Summary
Summary Discuss the way femininity is presented in the Prologue and Tale of The Wife of Bath
- Module
- Unit 3 - Poetry (9ET0)
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
The Wife of Bath Example Essay on Feminity (lines 235-256 and 690-710)
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Example EssayDiscuss the way femininity is presented in the Prologue and Tale of The Wife of Bath
Throughout Geoffrey Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale, femininity is a leitmotif which the
character of Alisoun explores as she delves into how it’s perceived through the male perspective. This
allows for complex analysis, as the Wife of Bath’s dramatic monologue and tale is just one part of a
larger frame narrative in which Chaucer explores multiple complex issues that affected his 14th-
century society. In both passages (lines 235-256 and 690-710) femininity is presented negatively,
which is done in lines 235-256 by characterising Alisoun as overly jealous and hypocritical, and in
lines 690-710 as presenting femininity as being innately prone to ‘riot and dispense.’ Femininity is
also presented as sexual in both passages, which conforms to the popular 14th-century belief that
women were voracious temptations, who existed to tempt men from their piety with their sexuality.
However, in the first passage, there is possible room for a feminist interpretation, as Chaucer utilises
war imagery to suggest it is men who seek out the sexual in the feminine, presenting men as the
transgressors. Finally, in both passages, the feminine is presented as undervalued in Chaucer’s
society, which is achieved through commentary on the lack of independence granted towards the
feminine, as well as the role male clerks had on the perception of femininity and other contemporary
debates.
In lines 235-265, Alisoun embodies the literary archetype of the shrew to present femininity
negatively. The shrew is characterised as an unpleasant and ill-tempered woman who appears as a
comic character in both Eastern and Western folklore, and thus Chaucer’s readership would have been
aware of the archetype. He achieves this portrayal by using a surplus of rhetorical questions in short
succession, which quickens the pace of her incessant questioning. As Chaucer’s work would have
been performed orally, due to the vast majority of his audience being illiterate, the effect of this would
have been increased during the 14th century. This questioning is seen in ‘is she so fair? Art ow so
amorous? What torwn ye with oure mayde? Benedicte!’ This reported speech to her first three
husbands (whom Alisoun doesn’t differentiate between) suggests a lack of trust, specifically in his
fidelity. This is ironic, as Chaucer implies Alisoun is unfaithful herself through her wandering from
‘hous to hous,’ with the repetition suggesting the frequency of her unfaithfulness. Later, Alisoun
reveals to the pilgrims that her accusations were ‘fals,’ and this presents femininity as belonging to
those who are hypocritical and deceitful. Alisoun herself is portrayed as feminine through her
appearance in The General Prologue, where she’s described as having ‘hipes large’ and ‘hir face (…)
reed of hew,’ yet she refuses to be submissive to her husband- her legal owner- and instead
intentionally wrongly accuses his of being unfaithful. This further demonises femininity as her first
three husbands are described as ‘olde,’ and the punishment for older men who were adulterous was
harsher in the 14th century than for young men, as it was believed that it was less appropriate. Thus,
Chaucer presents Alisoun as being feminine in appearance, but having no care or wish to submit to
her husbands, who are portrayed as innocent of her accusations. Chaucer, therefore, presents
femininity through a negative lens by playing on established stereotypes about women.
Meanwhile, in lines 690-710, Alisoun argues that ‘Venus loveth ryot and dispense,’ which associates
the feminine with disorder and materialism. During the 14th century, the Church promoted the
opposite of these two qualities, spreading ascetic propaganda through sermons and other forms of
preaching. Some elements of Alisoun’s Prologue do conform to the conventions of the religious
sermon, such as her use of classical allusions, which the Pardoner comments on when he refers to her
as a ‘noble preacher.’ This is ironic, as Alisoun preaches on how the feminine is prone to ‘ryot’,
whilst the Church promoted order by using methods such as The Holily of Obedience, which was read
out in Church twice a year. The noun may have been particularly concerning to upper-class readers,
due to the Peasants Revolt of 1381 which took place across England as the poor campaigned for better
treatment and pay. Chaucer had close proximity to the upper class and the riots, being a courier and
living close to the location where the riot originally began. This means would have been aware of the
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