The Wife of Bath’s prologue and story show that this claim is false. The Wife Of Bath in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is a strong believer that women must have the authority to rule over their husbands. Although her opinions were radical, they were not uncommon in her time. Perhaps that was the Wife’s intention. The Wife, despite the air of confidence she exuded, had some weaknesses when it came to men. This is why her boldness could be seen as a form of self-defense. The Wife’s actions are not consistent with feminism, which traditionally refers to a belief in gender equality.
The prologue of the Wife and her story illustrates her belief in men allowing themselves to “be controlled by their wife” (176). The Wife (or Dame Alice) repeatedly states that she is not afraid to physically or psychologically abuse her husbands. The wife had three old, wealthy husbands who were only simple tools. Her fourth spouse was just like the wife’s counterpart – stubborn and promiscuous as well. However, he died very quickly. She was not fazed at all by the death of her fourth husband and had already lined up a new one. Ironically, her fifth husband was also the most cruel and difficult to control. Naturally, she was able to get her way. She is a five-time widow who admits she made her husbands work so hard that they were exhausted and frustrated. She boasts of her ability to manipulate her husbands in the past, particularly those who were old and rich. She would lie to them to make them feel guilty about unfaithful acts they had committed. In reality, she only wanted to “put” them in the right (157). She could sleep with her husband without worrying about him interrogating her.
The Wife is probably trying to shock her audience with her apparent impudence. The Friar says that she is going to tell a story in which he hopes for “joy and salvation” (168). As if protesting, the Wife starts by mocking friars. Alice describes a world that was once populated by fairies but is now full of friars who “can only dishonor a woman” (170). In the prologue of the novel, the Wife states that her fifth spouse was happier when she “had the upper-hand” (168). The reader is left wondering how much her advice is exaggeration.
Chaucer depicts her as strong, audacious and sometimes even obstinate, but there are also some flaws. In her Prologue, the Wife regretfully admits that her youth and beauty have been robbed by “age” (162). The Wife of Bath does not let this stop her. She continues to marry, even at forty years old, a woman who is only twenty years old. The Wife Of Bath’s main goal is to conceal her insecurity over her declining beauty. She has used this insecurity as a way of controlling the men in her life and gaining power.
The story of the Wife Of Bath shows her desire to be young. This story is similar to a traditional fairytale, but does not follow the format of one. Her tale is about a man who was imprisoned after rape. The Wife has a number of abusive husbands who are younger than the protagonist. The queen asks the knight to figure out what women want. He can’t. He is fortunate – or unfortunate – to find an old woman who will tell him what women want if she can get him to do her next request. He agrees to do so in order to save himself, but is then forced to marry her when she demands it. The old woman is a witch and she asks the young man if he’d prefer an ugly, faithful or beautiful wife. The old woman is transformed into a young, beautiful girl when the knight replies that “whatever she likes best suits [him]”. The wife believes that if she is in charge of a marriage, everything will work out better. The Wife also wants to look young, like the old lady did in the story.
Readers should take into account the Wife’s strengths and weaknesses. The Wife’s character is not idealized or satirized like most characters of The Canterbury Tales. Her purpose is to engage readers and keep them interested. Chaucer did not seem to like her. Although Chaucer portrays her as a woman who is opinionated and strong, she has a failing beauty that shows how far removed from idealized she really was. The Wife Of Bath is unfair to men but knows how she can manipulate people and get what they want.
