In the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, A character, the Wife of Bath, tells a tale about a knight who learns the secret to a fulfilling marriage. The Wife of Bath explains that the thing women want most in the world is sovereignty. In the tale, one of King Arthur's knights rapes a village woman, the penalty for which is death. One must note that the crime wasn’t against the woman who was defiled, but to the family who had been stolen from. The loss of a woman’s virginity reduced her value as a bride because, at the time, women were viewed as property. Bernard F. Huppe explains, “What in fact the Queen does is to claim the knight as under the jurisdiction of her court-the Court of Love. She appeals, figuratively, to the cloth. By the
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“in Chaucer's story both become aspects of one fundamental test, that of the lover's true understanding of the necessity of obedience to woman.” And so the Wife’s motivation is revealed. She has told a tale that fits what, in her mind, is the answer to pleasing a woman. The knight tells the queen he answer to her riddle, but it wasn’t until he believed it himself that he became happy.
Some might argue that the knight never truly changes. As Roppolo points out, the only reason he listens to the Loathly Lady is because she tells him “the Lady, before she begins the sermon, has made clear that she “"koude amende al this"-if the Knight will listen to her (1106-7). The Knight certainly wishes to hear any possible way out of his unfortunate marriage.” However, even if his motivation had been dishonorable, the point remains, that in the end, the knight choose to give up sovereignty to his wife. If we are to believe that the morals of the knight remained corrupt at the end of the tale, the knight would have chosen the beautiful wife, because he is obviously shallow. Instead, he struggles with the choice, finally surrendering the decision to his wife, who awards him for his
“in Chaucer's story both become aspects of one fundamental test, that of the lover's true understanding of the necessity of obedience to woman.” And so the Wife’s motivation is revealed. She has told a tale that fits what, in her mind, is the answer to pleasing a woman. The knight tells the queen he answer to her riddle, but it wasn’t until he believed it himself that he became happy.
Some might argue that the knight never truly changes. As Roppolo points out, the only reason he listens to the Loathly Lady is because she tells him “the Lady, before she begins the sermon, has made clear that she “"koude amende al this"-if the Knight will listen to her (1106-7). The Knight certainly wishes to hear any possible way out of his unfortunate marriage.” However, even if his motivation had been dishonorable, the point remains, that in the end, the knight choose to give up sovereignty to his wife. If we are to believe that the morals of the knight remained corrupt at the end of the tale, the knight would have chosen the beautiful wife, because he is obviously shallow. Instead, he struggles with the choice, finally surrendering the decision to his wife, who awards him for his