Chaucer's Treatment Of Women In The Canterbury Tales

In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer depicts women as inferior and immoral, but also shows them as individuals who desire and use power. He uses these contrasting descriptions to properly show the diverse kinds of women in his society. The unique characters of the Wife of Bath and the Prioress show that women are more than the roles they fill. The Wife of Bath is unique because she is skilled and has unique opinions. The text states that the Wife of Bath “spun and weaved her cloth with such a touch / She easily surpassed all Belgians and the Dutch” (Chaucer 14). This quote shows that the Wife of Bath was skilled, which means that she would have been able to provide for herself. Therefore, Chaucer depicts the Wife of Bath as independent. …show more content…
In the beginning of the story, a man named Valerian marries Cecilia. Valerian wishes to have sex with her, but Cecilia warns him that if he does, her guardian angel will kill him. Valerian wants to see the guardian angel, but Cecilia says he must first be baptized. Cecilia is able to stand up to Valerian and get her way. This shows that she is powerful because she was able to sway Valerian’s …show more content…
Some women hardly expressed themselves at all and met the expectations placed on them perfectly. Others, however, stepped outside of those expectations in order to express themselves or hold power. Chaucer reflects these varying degrees in The Canterbury Tales by defaming women as inferior and immoral, but also empowering theme as powerful individuals. Chaucer’s time, it was rare to view women as equal to men, but in the modern world it is the only acceptable view. Chaucer’s strong women in The Canterbury Tales are small steps in the feminist movement that made men not see women as aliens, but as human