Essay on Comparing the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem The Canterbury Tales a young Chaucer tells of the people he meets on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Beckett in Canterbury. One of the most vivacious characters on the pilgrimage is The Wife of Bath. Both the Wife of Bath’s prologue and tale share a common theme of a woman’s control in a relationship with a man. The Wife of Bath and the old hag in her tale share a similar perspective on what women want most in life. In the prologue and tale the reader is exposed to the idea that what women most desire in life is to have control over their husbands and lovers. This tale and its prologue are linked through the way that Dame Alice, the Wife of Bath, fashions the old hag in her tale after herself. Wife†¦show more content†¦The fourth one was â€Å"bad† because this husband cheated on her. Her last husband Johnny, the one I took for love and not for wealth†¦(339), was bad because Dame Alice handed her power to her husband along with all of her money and land. He last husband also became abusive towards her, leaving her deaf in one ear. The Wife of Bath’s prologue proves that that she is only happy when she maintains complete dominance over her partner. In her tale Dame Alice claims once again that the most important thing to a woman is to have control and dominance in a relationship with a man. This is seen when the knight returns to the castle to answer the queen’s question, saying a woman wants the self-same sovereignty over her husband as over her lover, and master him, he must not be above her (174-176). As part of a previous arrangement the knight is saved, but must marry the old hag. The woman knows that her new husband is upset that she is old and ugly, so she decides to give him a choice. The hag questions the knight as to whether he would rather have her old and faithful or young and unfaithful. The knight tells the hag that the decision is hers to choose what she thinks will be best. Because the knight was wise enough to give the woman the choice to choose for herself the old hag was able to become young, beautiful and good. The Wife’s tale demonstrates that life will be better for a man when he gives hisShow MoreRelatedThe Wife Of Baths Tale Analysis1047 Words   |  5 Pagesbecause they considered wives to be gold diggers in which men would pay for their fancy lifestyle. The â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Tale,† was written around the year 1386, by Geoffrey Chaucer who tells a tale about a wife that wants sovereignty over her husbands. Book 18 of â€Å"Le Morte d’Arthur,† was written by Thomas Malory, he tells a tale about Queen Guinevere who wanted to follow the traditional role of a wife, who wanted to marry Sir Lanucelot but never could and have happiness because of the tragic that sheRead MoreThe Wife of Bath Essay2246 Words   |  9 PagesIn The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath gives an in-depth look on h er life and understanding on the world as she perceives it. During her Prologue, we learn that what she calls experience stems from her first three marriages, but during her last two there is a shift in power. The Wife of Bath demonstrates her understanding and power throughout her first three marriages both physically and emotionally and the contrast of her lack of control in her last two, thus revealing the true meaning behindRead MoreChaucer s Canterbury Tales And The Wife Of Bath s Tale1167 Words   |  5 Pagesalways tries to improve a part of society in a moral basis. 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