What is said about the Wife of Bath?
If one of her husbands got drunk, she would claim he said that every wife is out to destroy her husband. All of this, the Wife of Bath tells the rest of the pilgrims, was a pack of lies—her husbands never held these opinions, but she made these claims to give them grief.
How is the Wife of Bath described in The Canterbury Tales?
In The Canterbury Tales, written in the late 1300s by Geoffrey Chaucer and published after his death in the 1400s, the Wife of Bath is a seamstress and professional wife who has been married five times. She is a strong woman who has found that she can use her body to control her husband, whom she likens to slaves.
Why does the Wife of Bath claim authority on marriage?
The Wife of Bath announces that she is an authority on marriage because of her experience, having had five husbands. She does not follow Jesus’s example of only marrying once, nor does she heed his reproach to the woman at the well with five husbands. The Wife of Bath uses her sexual power to control her husbands.
What advice does the Wife of Bath give?
Leave virginity to the perfect, she says, and let the rest of us use our gifts as best we may—and her gift, doubtless, is her sexual power. She uses this power as an “instrument” to control her husbands.
What does Chaucer criticize in the Wife of Bath?
Chaucer may also be criticising the notion of a social order which associates gracious and courteous behaviour with noble birth or high status. The behaviour of the Knight at the beginning of The Tale graphically demonstrates the moral bankruptcy of this idea.
What is the summary of the Canterbury Tales?
56-page comprehensive study guide
What is so special about the Canterbury Tales?
The last pilgrim in the lot was a quite peculiar fellow, who juggled and danced like the mark of a grand celebration. / The Fool ‘twas his name, which was utterly fitting as his antics were akin to a dunce drawing unwanted attention to himself. / His costume was a motley of green, scarlet, and hazel, with no discernable pattern.
What is the meaning of the Canterbury Tales?
The Canterbury tales shows how real-life pilgrimages could bring together people from all over England who had nothing else in common to pursue a common goal. The text says, “and specially from every shires end, of England they to Canterbury wend.
What is the purpose of the Canterbury Tales?
What is the purpose of the Canterbury Tales? The tales could be described both as social realism and as estates satire. At the same time that Chaucer takes care to honestly show the perspective of each of his characters, he also aims to critique the hypocrisy of the church and the social problems posed by Medieval politics and social custom.