SATIRE IN CHAUCER’S WIFE OF

BATH

WHO’S TALKING?

Chaucer the Pilgrim• The character who is on the journey, traveling with

the group.• He can be blamed for anything controversial he

says.• The narrator of the story.

Chaucer the Poet• The man behind all of the tales.• Which of his pilgrim’s views can we assume are his

own?• He can hide behind “Chaucer the Pilgrim”

Somewhat deaf.

Skilled in cloth-making.

1st to offering at church.• Would get angry if someone

went ahead; lost charity for her neighbor.

Other women scared of her.

Flashy dress• Heavy head cover; huge hat;

scarlet red stockings; new shoes; sharp spurs

Bold facial features

Red coloring (hair and skin, fair)

WO B: ACCO RDING TO CHAUCER THE P IL GRIM

Widely set apart teeth

Large hips; skirt covering

Married 5 husbands.• Not counting other company

in her youth.

3 religious pilgrimages.• Jerusalem

Traveled many exotic places

Knew how to laugh and chatter; sociableKnew about love’s remedies

CHAUCER VS. CHURCH

The views of the church fathers are incredibly black and white and very rigid, which make them either:

• A) Easy to criticize and satirize because they are so extreme.

• B) To be taken very seriously because of how strict they are and how influential they were.• Some evidence even suggests that a woman’s

submission to her husband was written in medieval law.

GUIDING QUESTION

Is the Wife of Bath an object of satire or an instrument of it?Object: Antifeminist View

• Warning against what happens when women gain power; a monster is created. Women will use their sexual powers for nothing but harm.

Instrument: Feminist View• Exposes the absurdity of the strict views of marriage, sex, and

gender roles held by the “authorities” of the time; exposes the absurdity of their fear of women taking power through an extreme, unrealistic example

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDERHas Chaucer created a monster by bringing the antifeminist tradition to life in The Wife of Bath? Or, does Chaucer refute that tradition by showing the absurdity of the antifeminist fear?

The Wife of Bath claims that “experience” is a better guide to truth than learned “authorities.” Is there any evidence that Chaucer believes this and is thereby giving us ready to question the authorities?

Has he assembled all the authorities cited in the “Prologue” in order to demonstrate their shortcomings? Or does the Wife expose her own moral deficiencies in her effort to dismiss them? (In other words, is this a caution against not taking the authorities seriously? Or is this an affirmation that there ARE problems with their thinking?)

THE WIFE OF BATH: IS SHE CONVINCING?

With a partner, you will read and analyze The Wife of Bath’s arguments in her prologue. You should locate 8 arguments of the Church Fathers and 8 counter-arguments of The Wife of Bath. Cut out the 8 arguments of each and glue them in the appropriate categories. Then you will summarize the argument and decide who you think is more convincing.