Saturday, September 10, 2011
Question for September 14: The Wife of Bath's Tale
Comment upon the ways in which the Tale of the Wife of Bath (pages 275-84) is a reflection of her own view of the world. (You might look at theme, characters, or plot, or consider how this tale could only be told by the Wife, not by any of the other pilgrims to whom we've been introduced.)
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The Wife of Bath’s story is a clear reflection of her values and beliefs portrayed through a narrative tale.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, the emphasis placed on appearances in a relationship is consistent with the Wife of Bath’s worldview. In the story, the knight is horrified to learn that the old woman, who is described as “a fouler wight ther may no man devise (Line 1005)”, is demanding his hand in marriage as repayment for her favor. At the end of the story, she is transformed by magic. After seeing “she so fair was and so yong therto (Line 1257)”, he is overjoyed and sweeps her into his arms and kisses her. The Wife of Bath demonstrates a similar obsession with appearance, lamenting her lost beauty and hoping that God sends women “housbondes meeke, yonge, and fresshe abedde (Line 1265).”
In addition, the submissiveness of men to women that is prominently featured in this tale is typical of the Wife of Bath. In the story, the woman almost always has the power in the relationship. The king was going to behead the knight for his repugnant actions; however, the queen requests that she and the other ladies be the ones to decide his fate. The king acquiesces, allowing his wife to have the final say in determining the knight’s future. In the end, the knight is offered the choice between a wife that will be “foul and old til that [she] dies (Line 1226)” but “a trewe humble wif (Line 1227)” and one that is “yong and fair (Line 1229)” but may not be faithful. He tells his wife “I putte me in youre wise governaunce: cheseth yourself which may be most plesaunce (Lines 1237-1238)”; giving her the final choice in their marriage. The Wife of Bath makes it quite clear in her prologue that she expects her husbands to submit to her, in return for the benefits of her experience with men.
I agree with Zarathustra, this tale is very biased towards how the wife of bath thinks. I do not believe that the number one thing women want is to be in charge of their husbands. This is what the wife of bath believes. The wife of bath even said that her best marriage was her last one and that husband did whatever she told him to do. Another thing that reflects the wife of bath is the old lady in the tale that was ugly but when the knight said that she could decide for him then she turned beautiful. This depicts the wife of bath because she wanted to be able to decide for her men and not be told what to do. The wife of bath was older but young on the inside. I guess you could say she was a very typical girl even in today's society."so wel ye mighte bere you unto me." is an example of the wife of bath just wanted her husband not to see her as old and ugly but as someone who is beautiful. She basically wanted to be treated well and thought of as beautiful so much that her husbands and lovers thought they were lucky to have her. She would make them feel bad and manipulate them so she could control them and pretty much tell them exactly what she wanted them to do.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is different and diverse in their lives. We do not all think the same or act the same way. That is what makes us unique. When the knight must go out and find out what women want, he is told several different answers such as, “Somme seyde, wommen loven best richesse, somme seyde, honour, somme seyde, iolynesse; somme, riche array, somme seyden, lust abedde,and ofte tyme to be widwe and wedde.” Women do not think alike and so they want many different things from their husbands. Not all women however, want to be in charge of their husbands like what the Wife of Bath says. She wants to feel dominant in the relationship and feel more important that anything else. She believes she should come first from anything else. When she gives him the decision of being beautiful but possibly cheating on him, or being ugly and not cheating on him, he replies by saying, “‘My lady and my love, and wyf so dere, I put me in your wyse governance; cheseth your-self, which may be most plesance, and most honour to yow and me also. I do no fors the whether of the two; for as yow lyketh, it suffiseth me.” He wants her to be happy because in the end she did save his life and he owed her one. In the end though, she becomes beautiful for him and they live happily ever after. Not every woman know what they want in a man. They are all different because we are all different types of people.
ReplyDeleteAdding on to the fact that women want all dominance over the marriage, that is what the wife of bath desires, but I agree with this, even though the woman in the story aren't very sure what is really wanted by women, but this is what woman need dominance in marriage. But the wife of bath especially in all her marriages she ruled her husbands lives, and in this time the man was supposedly meant to control every aspect of the wife. This completely relates to the wife of bath she even threatens the knight not harshly but in a fairy tale way, just like the rest of this tale. The wife of bath turns beautiful after "he lays her to bed" like she said she would, but only if he treats her as she tells him too and lets her be the one to set all the rules.
ReplyDeleteThe Knight in his beliefs takes the word of the wife and understands that when she dies he will be sent many beautiful woman for his troubles.
Throughout the novel you see that literature was filled with the favorite theme of vilifying the frailty of woman.This story,however, is not a moral diatribe for or against woman.Chaucer has created a woman in the person of the Wife of Bath who both exemplifies all that has been charged against women but openly glories in the possession of these qualities.
ReplyDeleteThe story really makes you feel sympathy for her.I think Chaucer wants the reader to accept women's point of view.“Somme seyde, wommen loven best richesse, somme seyde, honour, somme seyde, iolynesse; somme, riche array, somme seyden, lust abedde,and ofte tyme to be widwe and wedde.”This quote really depicts how every woman during this time was thinking for themselves.Bathe wants to feel dominant in her relationships and feel more important than anything else. She believes she should come first, and there really aren't any exceptions.
Personally, I feel that Bath is acting out because she feels that if she has dominance over her relationships that she feels like she is less likely to be hurt.In this tale women almost always have the power in relationships.There is an example in the tale which really shows this.There was a part in the story where the king was going to behead the knight for his lofty actions;however,the queen requests that she and the other women be the ones to decide what happens to him.
ReplyDeleteThe Wife of Bath depicts Bath as being a woman who is constantly obsessed with the way she looks.Beauty is of big importance to her.The following line shows how Bath is hoping that God would send women"housbondes meeke, yonge, and fresshe abedde (Line 1265).”