Chaucers Views On Wife Of Bath And Feminism - 1529 Words

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 themselves. He creates a tale for the Wife of Bath that includes and questions the societal views of women. Written in the words of a woman, Chaucer undermines what it means to be a female in the fourteenth century who desires independence and†¦show more content†¦Women should be at one with their being and be able to speak on social and psychic truths. Chaucer is an author that goes against what would be considered normal for this time period. He attempts to write as a female to represent a female perspective and ent er into debate about the role of a woman. Stated in the text, â€Å"We can argue straightforwardly that women were marginalized and subordinate, that women lived and suffered under patriarchy.†(Treacher133). Women were viewed as being inferior. Are we to believe and follow the views created by men and for men? Chaucer is a man who creates a story told by a woman for woman and men. He seeks to show that women can speak up and does not need approval by men, â€Å"But that the Queen and other ladies as well implored the King to exercise his grace, so ceaselessly, he gave the Queen the case and granted her his life, and she could choose whether to show him mercy or refuse.† (Chaucer157). In the example, the King and the Queen represents at a higher power how a male and female is to be equal. It is shown that the Queen’s opinion and a woman’s opinion in general are just as important and purposeful as the King’s opinion. Chaucer uses the scenario of two powerful authority figures, the King and Queen, as an example for others to follow. The idea of the queen being able to make decisions concerning the knight, and the husband passing his power to his wife shows an equal relationship. The king and queen was used as a symbol thatShow MoreRelatedThe 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. It was an oppressive time for women in male-dominated society. During the Middle Ages, Chaucer wrote from a woman’s point of view something that was not normal at that time. He set his feminist ideals through the characters of the Wife of Bath and the oldRead MoreChaucers The Canterbury Tales1381 Words   |  6 Pagesthe tales, the author depicts the inequality that is resulti ng from this. Despite what many would think based on his writing, Chaucer is not a misogynist. Chaucer only shows the perception of women in his society with an indication of his feminist views as well. Looking back through history, women and men were treated differently. There was a common belief back in the days that men were superior to women. Aristotle, for instance, â€Å"assumed that male domination was the rule in all natural species†Read MoreFeminism In Chaucers The Wife Of Bath1216 Words   |  5 Pageswork 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 aboutRead 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 MoreThe Role Of Women In The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1035 Words   |  5 Pages The idea of a woman’s place in society is as controversial now as it was over six hundred years ago. Geoffrey Chaucer first explores this in his famous collection of stories The Canterbury Tales. In Chaucer’s tales, he explores the situations of multiple individuals of varying backgrounds in the medieval time period. Each character tells a story that reveals some aspect of their morality and personality. Quite often, their tale also reveals their opinion of a certain overlying subject; suchRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucer Stance on Feminism1254 Words   |  6 Pageswhether 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, including Chaucer as the writer himselfRead MoreEssay on No Apologies for The Wife of Bath851 Words   |  4 Pages     Ã‚   In Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales, the author portrays the Wife of Bath, Alison, as a woman who bucks the tradition of her times with her brashness and desire for control. Chaucer is able to present a strong womans point of view and to evoke some sympathy for her.    In the authors time, much of the literature was devoted to validating the frailties of women.   However, in this story, the Wife is a woman who has outlived four of five husbands for ofRead 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 andRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath And His Play With Gender Essay1698 Words   |  7 PagesCohens Professor Robichaud Brit. literature 1 10/18/16 The Wife of Bath and his play with Gender (Feminist and or Misogynist) Like most of literature, The Wife of Bath can be read in multiple perspectives. Within The Wife of Bath, it can be read as feministic and or misogynistic. Chaucer projects his views towards feminism through the wife and her views and attitudes. Many literary critics explored the feministic views of The Wife of Bath. She is a strongminded and dominant woman who knows exactlyRead More Masculinity in The Wife of Baths Prologue and Tale Essay2175 Words   |  9 PagesMasculinity in The Wife of Baths Prologue and Tale      Ã‚   The Wife of Bath, with the energy of her vernacular and the voraciousness of her sexual appetite, is one of the most vividly developed characters of The Canterbury Tales. At 856 lines her prologue, or preambulacioun as the Summoner calls it, is the longest of any of the pilgrims, and matches the General Prologue but for a few lines. Evidently Chaucer is infatuated with Alisoun, as he plays satirically with both gender and class