The Wife Of Bath's Tale Change Essay

Tackling the Battle of Change Through “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” Geoffrey Chaucer questions society’s view on feminism during the late 1300s. In the tale, the Queen is willing to spare a Knight’s life after he rapes a young woman, given that he can answer a question about the desires of women. During the process of trying to find the answer, the knight meets an old woman who is willing to give him the answer if he gives her a favor in return. He readily accepts her answer but is not pleased when he marries the old woman. Chaucer promotes feminism by showing the flaws in society through social commentary on the impression and expectations of women. The impression of women has always been an issue in society, and Chaucer makes this issue obvious through the tale that is told by the Wife of Bath. After raping a young woman, a Knight is sentenced to death, but the Queen tells him, “‘yet you shall live...’” (Chaucer 50). By him getting a second chance, one gets the impression that men deserve to be treated as superior. This sense of superiority that is associated with men leads men to get more opportunities in life than their female counterparts. What exactly makes a man superior to a woman? As far as society is concerned, women are vulnerable and weak; these flaws in …show more content…
While going through the tale, the readers will realize that there are many issues in society. People are raped daily, but the rapists are allowed to live freely in society. Both men and women are objectified as things that only matter for physical and sexual appeal. There is discrimination in the workplace based on biological reasons, which causes unequal pay and harassment in the workplace. Chaucer may not give a solution for anti-feminism in the tale, but he instills a desire for a feminist movement within his reader; now it is up to the reader to stand up and make a