Women In Chaucer's The Wife Of Bath

In the time period of Chaucer, women had little rights; in many cases, they were viewed as property. Chaucer’s status was upper-middle class, and he worked with many of the aristocrats within and above his class level. Chaucer saved his status and job by giving the aristocrats what they wanted concerning societal order. When he wrote The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer wrote his personal views effectively by using a scapegoat: Chaucer, the pilgrim. Chaucer, the poet, used his scapegoat to keep himself safe from the wrath of the aristocracy. When Chaucer wrote the “Wife of Bath,” his views of women’s rights were futuristic and drastically different from his time. In the “Wife of Bath,” Chaucer challenges the patriarchal condition by making his female …show more content…
She has gone through five marriages since she was twelve years old. She uses excerpts from the Bible to back up her reasoning for having five marriages. When someone told her that she should have only married once because Jesus only attended one wedding she replied, “But wel I woot, expres, withouten lie, God bad us for to wexe and multiple: That gentil text can I wel understonde” (Norton 208). In other words, “without a lie I can say that God commanded us to increase and multiply. Now that is a text I can understand well.” The Wife of Bath interprets the Bible’s words to be able to argue her point with the unknown opponent. She then continues to bring up Biblical figure after Biblical figure that had multiple wives, who were also holy men. She said that after each husband passed, according to Saint Paul, she was allowed to marry again. The Wife of Bath claims that, “Of myn estaat I nil nat make no boost. For wel ye knowe, a lord in his houshold, He hath nat every vessel al of gold” (Norton 210). She says that she makes no claim of how pure she lives, but then she turns it around and points out to everyone that, no house has anything of pure gold. The Wife of Bath claims that everyone has something to hide; therefore, no one is completely pure. Later she continues that Jesus was perfect but he never said that everyone should be like him. If people wanted to …show more content…
A soldier rapes a woman and King Arthur allows his wife to make judgement against the man. King Arthur’s queen could very well have sentenced the soldier to death, a very emotional response when the crime is rape; however, she does not, and sends the soldier on a journey to find what women really want. Her punishment towards the man is very logical; the queen wants the man to learn about women. The soldier finds out what women really want: power. He finds this answer when he meets an old woman, whom he makes a deal with that she can have anything she wants. He removed power from the woman that her raped, the old lady removes power from the soldier when she demands him to marry him. Chaucer the poet shows that both men and women have to capability of removing power. He also shows that if society continues to remove power from women, females like the Wife of Bath and the old lady will appear. When one denies rights long enough, the effected party will want all rights. It is natural to want what we do not have. Chaucer the Poet shows this by using his scapegoat: Chaucer the