Essay on No Apologies for The Wife of Bath - 851 Words

In Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales, the author portrays the Wife of Bath, Alison, as a woman who bucks the tradition of her times with her brashness and desire for control. Chaucer is able to present a strong womans point of view and to evoke some sympathy for her. In the authors time, much of the literature was devoted to validating the frailties of women. However, in this story, the Wife is a woman who has outlived four of five husbands for of five housbodes scoleying (Chaucer 50) is she. She holds not her tongue, and says exactly what she thinks, even if she contradicts others, even Jesus. For in the Bible it states that Jesus Spak in repreve of the Samaritan:/Thou†¦show more content†¦It is obvious that the Wife of Bath is no submissive woman who thinks what she is told to think. She is opinionated and blunt, qualities which present her views accordingly. As she is not docile, the Wife must be something to the contrary, and of course she is, to a great degree. The Wife strives to gain complete mastery over her husbands. And gain mastery she does as [she] hadde hem hoolly in myn hand/And sith that they hadde yiven me al hir land/What sholde I take keep hem for to plese/But it were for my profit and myn ese (Chaucer 217). The Wifes secret is simple, For half so boldely can ther no man/Swere and lie as a woman can (Chaucer 234). She does something to every husband to maintain her control. However, Jankyn, her fifth husband, believes in everything that disparages women, which is exactly what Alison detests. She lashes out with all she has left: [she] with [her] fist so took him on the cheeke/That in oure fir he fil bakward adown (Chaucer 799). Her deceptive scheme is to pretend to die from the blow dealt by Jankyn. And with his fist he smoot [her] on the heed/That in the floor I lay as I were deed./And whan he sawgh how stille that I lay,/He was agast, and wolde have fled his way,/Til atte laste out of my swough I braide:/ O hastou slainShow MoreRelatedThe Canterbury Tales: Wife of Bath870 Words   |  4 PagesThe Canterbury Tales: Wife of Bath In the Hollywood blockbuster Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone plays a devious, manipulative, sex-driven woman who gets whatever she wants through her ploys for control. Stones portrayal of this character is unforgettable and makes the movie. In book or film, the most memorable female characters are those who break out of the stereotypical good wife mold. When an author or actress uses this technique effectively, the woman often carries the story. In GeoffreyRead MoreGender Oriented Analysis in Wife of Bath by Geoffrey Chaucer Essay1424 Words   |  6 Pages Of all the numerous females depicted in literature throughout the centuries, Geoffrey Chaucer’s Wife of Bath has inspired more in-depth discussion and gender-oriented analysis than the majority. She is in turn praised and criticized for her behavior and her worldview; critics can’t seem to decide whether she is a strong portrayal of 14th century feminism or a cutting mockery of the female sex. Both her tale and its prologue are riddled with themes of conflict and power struggle between the sexesRead MoreChaucers View of Women Exposed in The Canterbury Tales778 Words   |  4 Pagesstereotypical â€Å"good wife† mold. When an author uses this technique effectively, the woman often carries the story. In Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales, he portrays the Wife of Bath, Alison, as a woman who bucks the tradition of her times with her brashness and desire for control. Chaucer effectively presents a womans point of view and evokes some sympathy for her. In the authors time, much of the literature was devoted to validating the frailties of women. However, in this story, the Wife is a womanRead MoreWife of bath character analysis1148 Words   |  5 Pagestime, even in the past abuse like this existed, but there wasn’t a term for it, especially if it was your wife. Likely you would be told that she’s a little rambunctious or noisy and she will calm down, but that may not be the problem. The Wife of Bath in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales can be classified as an abuser by the methods she uses to control her husbands. Emotional abuse is the Wife of Bath’s greatest tool against her first husbands. In the Wife’s Prologue, she tells of the accusationsRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucer s Bath1767 Words   |  8 Pagesthe Wife of Bath commits the crime of blasphemy on multiple occasions. She turns the sacred words of God into a defense of her indecency. She uses his words to justify her twisted beliefs and actions. She speaks of lust and greed and power. But the most tragic part of all is what she is saying is necessary. She may not be representing women in the fairest light, but that is not the main point. She is controversial. She is what 1400 century Europe needs. In all her vile glory, the Wife of Bath isRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Prologue And Tale1697 Words   |  7 PagesSawyer Guest English 470 04 April 2016 Empowering Women, or Degrading Them? Exploring Anti-Feminism in The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale. So often, scholars tend to put a large focus on feminism seen throughout Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale†, but they may not be seeing the larger picture of it all. There are definitely characteristics of the Wife that make her a strong female personality in the story, but is it fair for us to say that she embodies the characteristicsRead MoreEssay on enemy of the people2869 Words   |  12 Pagesmost part due to The Baths; a business Dr. Stockmann and his brother Peter began, to cure the sick through spa treatments and rest. At the beginning, it seems as though The Baths had just begun to take off. The play is set in the Stockmann’s kitchen where Mr. Billings, a close friend and member of the People’s Herald, is having dinner. He is then joined by Hovstad, also a member of the People’s Herald, and in the absence of Dr. Stockmann they discuss the future of The Baths. The Mayor, who is alsoRead MoreComparing Euri pides The Play Medea And Aristophanes 1173 Words   |  5 Pagesseen primarily in her language. She uses mostly heroic language, one instance being her lack of apology for entering a room. â€Å"Women of Corinth, I have stepped outside / so you will not condemn me.† (Euripides lns 212-213) She also uses the masculine form of verbs. Once such instance is when she is addressing Jason, using the masculine form of â€Å"to marry†, more accurately translated as â€Å"to take for a wife†. This demeans Jason and brings him down to seem at the status of a second-class citizen, likeRead MoreThe book opens on Anderson Lake, he stands in an open street market in Thailand inspecting the1300 Words   |  6 Pagesso, AgriGen will have fresh DNA to manipulate. Anderson’s factory is nearly destroyed internally by a rampaging megodont (a genetically modified elephant used to run the power train of the factory). One of the many things destroyed includes algae baths, which are a crucial piece in the manufacturing process of the kink springs. The cost to replace this vital part is extremely high, and must be smuggled in on a dirigible. Anderson orders Hock Seng, a yellow card refugee from China that assists inRead MoreRagtime American Dream1476 Words   |  6 Pagesa boardinghouse in a good neighborhood and then we’ll have ourselves a meal and a hot bath† (133). As Tateh begins to realize his dreams, he steps beyond the role of a caretaker and provider, achieving individual happiness through the intimacy of a marital relationship with Mother. Mother adores Tateh’s movie books, thus respecting his means of providing for a family, she is everything Tateh wished for in a wife. In the end Tateh went beyond his initial dreams of survival and security, achieving a