the loathly lady.
We first meet the loathly lady (also know as the hag) when the knight comes across her in a field on his way back to King Arthur’s court. She’s ugly, and we’re told that “a fouler wight ther may no man devyse” (1005). She’s also old and lowborn, which the knight explicitly tells her on their wedding night.
Is the old woman the Wife of Bath?
The Wife of Bath is an old woman. 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.
What does the old hag symbolize inside the story?
A hag, in many mythologies and folk tales, is a woman who can fluidly transition the boundary between youth and old age and often symbolizes the aging process for women.
What does the old woman tell the knight?
The woman tells the knight that he must pledge himself to her in return for her help, and the knight, having no options left, gladly consents. She then guarantees that his life will be saved.
How does the old woman get the knight to marry her?
She promises him that she knows the secret to what all women want. She deceived him with magic, making him think she was beautiful. In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” the old woman insists the knight marry her as her reward.
What is the Wife of Bath’s real name?
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 is the Wife of Bath so important?
The Wife of Bath is one of the most popular characters in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The primary reasons for her popularity is her expression of her feelings regarding marriage and the expectations of women during medieval times.
How is the old woman changed at the end of the story?
How is the old woman changed at the end of the story? She transforms herself into a young and lovely woman. The Wife of Bath and the old woman agree on what is required for a happy marriage.
How is the old woman like the Wife of Bath?
Not only that, but some of her biographical details resemble the Wife’s: she’s a older woman who jumps at the opportunity to marry a younger man, and she lectures him (some might say gives him a brow-beating) when he berates her for who she is. This is a like how the Wife of Bath treats her young husband Jankyn.
What two choices does the old woman give the knight?
The loathly lady offers the knight two choices: he can either have her old and ugly but faithful, or young and beautiful but with no guarantee of her fidelity.
What lessons does the old woman teach the knight?
What lessons does the old woman teach the young knight about? a. nobility/ gentility– Does not come from lineage but has to be who you are behind doors and being a gentlemen.
How does the knight treat the old woman?
The knight treats the old woman rudely when the woman helps to spare his life and he pledges himself to her, and does not want to marry her. He then begrudgingly marries her, but is still upset and calls her ugly and lowborn later that night.
Did the knight learn his lesson from the old woman?
The Wife tells the story of a knight who must find out what all women desire or else he will be put to death for raping a maiden. He eventually learns from an ugly old woman that all women desire sovereignty, the ability to make their own choices.
Why does the knight have no choice but to marry the old woman?
Why does the knight agree to marry the old woman? She knows the secret to what women want and if she saves his life he promised he would do what she says.
What does the old woman want for saving the knight’s life?
What does the old woman want from the knight in exchange for her life-saving answer to the queen’s question? The old woman asks the knight to marry her in front of all the people who were at the gathering.
What does the old woman say about noble birth?
That night in bed, he tries every excuse to leave her untouched: his noble birth, his youth and handsome face, his humiliation at everyone in court knowing about his loathsome wife. The old woman shames him by reminding him that nobleness does not come from birth, but from good deeds and the grace of God.
Is the Wife of Bath evil?
Prior to her personal prologue, in Chaucer’s “General Prologue,” we learn that the Wife of Bath is a “good” wife, though ‘somewhat deaf’ (in her prologue we learn her deafness is the result of a violent fight with one of her “bad” husbands).
What is the most important quote from the Wife of Bath’s tale?
I grante thee lyf if thou kanst tellen me What thyng is it that wommen moost desiren. Be war, and keepe thy nekke boon from iren.
What is the irony in the Wife of Bath’s tale?
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 is the moral lesson of the Wife of Bath’s tale?
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 does the Wife of Bath’s tale end?
The Wife of Bath’s Tale ends with the knight and the old lady having wed, in their nuptial bed. The knight is very upset because his wife is so old and unappealing to him, and she asks if he’d rather a faithful wife or a beautiful one. After talking, he agrees to let her decide and offers her power over him.