Explore the presentation of the differences between men and women in The Wife Of Bath,
by referring to lines 784-807, and an extract of similar length. You must relate your
discussion to relevant contextual factors.
In The Wife of Bath, Chaucer’s narrative poem, he presents men and women to be similar
in several regards, but also have certain significant differences. In both the given extract,
and lines 990 to 1022, Chaucer can be seen to demonstrate the differing methods men
and women use to acquire the maistrie, showing men to be more physical, whereas
women are shown to be more tactful and manipulative. Through the use of his strong
protagonist Alisoun, Chaucer can be seen to challenge traditional perceptions of women
as less intellectual, mainly due to the lack of education, especially for females within the
medieval period, as he shows both her, and the “loathly lady” within the Tale to be highly
skilled at deceiving the men into giving them the control.
This battle for maistrie which unites men and women can be seen to be central to the
extract, although their methods of obtaining this can be seen to differ. The extract begins
with the power residing strongly with the men, which would have been the contemporary
norm, however this is challenged greatly by Chaucer’s narrator. Men are immediately
shown to be disrespectful of women, as Jankin states “A fair womann, but she be chaast
also, Is lyk a gold ring in a sowes nose”, quoting a proverb which portrays women in an
unpleasant light. This demonstrates that women are only valued for certain qualities;
namely being “fair” and “chaast”, showing the prejudices women face surrounding
appearance, but also the expectance of purity. In the case of the Wife, she begins by
displaying anger, both by ripping the pages out his book, an action that would have been
horrific in the middle ages when books would have been extremely expensive due to the
fact printing had not yet been introduced in Europe, and by hitting him. This is extremely
effective, as she is attacking him both physically and intellectually, challenging the
expectations of women’s gentleness, whilst also showing that she has a clear knowledge
of what will torment him. He is shown to be equally angry however, and this is conveyed
by Chaucer through the use of animalistic imagery. The use of the metaphor “And he up
stirte as dooth a wood leoun” emphasises his reaction to her violence - the verb “stirte”
sounds active, like a reflex, showing his hasty reaction. Chaucer implies he is like a furious
lion, and this can be seen to have many connotations - lions are typically through to be not
only vicious animals, but also strong, and dominant, reminding the audience of the male
authority, whilst describing him as “wood” demonstrates the extreme anger he displays.
His violence is further portrayed through the use of the phrase “he smoot me on the heed”,
and not only does the aggressive verb “smoot” demonstrate his brutal force, the order of
the pronouns within the sentence shows that Jankin’s attack is active, whereas the Wife
takes a much more passive role. Although her physical violence can be seen to be less
effective than Jankin’s, the intellectual persuasion that follows can be seen to be crucial to
her gaining the power within their relationship.
