The Old Lady And Chaucer's The Wife

In a male-dominated society, women have been regarded as weak, submissive, and insignificant; men, as opposed to women, established complete authority in both society and relationships. Among many works of British literature, authors and poets have challenged the oppressive societal expectations about the roles of women, welcoming assertive, independent female characters who seek power and control. Jane Austen’s Emma Woodhouse, Katherine Mansfield’s Rosemary Fell, and Geoffrey Chaucer’s the Wife of Bath, who should be content with their wealth and high-society lifestyles, continue to pursue more power and greater stature. In contrast to these affluent ladies, Chaucer’s Fairly Lady, disguised as the Old Lady, and William Shakespeare’s Weïrd …show more content…
She recognizes the Knight’s desperation and manipulates his need for this information to force him into a promise as he is running out of time to find the answer to the question his life depends on. Paralleling the Old Lady’s circumstances, the Weïrd Sisters entice Macbeth with the knowledge of his future. After his first encounter with the witches, Macbeth writes a letter to his wife to recount the affair, corresponding, “I have learned by the perfect’st report they have more in them than mortal knowledge” (Shakespeare 1.5.2-3). Chanting mystical prophecies, the Weïrd Sisters spur Macbeth to believe they hold more than just “mortal knowledge” (Shakespeare 1.5.3), which rouses Macbeth’s interests and subsequently places him under their allure. The enchantment with the witches also derives from their ambiguity, for when Macbeth “burned in desire to question them further” (Shakespeare 1.5.4), they immediately “made themselves air, into which they vanished” (Shakespeare 1.5.5). The witches deliberately leave before Macbeth can ask any questions to show him that they have the power in the relationship, for it is Macbeth who needs the Weïrd Sisters, and not conversely. The Old Lady, who is also trying to prove that the Knight requires her help, proclaims that not even “the very proudest of them all” will “dare say no to what I have to teach” (Chaucer 285). She further manipulates the Knight through her assurance that the information she holds is the true answer he has been searching for in his journey. The Old Lady establishes her credibility to confirm that the Knight can rely on her, which thus, allows her to continue increasing her power over the Knight. In conjunction with each other, both the witches and the Old Lady are purposely vague when speaking with the men. While the Old Lady demands the Knight to submit to an indeterminate promise, “That the first thing [she] asked of him he’d