Feminism In Chaucers The Wife Of Bath - 1216 Words

A large part of the study of literature deals with interpreting the original meaning of a work and attempting to understand how it applies to modern day readers. As with other pieces of literature, this is also true for Chaucer’s â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue,† where many contemporary scholars hail Chaucer as feminist icon for his depiction of an eloquent, independent woman. This interpretation, however, is flawed because it is highly anachronistic. Feminism, as we understand the term today, did not emerge until the 19th Century. Though there were certainly medieval writers who wrote about the relationships of the sexes, such as Christine de Pizan, these works did not focus on equality and the independence of women the way feminism would†¦show more content†¦After all, her wealth allows her to be financially independent. Clearly, she is also not restricted in her movements, as she is allowed to travel around the world on various pilgrimages. Furtherm ore, her strong desire for sex can be interpreted to mean that she has taken control of her sexuality. Instead of being a passive object of men’s desires, she is pursuing her own pleasure. From this perspective, the Wife of Bath is clearly a symbol representing the liberation of women. However, as Chaucer elaborates more on her character in the Wife of Bath’s prologue, this image becomes muddied as many of her character flaws come to light. Out of these flaws, one of the most problematic is the Wife of Bath’s cavalier attitude towards marriage. The Wife of Bath seems to be aware of the fact that her many marriages are problematic, as the first thing she does in her prologue is to justify them, despite the fact that it is legal at the time to remarry as a widow. As Jill Mann points out in her notes on â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue,† the Wife of Bath is arguing against the writings of St. Jerome, who suggests that since Christ only went to a wed ding once, a persons should only take one spouse. This positioning of her character in opposition with a prominent religious figure calls attention to the fact that her multiple marriages may not be virtuous as she claims them to be. Some might argue that this restriction on theShow MoreRelatedChaucers Views On Wife Of Bath And Feminism1529 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"Views on Wife of Bath and Feminism† In the time period of the 14th century, many woman faced inequality. Women were not viewed to uphold the same quota as men. Most females were viewed as passive to males and were not able to make many demands in their relationships or make any contributions to their own survival or life. In the â€Å"Wife of Bath Tale†, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, Chaucer gives an insight into the struggles of a woman. Chaucer gives a voice for women who cannot speak for themselvesRead MoreEssay on The Wife of Bath: Feminism in Chaucers Work2146 Words   |  9 Pagesto their husbands and follow their lead. A womans place was also in the home and the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc. fell into their domain. Women who deviated from these cultural-set norms made for interesting characters. Chaucers use of women and their overstepping their boundaries and typical roles in society make them most memorable. Most of the gender expectations stemmed from the Church and biblical history. There were many anti-feminist feelings due to Eve causingRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Prologue And Tale990 Words   |  4 PagesThe Wife of Bath s Prologue and Tale is about female empowerment it shows strong protagonists. I believe Geoffrey Chaucer used The Wife of Bath’s Tale to advocate for feminism. Chaucer used a strong female character to expose female stereotypes. 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For instance, while she was â€Å"wild and young†Read MoreThe Wife of Bath Essay715 Words   |  3 PagesWife of Bath vs. Lady Gaga Geoffrey Chaucers, Wife of Bath, character in Canterbury Tales can be compared with todays modern pop icon Lady Gaga. Both woman share many similar qualities regarding their personality types and behavior. From the Fifteenth century to the Twenty- First, these women symbolize feminism and contradiction of societal norms. This essay will discuss the similarities and differences between Chaucers fictional character, the Wife of Bath, and Lady Gaga, one of this century’sRead More Passive Women in Chaucers Canterbury Tales? Essay1466 Words   |  6 PagesPassive Women in Chaucers Canterbury Tales? One argument that reigns supreme when considering Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is whether or not there is an element of anti-feminism within the text. 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Sometimes this is presented blatantlyRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucer Stance on Feminism1254 Words   |  6 Pages The investigation into whether or not Geoffrey Chaucer was ahead of his time in terms of his views on feminism has been up for debate for hundreds of years. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue is just one solitary example of the complicated nature of Chaucer’s belief system. On the one hand, we have many strong female characters that despite still being extremely dependant on the men in their lives, know what they want out of life. From a contrasting point of view, readers see a group of men, includingRead MoreSex in The Canterbury Tales Essay937 Words   |  4 Pagesinstrument in The Canterbury Tales. Portraying sex as a power that women exert over men rather than the marital bond of â€Å"making love† makes evident Chaucer’s skewed views of love and marriage with underlying tones of misogyny. He expresses these views throughout the work, however, the theme of love and sex is most evident in the sub-stories of The Wife of Bath and The Miller’s Tale. Chaucer breaks the topic of sex into two basic parts: carnality and romanticism. Although carnal love is a controversialRead MoreAnalysis Of Geoffrey Chaucer s The Time Of Women 1760 Words   |  8 PagesGeoffrey Chaucer is a defining figure throughout Medieval European literature, Throughout time women have been placed in a subjugated position. Men have placed themselves as the leaders but to contest the unfairness in rule feminism became a movement. Feminism is the movement, ideal set that women and men should be equal to each other in all ways. This includes socially, lawfully and any other way that would make the society better. In the time of Chaucer, the roles of women were very rigid and