The Wife of Bath in The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, written around 1387-1400, is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims journeying to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Among these pilgrims is the Wife of Bath, a character who takes center stage with her confident and outspoken nature. She is a seamstress from the city of Bath, a woman of middle age with a tumultuous history of marriages. In her prologue, the Wife of Bath unapologetically shares her experiences of marriage, love, and sexual desire. Her lengthy speeches are a reflection of her personal philosophy, shaped by her own experiences and the medieval society in which she lived.
The Wife of Bath's character is notable for her control over her own narrative. She doesn’t conform to the medieval stereotype of a submissive woman; instead, she actively defies it. Throughout her prologue, she recounts her marriages, with a particular focus on her five husbands, each of whom she married for different reasons. These marriages, as well as the power dynamics in them, serve as a backdrop for her reflections on the roles of women and men in society.
One of her most striking characteristics is her bold stance on sexuality and marital roles. She claims that women should have control over their bodies and their desires, a radical notion for the time. She argues that women should not be confined to the notion of subservient wives and that they should take control of their relationships. This theme of autonomy, control, and sexuality in marriage directly challenges the patriarchal expectations of medieval Europe, and resonates strongly with modern feminist ideas. shutdown123