While the Wife of Bath is worldly in the true sense of the word whichever way it is interpreted, the Prioress is the medieval feminine ideal, soft-hearted almost to a fault and academically well-educated. These differences can be easily determined as early as the general prologue as each character is described.
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How are the Prioress and the Wife of Bath similar?
The Wife at Bath, like the Prioress, is a lady above all else. Her clothes veer towards extravagance and affirm her great wealth. Like the Prioress, the Wife at bath is affable, loquacious and an eloquent orator.
What kind of character is the Prioress?
She is selfless, amiable, and is described as being so delicate that she almost seems fragile and breakable. However, she is revealed to be quite coy and secretive. She is nearly the opposite of what a nun was expected to be.
What is different about the Wife of Bath’s Prologue?
In her prologue, Chaucer’s Wife defends marriage against religious teachings that claim that it is inferior to celibacy, maintaining the association of marriage with sex but embracing a more modern perspective that sexual pleasure is a virtue and rejecting the idea that wives should always obey their husbands.
What makes the Wife of Bath unique?
She is a strong-willed and dominant woman who herself gets what she wants when she wants it. She cannot accept defeat no matter what the cost. She feels that this is the way things should be and men should obey her. She should not be controlled or told what to do by others, especially by a man.
What does prioress symbolize?
The Prioress is the head nun for her church, and she went on the pilgrimage to spread the word of God with the nun and 3 priests that she travelled with. Though she is a stereotype that represents the virtues and ideals of a nun, the Prioress represents a coutly lady rather than a superior nun.
Is the Prioress the Wife of Bath?
Although these women might have similarities that are evident in the story, deeper down, the Wife of Bath and the Nun’s Prioress are two completely different characters. The prioress and wife of bath belong to two different social classes.
What is the irony about the Prioress?
For example, the Prioress is a nun who should be pious and help the poor, yet she is dressed in fine clothing and jewelry and wishes to be praised for her manners instead of her deeds.
Why is the Prioress ironic?
Situational Irony
As stated in the prologue, the Prioress has another name, Madam Eglantine. Her name symbolizes a flower, epitomizing Virgin Mary. Ironically, while Virgin Mary represents love and purity, the Prioress represents the exact opposite as her tale portrays her as sinned and dubious.
What is the Prioress most concerned with?
Although the Prioress should be devoted to Christ, she is more concerned with worldly matters: her clothes are richly bedecked, and her coral rosary that says “Love conquers all” serves as a decorative piece rather than a religious article.
How does Chaucer describe the Wife of Bath in the prologue?
In “The General Prologue,” Chaucer describes the Wife of Bath as a deaf, gap-toothed woman. She has a bold face and wears ten pounds of “coverchiefs” and a hat on her head (Chaucer 91). She wears a skirt with red stockings and tight-laced supple shoes. She is also a great weaver and has been on many pilgrimages.
What is ironic about the Wife of Bath?
The irony of this story is the fact that the Knight committed a crime against a woman where he had complete control over her, yet a woman has control over him in the end!
What lesson does the Wife of Bath teach?
The lessons behind the Wife of Bath’s Tale illustrate “that a happy marriage actually occurs when there is mutual love, respect, and kindness” (Ruud par. 9), meaning that the Wife of Bath is happiest in a relationship in which she and her husband share the power, a concept that flouts the social standards.
How is the Wife of Bath personality described?
The Wife of Bath is one of only two female characters in The Canterbury Tales. She stands out from many of the other pilgrims because she is argumentative and intelligent. She is a seamstress who flaunts her wealth and beliefs loudly.
What are three themes in the Wife of Bath?
Themes
- Women and Femininity.
- Power.
- Rules and Order.
- Principles.
- Appearances.
- Old Age.
- Poverty.
How is the Wife of Bath manipulative?
The Wife of Bath is an overtly manipulative woman who uses her sexuality as a tool against men. She conforms to a number of misogynistic stereotypes about the faults of women and even makes it seem as if some of these stereotypes are characteristic of all women.
Why was the Prioress called Madame Eglantine?
The General Prologue names the prioress as Madame Eglantine, and describes her impeccable table manners and soft-hearted ways. Her portrait suggests she is likely in religious life as a means of social advancement, given her aristocratic manners and mispronounced French.
What is the message of the Prioress tale?
”The Prioress’s Tale” in ”The Canterbury Tales” concerns a small boy who is killed, his grieving mother, and a miracle of the Virgin Mary that causes him to go on singing after he has died. This tale involves themes of motherhood, innocence, and antisemitism.
Why does the Prioress try so hard to appear more sophisticated than she is?
The Prioress is trying to act as if she were in a higher social stature than she really is. Her attempts to pretend she is something that she is not is Chaucer’s way to show her shallowness (and his degrading view towards women in general).
Who is similar to the Wife of Bath?
The Wife of Bath and the Fairy Queen have similar qualities in that they both desire control in a relationship, and behave manipulatively to get what they want. Yet, the two women are dissimilar in their actions, the reason they desire a relationship, and their general appearance.
What four people accompany the Prioress?
What four people accompany the prioress? Another nun and three priests. The Monk, we hear, is an “outrider.” What is an outrider in a monastery? He tends the horses.