Give a sketch of the
wife of Bath as Chaucer presents her in the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.
In her Prologue as part
of “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer, The Wife of Bath offers readers
a complex portrait of a medieval woman. On the one hand, The Wife of Bath is
shameless about her sexual exploits and the way she uses sexual power to obtain
what she wishes. On the other hand, by doing exactly these things she is
confirming negative stereotypes about women and proving that women are
manipulative and deceitful. Even though her actions might at first seem to be
rebellion against the male-dominated society in The Canterbury Tales, and more
generally, the medieval period for women, there is
very little that she does that is truly revolutionary or empowering for women
of her time.
Based even just on her introduction in
“The Canterbury Tales” via the Prologue to the Wife of Bath’s Tale, it appears
from the onset that The Wife of Bath from “The Canterbury Tales” simply uses
her sexual attributes for personal gain instead of trying to prove her equal
status. In general, this female character stereotype is meant to be seen as a
parody of sorts since she embodies a number of negative female characteristics
including stupidity and arrogance; deceitfulness, and lewdness. Although she is
striking back at men it is not for any deeper reason other than personal
profit. It appears that in this section of the prologue to the Wife of Bath’s
tale, Chaucer wants his readers to laugh at this character rather than admire
her for her proto-feminist stances on life and marriage.
