So it seems like we are all captivated by the the Wife of
Bath. The description of her in the general prologue had me thinking that she
was just a humble, church going woman who dressed well. But at line 460 when
the narrator describes her as having had five husbands and “other companye in
youthe” (461), I started having flashbacks of the squire and how he “so hote he
lovede that by nightertale / he sleep namore than dooth a nightingale” (97-98).
Yet the Wife of Bath has gone on several
pilgrimages to Jerusalem and other “a straunge streem” (14) that her lifestyle
seems to contradict her religious values.
Jump to her prologue, the contradiction is on full display.
She lies and deceits and uses her sexual prowess to manipulate men, namely her
five husbands, into getting what she wants. And yet, she uses biblical references
to defend her choices: “I woot wel Abraham was an holy man, / and Jacob…ech of
hem hadde wyves mo than two” (55-57). I found the Wife of Bath to be incredibly
complex and deliciously enticing and exciting! She is bold and shameless, yet
we do get a glimpse of a softer, more sensitive side when she describes how she
loved her fifth husband in spite of the “daungerous” nature of his love (514).
I picture Wife of Bath as an Elizabeth Taylor-esque seductress who
shamelessly uses her sexuality as a means of power.
The Wife of Bath challenges all these longstanding,
patriarchal /religious views of marriage and the “proper” role of a woman. Yet,
I question Chaucer’s intent here. Is he praising her or satirizing her? The
friar’s laugh at the end of her prologue seems to point to the ridiculous
nature of her tale, and how this behavior was almost comical because of its
outrageousness, which is the exact opposite of what a woman “should” be.
The laugh at the end of the prologue could simply be, as you stated, to point out how ridiculous her story is. However, what if it was the complete opposite? What if Chaucer put that laugh there to further emphasis how the men around her thought of her, to truly hit home the point the Wife of Bath was making. It is rather rude to laugh at someone, especially when it is basically straight to their face, yet the friar seems to think it is completely okay to laugh at her. It should not be funny when a woman, who is working within the religious and legal bounds that have been placed upon her, wishes to have some power over her own life. Maybe that is more the point that Chaucer is trying to make.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is quite out of the ordinary for her to have so many husbands, I do think that Chaucer is praising her. She may being a teensy bit manipulative with her significant others, but (as Metha said) she is still working within her legal and religious bounds. She is a smart woman, who knows how to get what she wants, without going against the "rules."
ReplyDelete