The Wife of Bath’s Tale - Poem Summary

Summary

In Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales,' the Wife of Bath's tale stands out as an early feminist narrative. Set in medieval England, it critiques societal double standards for women, highlighting the character's five marriages and her quest for agency. The tale, through the story of a knight seeking the answer to what women desire most, ultimately argues for women's sovereignty in marriage, ending with a transformative twist that underscores the theme of female empowerment.

Takeaways

• 📜 'The Wife of Bath's Tale' is one of the 24 stories in Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales', written in the late 14th century.
• 🎭 The tales are part of a storytelling contest among pilgrims traveling to Canterbury to visit St. Thomas Becket's shrine.
• 💪 The Wife of Bath's story is considered a proto-feminist work, challenging the double standards for women in Chaucer's medieval England.
• 🚫 Women in medieval times had limited agency and were constrained by strict gender roles and identities.
• 🗣️ The Wife of Bath is a well-developed character who uses her prologue to argue for the value of women's life experiences.
• 🤔 She uses biblical references to justify multiple marriages and argues for personal freedom in relationships.
• 💸 The Wife of Bath describes her marriages, emphasizing manipulation of her husbands for financial gain, revealing hypocrisy in her actions.
• 📚 The tale within the tale involves a knight who must answer the question of what women most desire to save his life.
• 🧙‍♀️ An old woman provides the answer, which is sovereignty over their husbands, and in return, the knight must marry her.
• 🔮 The old woman transforms into a young and beautiful woman after the knight gives her mastery over their relationship.
• 🙏 The Wife of Bath concludes her tale with a prayer for submissive husbands and a warning to men who won't comply.

Q & A

What is 'The Canterbury Tales' by Geoffrey Chaucer?

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is a narrative framework that includes a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket, with each pilgrim telling two tales on the way there and two on the way back.

Why is 'The Wife of Bath's Tale' considered a proto-feminist work?

The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered proto-feminist because it explores the double standard applied to women in Chaucer's era, highlighting the limited agency and constraints on women's gender roles and identities in medieval England.

How does the Wife of Bath justify her multiple marriages?

The Wife of Bath justifies her multiple marriages by arguing that the Bible does not prohibit women from marrying more than once, citing examples of Abraham and Solomon, and interpreting the command to 'go forth and multiply' as a license to use her body as she chooses.

What is the role of the Pardoner in the Wife of Bath's Prologue?

The Pardoner interrupts the Wife of Bath's Prologue, claiming he was about to take a wife but has been deterred by her. The Wife of Bath advises him to listen to her tale before forming an opinion about marriage.

How does the Wife of Bath describe her five husbands?

The Wife of Bath describes her first three husbands as 'good,' defining 'good' as rich, old, and submissive. She details her manipulative tactics to gain money from them. Her fourth husband was a drunk who kept a mistress, and her fifth husband, Jenkin, was kind in the bedroom but abusive otherwise.

What is the significance of the book of wicked wives that Jenkin reads to the Wife of Bath?

The book of wicked wives represents anti-feminist literature, which the Wife of Bath forces Jenkin to burn after a particularly violent fight, symbolizing her resistance to the societal norms and expectations imposed on women.

How does the Wife of Bath's Tale begin?

The tale begins in the time of King Arthur, where a knight of the Round Table violates a maiden and is sentenced to death unless he can answer the question: 'What do women most desire?'

What is the answer to the knight's question as provided by the old woman?

The old woman tells the knight that women most desire sovereignty over their husbands, which he relays to the queen, sparing his life.

What is the transformation that occurs after the knight agrees to the old woman's condition?

After the knight agrees to marry the old woman, she transforms from an old crone into a young and beautiful woman, granting him both beauty and fidelity.

What does the Wife of Bath pray for at the end of her tale?

The Wife of Bath prays that Christ will grant all women submissive husbands who satisfy their wives and strike down any men who will not.

How does the interaction between the Wife of Bath and the Friar highlight the theme of hypocrisy?

The interaction shows hypocrisy as the Friar, a corrupt clergyman, mocks the Wife of Bath for her long-windedness, while the Summoner, another hypocritical religious figure, defends her, pointing out the Friar's own tendency for long stories.