Summary
The Wife of Bath: Summary
- Module
- Unit 3 - Poetry (9ET0)
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
The Wife of Bath: Summary
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SummaryLines 1-59: The Wife’s opening comments on marriage
Key Themes: Marriage, Religion
- 'Experience, though noon auctoritee' to talk of the 'woe that is in marriage'.
- Doesn't like the Biblical authority that clerks (those who 'devyne and glosen') give as to why
people should not marry more than once, as she's strident in her interpretation of the Bible,
insisting that 'that gentil text kan I wel understonde' (line 29).
- The Wife uses stories and figures from the Bible to defend her position on marriage, to
varied effect. She mentions the Samaritan, St Paul, and men from the bible who married more
than once- Salomon, Lameth and Jacob
Lines 60-160: The Biological Argument
Key Themes: Religion, virginity, rhetoric, female dominance
- The Apostle counselled women to virginity 'but conscilling is no commandment. He putte it
in oure owene juggenent.'
- Line 71: 'if there were no seed ysowe//virginitee, thane whereof should it growe?'
- 'Dart set up for virginitee' which suggests that it is a game (mocking)
- Reiterates that the Apolstle was a 'maide,' but left it up to the Wife
- She had 'noon envie' for virgins, though states they were the golden utensils in the house of
God (allusion to Proverbs), and describes it as 'greet perfeccion' (line 105)
- Christ was perfect, but she's free to have 'the actes and in fruit of mariage.'
- She criticises those who 'glose (...) both up and doun' and
questions why God would have given men and women genitalia if they were not to use it in
the act of procreation.
- 'Crist was a maide (...) I nil envy no virginitee' A bit repetitive in her argument
- Compares virgins to 'pured whete-seed' which was purer and for the rich. Yte the feeding of
the 5000 happened with 'barly-breed.'
- the Wife backs up her reasoning by referring directly to God's intentions. 'In wyfhood I wol
use myn instrument as frely as my Makere hath it send.'
- Whilst the biological argument begins well, on line 149 the Wife reveals a more selfish
motivation in how she will use her 'instrument'. Her tone switches from pragmatic to
, aggressive as she claims that she will make her husband her 'dettour and my thral' and that
'whil that I am his wyf I have the power duringe al my lyf.'
- Uses the Apostles words to state that husbands need to love their wives
The opening of the prologue could be argued to take on the form of a sermon. We might
conclude that Chaucer seeking to provide his character with a more authoritative voice with
which to question the teachings of the church with respect to virginity, marriage and bigamy.
He could also be ridiculing her arrogance.
•Many critics view the Wife’s biological argument as pragmatic and sensible in contrast to
medieval authority (religious men’s interpretations of the Bible) which stress spiritual
connection to God and thus a rejection of the physical ties of the world (namely marriage and
sex). Indeed, these authorities are said to ‘glosen’ and ‘seye both up and doun’ in a way
which contrasts with the Wife’s strident claims.
Line 163-192: The Pardoner’s Interruption
Key Themes: Didactic nature of the Prologue/Tale, unreliability of the Wife, the Wife's
intentions
- He 'stirts' up. Is this sarcastic or genuine?
- Many critics have inferred that he is a eunuch due to the fact that he is described as smooth
faced and having a high singing voice in Chaucer's 'General Prologue to the Canterbury
Tales'.
- He identifies her as a 'noble prechour in this cas.'
- She returns to her original subject, 'of tribulacion in mariage' (Line 173) and states she is the
cause of this suffering ('myself have been the whippe') and that men should be warned by the
examples she gives of other men.
- The Pardoner says to 'teche us yonge men'
- Line 192 is very interesting when considering Chaucer's intentions. The Wife claims that
'myn entente is nys but to pleye'.
Lines 193 – 255: The Wife’s first three husbands introduction
- She identifies the marriages that were good as being so because the men were 'riche, and
olde' (Line 197) presumably meaning that they would soon die and pass their wealth onto her.
- 'I laughe whan I thinke how pitously a-night I made hem swinke!' Sex is now presented as a
means by which to control and manipulate her husbands.
- When she got their 'lond and hir tressor' there was no need to be nice to them anymore.
'Holly in myn hond.'
- No bacon for them (line 217)
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