In his female pilgrimage, Chaucer regarded women as being evil-like in nature, constantly enticing and taking from men. They were seen to be untrustworthy, self-centered, and vain. Chaucer highlighted what is correct and incorrect through the shortcomings of both males and females.
However, beneath the surface lurks a cynical look at women and how they bring ruin to men. (chuckiii, 4) Chaucer was no doubt outspoken in his ideas about female conduct and behavior and made them abundantly clear in The Canterbury Tales. He showed two extremes in his eyes on ladies in his collection of fables.
The Wife of Bath was regarded as the extravagant and lusty woman, while the Prioress was seen as the admirable and devoted followers of church. (Chaucer, 8) Chaucer contrasted the two characters in terms of appearance, general behavior, education level, and most significantly in their treatment of men. In spite on this, both stories left readers with an unanswered question. The Wife of Bath is a symbol for “liberty” when it comes to medieval women’s stereotypes.
Chaucer use her as a vehicle to attack the established order which Chaucer felt was corrupt. The Wife of Bath is an old woman who has been married five times and has had many lovers. Chaucer portrays her as being very lustful and she is always talking about sex.
She is also very materialistic and loves to spend money on clothes and jewelry. Chaucer uses the Wife of Bath to satirize the role of women in society. He shows that even though she is not a noble woman, she still has power over men. The Wife of Bath is able to control her husbands through sex and she is able to get what she wants from them.
On the other hand, the Prioress serves as a foil to the Wife of Bath. She is “tenderhearted” and can’t watch someone else in pain or physical discomfort. When she considers about a dog dying, she will shed tears. It’s possible that she has a fragile soul with low tolerance for suffering and agony. (fordham, 16) The latter characterisation fits into contemporary perceptions of women as skittish and helpless individuals who need to be protected by men.
Chaucer was able to take these preset notions about women and use them in order to create two very different, yet equally important, female characters. The Wife of Bath is Chaucer’s most developed character in the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer uses her as a means to attack many of the established ideas surrounding women and their place within society.
He does this by having her openly challenge many of the negative stereotypes that were placed upon women during Chaucer’s time. In doing so, Chaucer creates a strong and independent woman who is unafraid to speak her mind. This is a significant departure from the traditional view of women as meek and submissive members of society.
The Prioress is depicted in such a delicate and graceful light by Chaucer. Her eating habits were far removed from the crude feasts of the day. She was extremely courteous when receiving things at the table, with not a drop of anything falling from her mouth. (lines 131-134)
This is the Prioress’ last appearance in The Canterbury Tales: her letter “A” around her neck that represented “Amor vincit omnia,” or “Love conquers all.” Love is symbolized by a brooch worn on her rosaries, which features the courtly love song: love overcomes everything.
Chaucer’s use of the letter “A” is also significant in other ways. Chaucer could be using the symbol to allude to the Virgin Mary or to Chaucer’s own first name, which begins with “A”. (info, 15) Chaucer’s Prioress is not only well mannered and graceful, but also very religious. Chaucer describes her as “a nun…tender of her psaltry” (lines 131-2). The prioress is also said to be “devout”, “charitable”, and have a good knowledge of Latin. (lines 135-7).
The Wife of Bath is Chaucer’s most controversial character. She is an outspoken woman who expresses her views on marriage, sex, and women’s roles in society. The Wife of Bath is also a very independent woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. Chaucer describes the Wife of Bath as “a worthy womman al hir lyf” (line 498). The Wife of Bath is also said to be “bold” and “defiant”. (lines 500-1)
The Wife of Bath is a controversial character because she openly expresses her views on marriage, sex, and women’s roles in society. Chaucer describes the Wife of Bath as “a worthy womman al hir lyf” (line 498). The Wife of Bath is also said to be “bold” and “defiant”. (lines 500-1). The Wife of Bath’s views on marriage are very progressive for her time. She believes that marriage should be based on love, not just economic gain.
Chaucer also portrays the Wife of Bath as a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. In the Wife of Bath’s Prologue, she states that women “ofer swiche conseil to hir husbondes / As he hem yifeth, and thus they make advantage).” (lines 435-6 Chaucer here is showing that the Wife of Bath is not afraid to offer her husband advice, even if it goes against his wishes. This is a very bold statement for a woman to make in Chaucer’s time.
The Wife of Bath, on the other hand, is intimidating, flashy, and ultimately repulsive. She pales in comparison to the Prioress, who is elegant, devout, well-spoken, and above all loving. The superiority of the Priorecss over the Wife of Bath is evident once more in education’s presence. Despite her considerable knowledge regarding worldly matters throughout the prologue ,the Chaucer refuses her opinion because to her social position and outward appearance when she is really intelligent.
Chaucer says, “But she was somdel deef, and that was scathe” (Chaucer 43). The Wife of Bath is not only physically ugly but Chaucer makes her out to be unintelligent as well. He does this so that the reader may pity her instead of seeing her strength. Chaucer’s overall purpose for the Wife of Bath is to be a symbol of Chaucer’s views on women in general during his time.
Chaucer wanted to change society’s perception of women and give them back the power that they rightfully deserved. Chaucer also uses the Wife of Bath as a way to attack the church. The church at this time was telling women that they were nothing without a man and that they needed to be submissive. Chaucer goes against this by having the Wife of Bath be a very strong and independent woman.
Chaucer is not afraid to voice his beliefs through his characters and he does so in an effective way. The Wife of Bath is Chaucer’s strongest character when it comes to his views on women. Chaucer uses her to show that women are just as capable as men, if not more so. Chaucer also uses her to attack the church and its views on women. The Wife of Bath is a powerful character that Chaucer uses to get his message across to the reader.