Known as the father of English literature, Geoffrey Chaucer is considered the greater English poet of the Middle Ages. His best-known work, The Canterbury Tales, is a collection of short stories that tell the tale of a variety of characters satirizing Medieval culture, including the Pardoner and the Wife of Bath. The tale of the Wife of Bath superficially values feminism and anti-feminism, depending on your point of view. Social criticism comes from both the Wife and the world she lives in. Chaucer uses a first-person narrator in order to allow people to make their own judgment on the characters, especially the Wife. The Wife argues against misogyny, but she herself is violent and allows herself to succumb to lust. She even admits to treating
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During that time, they were viewed primarily as weak and moldable. Believed to be materialistic and self serving, it was common for women who weren’t married to join covets. Chaucer also depicts the corruption the church faced, representing it much in the same way he did the Wife, materialistic.
The Wife’s prologue presents a view of marriage that would never be conceived of by pilgrims, with the end of the tale proving her right. Shocked by her view, the pilgrims are unable to refute, she unfolds her story. She manages to prove that the head of the house should be a woman rather than a man. Supporting her position, in the prologue, the
Wife references scholarly learning. When an authoritative figure disagrees, the Wife dismisses it, relying on her own experience. The Wife openly admits to enjoying sex, saying she plans to use her “instrument as frely as my Makere hath it sent”. The Pardoner is presented as well read and psychologically astute, allowing him to profit from his profession. It is the Pardoners greed, using religion and the church for his own gain. Although the most evil of the pilgrims, the Pardoner is also the most intriguing, openly revealing his hypocrisy. He openly admits to selling fake relics to parishioners.
During that time, they were viewed primarily as weak and moldable. Believed to be materialistic and self serving, it was common for women who weren’t married to join covets. Chaucer also depicts the corruption the church faced, representing it much in the same way he did the Wife, materialistic.
The Wife’s prologue presents a view of marriage that would never be conceived of by pilgrims, with the end of the tale proving her right. Shocked by her view, the pilgrims are unable to refute, she unfolds her story. She manages to prove that the head of the house should be a woman rather than a man. Supporting her position, in the prologue, the
Wife references scholarly learning. When an authoritative figure disagrees, the Wife dismisses it, relying on her own experience. The Wife openly admits to enjoying sex, saying she plans to use her “instrument as frely as my Makere hath it sent”. The Pardoner is presented as well read and psychologically astute, allowing him to profit from his profession. It is the Pardoners greed, using religion and the church for his own gain. Although the most evil of the pilgrims, the Pardoner is also the most intriguing, openly revealing his hypocrisy. He openly admits to selling fake relics to parishioners.