How do the Canterbury Tales explore the idea of gender? Discuss with reference to two of Chaucer's Tales

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How do the Canterbury Tales explore the idea of gender? Discuss with reference to two of Chaucer’s Tales

This essay considers the way in which Chaucer explores the idea of gender within the Canterbury Tales, and I have chosen to focus my study within The Miller’s Tale and the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale. In this case I am looking at gender as ‘sexual identities’ and social ideas with regards to the genders, with consideration towards the attitudes of Chaucer’s characters, their roles, actions and autonomy.

In order to consider the exploration of gender within The Miller’s Prologue and Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale it is necessary for a discussion of the characters involved. The Miller himself is bawdy, a ‘cherl’and he contests authority by interrupting the natural order dictated by social rank. Chaucer assigns a fabliau tale to the Miller as his low social rank would dictate and his drunken state incites ‘a bawdy, frequently blasphemous, comic tale about trick and counter trick.’ We learn less of him than the Wife of Bath due to the brief nature of his prologue, other than he is a course and vulgar man, who indulges vices such as drinking and likes to challenge authority, in his bid to ‘quyte’ the Knight’s Tale. We can assume that the Miller would associate himself with Nicolas, the scholar lodging with an older married man and his young wife. He uses his wit and intelligence and is described by Chaucer as ‘heende’ and ambiguous word with positive meanings such as nice, noble or gracious. He tricks the John the carpenter, a meek, asinine man in order to have an affair with his wife Alisoun, a well dressed and pampered woman, who verges on vanity. Nicolas encourages Alisoun to be unfaithful because he can; he uses the traditions of Courtly Love to woo her but in an aggressive and bawdy manner, taking what he wants by literally grabbing her genitals. Due to the genre of the fabliau we learn little of the characters beliefs and thoughts, it is a tale for comic effect, hence The Miller’s Prologue and Tale’ succeeding the Knight’s grand tale of chivalry and courtly love; two things the Miller and his tale appear to know little about.

The Wife of Bath begins her Prologue by cutting in before the Parson and offers the first hint to her fully rounded, vivacious character. Her ‘long preamble of a tale’ allows for a close character assassination; she has been married five times, three of her marriages have been to rich old men; she takes an interest in religious text, applying her understanding of the bible to her arguments against marriage and patriarchy. Like Nicolas of ‘The Miller’s Tale’, she has an interest in astrology, explaining her youthful nature is encouraged by Venus, her sexuality is largely driven by Taurus, and Mars promotes her dominance and desire for control. Yet despite these seeming imperfections she is an outspoken, warm enthusiastic character particularly when considering she is largely reminiscing of her lost youth in a stereotypical fashion,

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‘Hath me beraft my beautee and my pith

Lat go, farewell; the devil go therewith’

She’s therefore an agreeable character, despite her faults as she seems to be generously spirited and despite her strong will she shows a streak of submission (she stays with a husband who abuses her); she is also humorous, a quality that she encourages in her relationships and is paramount as she parodies the men of her age, their bias and superior attitudes which took inspiration from the works of classic and biblical writers, such as Juvenal, Aristotle, Aquinas and Saint Paul. The Tale itself ...

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