The Wife Of Bath s Prologue And Tale - 2067 Words

The representation of gender in â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue† and â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale† by Geoffrey Chaucer functions as a way to both satirize and represent female equality. In particular, The Wife of Bath challenges the stereotypes of what may appear to be â€Å"normal† treatment of women during this time period (TheBestNotes.com). She identifies the distinctions between â€Å"traditional† gender roles and relates them to passages from the bible, which are then taken out of context. These passages are meant to justify The Wife of Bath’s actions and show that although she is a woman, she can partake in the same activities as men. Representation of gender is also shown throughout â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale.† Although the tale deals with female gender, it also contains an aspect of male gender. Male authority and overthrowing male dominated power provides a challenge to gender identity and the concept of authority. The narrator of â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale† makes an argument throughout the poem about the equal treatment between men and women. Since she compares the treatment and actions of women to bible verses, she suggests that women are equal to men and should be given the same respect. Throughout the course of the poem â€Å"The Wife Of Bath’s Prologue†, the Wife of Bath defies traditional gender roles. She gets what she wants by tricking and coercing men instead of going along with what men expect of women. The Wife of Bath is not weak or submissive. She is mentallyShow MoreRelatedThe Wife Of Bath s Prologue And Tale990 Words   |  4 PagesThe Wife of Bath s Prologue and Tale is about female empowerment it shows strong protagonists. I believe Geoffrey Chaucer used The Wife of Bath’s Tale to advocate for feminism. Chaucer used a strong female character to expose female stereotypes. It was an oppressive time for women in male- dominated society. During the Middle Ages, Chaucer wrote from a woman’s point of view something that was not normal at that time. He set his feminist ideals through the characters of the Wife of Bath and the oldRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Prologue And Tale1338 Words   |  6 PagesChaucer penned one of the great stories on the plight of being a woman as retold in The Canterbury Tales. â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale† points out the fallacy of medieval churches view on women being the lesser gender. â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale† follows a woman, the Wife of Bath, who tries to defend the experiences she has had in her life against the judgements of men. The Wife revealed the prejudice against women at the time by saying, â€Å"it is an impossibility that any scholarRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Tale Prologue And Story878 Words   |  4 Pagesit back later. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale Prologue and story, this idea call ed into question. During both of these stories, the idea of give and take is a major topic. Largely because the ones that are getting, are giving up essential control over their lives. In a world where divorce seems to be at an all time high, these tales attempt to shed light on what it would take to create a happy marriage or relationship. During the prologue of The Wife of Bath’s Tale, the wife discusses her thoughtsRead 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 MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Prologue And Tale Essay1722 Words   |  7 Pagestheir male counterparts. However, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale, a poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer, redefine those ideals set upon women. The poem is broken up into two parts one is the prologue which includes a woman who talks about the rules set by the church and society on women. As well as how society looks upon women who live her life style. She counters these teaching by her knowledge of the bible by introducing biblical men who had more than one wife. It is later revealed that her soleRead MoreThe Wife Of B ath s Prologue And Tale2098 Words   |  9 PagesAfter reading ‘The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale’ I can see clear indications and agree that Chaucer was an anti-feminist’ by studying in depth both the prologue and tale I am going to show how Chaucer conforms to a patriarchal perspective in which he believes women are inferior to men making them the weak and unstable sex, who are neither socially, politically or economically equal to a man. In Chaucer’s `The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale’, Chaucer opens the book with the strong opening sentenceRead MoreChaucer s The Wife Of Bath s Prologue And Tale1358 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tactics Chaucer Uses in â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale: To Point Out the Faults in His Society After reading Chaucer’s work: â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale†, and having been exposed to different interpretations of it, it is now to my knowledge that there have been many critical works that suggests opinions and thoughts about how to interpret both the tale and prologue. There have also been questions asked─one being, â€Å"so, did we actually figure out what women really want†, and the answer toRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Prologue1134 Words   |  5 PagesThe Wife of Bath uses bible verses in â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue.† Further, she employs the verses as an outline of her life to find reason in God to justify her actions. Nevertheless, the purpose of the verses differs within each stanza of the poem. The Wife of Bath is a sexually promiscuous, lustful, and manipulative woman. She marries men one after the other as they get older and die. In order to combat and overthrow the speculation and criticism being thrust upon her by societal norms becauseRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Wife Of Bath Essay873 Words   |  4 PagesAnalytical Essay on the â€Å"Wife of Bath.† Question One Description of the Wife of Bath in terms of her progressive feminism, rhetoric style, and her prolog tale. Comparison of her as a women attitude towards general medieval attitude towards women. â€Å"Wife of Bath† Tale provides insight and understanding of the women change and their view mainly in matters of family, marriage, authority and marital affairs. The Prolog is double the size of her Tale, a lot of information about marriage group is givenRead 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 blatantly