The Wife of Bath: Character Analysis

Authors Avatar by maytom (student)

The Wife of Bath: Character Analysis

        In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Chaucer starts the prologue of each character that are going to a pilgrimage and one of them is The Wife of Bath. Chaucer makes the tale The Wife of Bath purposely stand out than the other tales. The Wife of Bath is more than about living. In the prologue, she tells to her fellow pilgrims the life of her marrying five previous men and she view the relationship of men and women.  The Wife is known has the richest lady with expensive scarlet stockings that she wears and leather shoes as malleable and fresh. Chaucer describes The Wife in bodily with extensive hips, big bump and a hat that is a size of a vessel. Even though the story is lengthy, it teaches life lessons about our lives and how the ladies can take control over men.

        In both “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue” and “Tale,” The Wife explains marriage, honor, and most significantly the question of control. She is also a leading woman who gets everything and gets everything she wants. Chaucer used symbolism for her clothing and her fashion like her red stockings, which symbolizes has love and fashion. In the tale, The Wife tells us that men should obey her and others should not control or tell her what to do, particularly a man. She shows us her powerful approach when she states, “In wifehood I will use my instrument as freely as my Maker has it sent. If I be niggardly, God give me sorrow! My husband he shall have it, eve and morrow, when he's pleased to come forth and pay his debt.” This particular statement clearly tells us that she uses her body as a weapon and that she owns her husband, who owes her because she is his wife she feels he should bow to her.

Join now!

        Chaucer explains in the Prologue of The Wife of Bath, that she a devoted Christian and a brilliant weaver. The Wife tells us,” Therefore I made my visits round about to vigils and processions of devout, to preaching too, and shrines of pilgrimage.” This tells the readers that she going to pilgrimages means that she is religious, but later on the prologue, the readers sees that she going to pilgrimages is not due to religion. She feels that every place that she goes must be seen.  She is also a very self-confident woman who thinks highly of herself and her ...

This is a preview of the whole essay