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 the Wife of Bath like in The Canterbury Tales?
The chief manner in which she has gained control over her husbands has been in her control over their use of her body. The Wife uses her body as a bargaining tool, withholding sexual pleasure until her husbands give her what she demands.
Is the Wife of Bath Beautiful?
The Wife of Bath has been married five times and feels her experience with men makes her an expert on marriage and relations between men and women. She is an extremely sensual woman who enjoys sexual relations and pleasing her husband, though she is not as beautiful as she once was.
What color was the Wife of Bath’s dress?
The Wife of Bath is certainly a woman who likes to catch attention by wearing the color red. She is described this way in the “General Prologue”: “Hir hosen (leggings) weren of fin scarlet reed (red), Ful straite yteyd (tightly laced), and shoes ful moiste (supple) and newe.
What kind of a lady is the Wife of Bath?
one of the best-known characters in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. She is a lively woman who has been married five times and makes many humorous remarks about sex. The story she tells, the Wife of Bath’s Tale, is about one of King Arthur’s knights.
How is the Wife of Bath being described in the tale?
The Wife of Bath is a headstrong bold woman of her time. She shows off her Sunday clothes with evident pride, wearing ten pounds of cloth, woven by herself under her hat. Her clothing symbolizes to the reader that she is not timid or shy and also shows off her expertise as a weaver..
How did the Wife of Bath dress?
Chaucer describes the Wife of Bath wearing a finely woven kerchief, soft shoes, a flowing mantle, and a wimple to conceal her aging. In addition, she wears hose of the “finest scarlet red” (15). This bold color is a reflection of her passionate, and even lustful, nature.
Is the Wife of Bath deaf?
The Wife of Bath’s deafness is one of her most prominent characteristics. Not only is it the first thing which Chaucer describes about her in the General Prologue, but the whole of the Wife’s own prologue builds toward and ultimately concludes with the Wife’s story of how she was struck deaf by her husband Jankyn.
Is the Wife of Bath rich or poor?
When her husband attacks her suitableness as a wife because she is poor, the loathly lady launches into a long speech in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” that includes a meditation on the virtues of poverty.
What is the Wife of Bath’s name?
Alisoun
Alisoun, the Wife of Bath, is one of very few women pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer’s unfinished collection of poems, The Canterbury Tales, and the only secular female voice (the others being a nun and the Prioress), but she is arguably the most memorable and voluble speaker.
Why did the Wife of Bath wear red?
When her husband leaves town for business, she goes out to flirt with other men, and she always wears red clothes to attract attention to herself. The Wife of Bath marries much younger men, and the age difference does not matter to her.
Why is the Wife of Bath deaf in one ear?
One evening, out of frustration, the Wife tears three pages out of the book and punches Jankyn in the face. Jankyn repays her by striking her on the head, which is the reason, she explains in line 636, that she is now deaf in one ear.
Is the Wife of Bath a widow?
The simple fact that she is a widow who has remarried more than once radically defies medieval conventions.
Which husband cheated on the Wife of Bath?
fourth husband
Husband #4 Timeline and Summary
Near the end of her Prologue, the Wife announces that she will speak about her fourth husband. Husband #4 had a lover in addition to the Wife. To punish him for this, the Wife convinced him that she, too, was cheating.
How is the Wife of Bath presented?
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.
Why is the Wife of Bath not a feminist?
Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale” is considered antifeminist literature that reflects the belief that women are promiscuous, gold-digging, excessive, blabbermouthed, arrogant, argumentative, deceitful, manipulative, and guilty of every wrongdoing or annoying temperament men could think of.
How was the Wife of Bath bold?
The Wife of Bath is a headstrong bold woman of her time. She shows off her Sunday clothes with evident pride, wearing ten pounds of cloth, woven by herself under her hat. Her clothing symbolizes to the reader that she is not timid or shy and also shows off her expertise as a weaver..
What struggles does the Wife of Bath face?
She brags about lying, cheating and deceiving her husbands, she shows little sympathy to any of the men in her life. Yet, she is a woman of a strong character, who knows what she wants and continuously fights against male dominance.
Why did the Wife of Bath marry so many times?
It seems that in the Middle Ages the Wife of Bath’s behavior is not the norm, so she tries to redeem herself by insisting that God wants her to be married many times. After all, “God bad us for to wexe and multiplye” — and, therefore, she has to marry as often as she can. The Wife of Bath has had five husbands.
At what age was the Wife of Bath first married?
twelve
The Wife of Bath begins the Prologue to her tale by establishing herself as an authority on marriage, due to her extensive personal experience with the institution. Since her first marriage at the tender age of twelve, she has had five husbands.
How old is the Wife of Bath?
By Geoffrey Chaucer
We know that she’s past forty, and back in Chaucer’s day, people didn’t live much longer than that on average. The only effect this seems to have had on the Wife, however, is that some of her youthful beauty is gone and it’s getting harder for her to appear desirable to men.