Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Wife of Bath - Feminist or...

In view of the fact that the Wife of Bath herself does seem to behave in the manner women are accused of behaving by the anti-feminist writers, it is not impossible that the Wife of Baths Prologue could be considered a vehicle for the anti-feminist message under the guise of a seeming feminist exterior, since her confession is frequently self-incriminating (e.g. her treatment of her husbands, her tendency to swere and lyen) and demonstrates the truth of the claims made by the anti-feminists even while she is disparaging them and making them look bad -- as in her claim that anti-feminist writers (specifically the clerks, i.e. learned scholars) are revenging themselves on women because of their own sexual impotence that prevents†¦show more content†¦Also, while she claims Biblical support for her views on marriage, the support that she cites is conveniently edited to suit her purposes (for example, Solomon did have 700 wives and 300 concubines -- but his appetites led to his t urning away from God; and the marital relationship specified in the Bible is a reciprocal one rather than the one-sided one she speaks of, tilted in favour of the wife -- she conveniently ignores that while the Apostel [...] / [...] bad oure housbondes for to love us weel, he also exhorts women to love their husbands), and she elsewhere ignores the Bible when it proves difficult to glose in her favour (as in her dismissal of its injunction to dress in habit maad with chastitee and shame). Moreover, her behaviour is a demonstration of all the anti-feminist accusationsShow MoreRelated Canterbury Tales Essay - Wife of Bath as an Attack on Married Life?1291 Words   |  6 PagesCanterbury Tales - Wife of Bath is Not an Attack on Women and Married Life Feminists have proposed that the Prologue of the Wife of Bath is merely an attack on women and married life. The Prologue is spoken by a woman with strong opinions on how married life should be conducted, but is written by a man. It is important to examine the purpose with which Chaucer wrote it. This is especially so as many of the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales condemn themselves out of their own mouths, such asRead MoreSex in The Canterbury Tales Essay937 Words   |  4 Pages Geoffrey Chaucer uses sex as a manipulative instrument in The Canterbury Tales. Portraying sex as a power that women exert over men rather than the marital bond of â€Å"making love† makes evident Chaucer’s skewed views of love and marriage with underlying tones of misogyny. He expresses these views throughout the work, however, the theme of love and sex is most evident in the sub-stories of The Wife of Bath and The Miller’s Tale. Chaucer breaks the topic of sex into two basic parts: carnality and romanticismRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucer Stance on Feminism1254 Words   |  6 Pages The investigation into whether or not Geoffrey Chaucer was ahead of his time in terms of his views on feminism has been up for debate for hundreds of years. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue is just one solitary example of the complicated nature of Chaucer’s belief system. On the one hand, we have many strong female characters that despite still being extremely dependant on the men in their lives, know what they want out of life. From a contrasting point of view, readers see a group of men, includingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Wife Of Bath 1660 Words   |  7 PagesThe Canterbury Fails: An Analysis of Misogyny in the Wife of Bath’s Tale At first glance, you wouldn’t think that the Wife of Bath’s tale is anything other than feminist. She is, undeniably, the only non-religious female character in The Canterbury Tales and therefore is the only character who is approached from a point of view that was generally uncommon. We don’t have many— or even any, as far as I’m aware— pieces of medieval literature written by or for women or with a main female protagonistRead MoreAuthority And The Canterbury Tales1825 Words   |  8 PagesAuthority and The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer, widely known for his influence in medieval literature, expresses a fourteenth century literacy concept of authority and gentility in The Canterbury Tales. There are two forms of authority and gentility that will be covered in this discussion: authority and gentility in Chaucer’s personal life and the one in his two tales, â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale†, and â€Å"The Clerk’s Tale†. Chaucer himself loses a sense of authority over his writing after his deathRead More Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay - Women in The Wife of Bath1433 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in Chaucers The Wife of Bath Chaucers The Wife of Baths Prologue and Tale is a medieval legend that paints a portrait of strong women finding love and themselves in the direst of situations. It is presented to the modern day reader as an early tale of feminism showcasing the ways a female character gains power within a repressive, patriarchal society. Underneath the simplistic plot of female empowerment lies an underbelly of anti-feminism. Sometimes this is presented blatantlyRead More Passive Women in Chaucers Canterbury Tales? Essay1466 Words   |  6 PagesPassive Women in Chaucers Canterbury Tales? One argument that reigns supreme when considering Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is whether or not there is an element of anti-feminism within the text. One thread that goes along with this is whether or not the women of The Canterbury Tales are passive within the tales told. This essay will explore the idea that the women found within the tales told by the pilgrims (The Knight’s Tale, The Miller’s Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Tale to name a few) areRead More Canterbury Tales Essay - Anti-Feminist Rhetoric in The Wife Of Bath1204 Words   |  5 PagesAnti-Feminist Rhetoric in  The Wife Of Bath    In Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath is a strong woman who loudly states her opinions about the antifeminist sentiments popular at the time. Chaucer, however, frequently discredits her arguments by making them unfounded and generally compromising her character. This brings into question Chaucers political intent with the Wife of Bath. Is he supportive of her views, or is he making a mockery of woman who challenge the patriarchalRead More Cantebury Tales - Relation Of Wife Of Bath To Contemporary Women1715 Words   |  7 Pagesmisfortune. Women then and now may look upon most of these â€Å"devilish† characteristics as desirable, strong-willed and feministic. Chaucer appears to support women and specifically these devilish feminists by creating two very strong-willed and successful women in the Wife of Bath and the old hag in the Wife’s tale. However, through all of the tough outer attributes, on the inside are the same classic and traditional dam sels in distress that require a man just like the women of that time always had. ThroughRead MoreSexual Relations in Wife of Bath Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesSexual Relations in Wife of Bath Sexual relations between men and woman have created issues of life and death from the beginning of time. In most classic Western beliefs it began when Eve with the help of the Devil seduced Adam thus leading the downfall of humanity into an abyss of sin and hopelessness. This issue arises in all literature from Genesis, Chaucer and into modern day. Authors, clerks and writers of all types have aided stereotyping women throughout history and Geoffrey Chaucer is