The impact of feminism in geoffrey chaucers the wife of bath

Michael Carosone Carosone 1 Geoffrey Chaucer: By Michael Carosone Introduction:

A History of Misogyny: A Feminist Analysis of the Wife of Bath’s Tale — The Academy Monthly

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 womenthere is very little that she does that is truly revolutionary or empowering for women of her time.

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.

Photo of Geoffrey Chaucer

If the Wife of Bath is a character that is meant to shatter a misogynistic stereotype of women, one could imagine that she would engage in intelligent and informed conversation with some of the members of her party. As it stands, however, the closest she comes to this is by offering her twisted understanding of the Bible.

While it can be found in the Bible that humans should procreate, it is worth noting that she prefaces this statement with a few words about how men sit and interpret the Bible. Still, the problem with this is that she is not proving anything about her intelligence, she is merely trying to confirm or justify her loose behavior with the word of God.

She is simply justifying bad behavior with the Bible and her botched misinterpretations of it and this makes her appear foolish rather than educated. It confirms the stereotype of women in medieval times that women are not as capable at understanding the deep meanings and mysteries of the Bible and that if they are given some education about it, they would only use it to justify lewd or sinful conduct.May 03,  · MEETING THE ENEMY A feminist comes to terms with the Men's Rights movement Sr A Wife of Bath's Prologue A Part-2 | Geoffrey Chaucer | summary | University English BD.

- Character Analysis of The Wife of Bath of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucer's greatest and most memorable work. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses "a fictitious pilgrimage [to Canterbury] as a framing device for a number of stories" (Norton 79). - The Wife of Bath One of the most interesting and widely interpreted characters in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is the Wife of Bath.

She has had five different husbands and openly admits to marrying the majority of them for their money. 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.

Feminist Analysis of the Prologue for the Wife of Bath (Canterbury Tales)

Wife of Bath Essay. The Wife of Bath’s Tale; Chaucer’s Early Feminism When the knight from The Wife of Bath’s Tale is to be put to death for taking the ”maidenhead” of a young maiden, he is offered a chance to live, if he can find out what women really want in life.

Geoffrey Chaucer’s stories of human experience in the Canterbury Tales are often used as evidence that Chaucer was a sort of proto-feminist. Three pilgrims who are women are actually given voice in the Tales: the Wife of Bath, the Prioress, and the Second Nun – .