Canterbury Tales: Wife of Bath Analysis

Canterbury Tales married woman of clean Analysismformer(a) superior and married woman of vatCanterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a frozen picture of spiritedness in the Middle Ages. Chaucer places his characters on a pilgrimage, a religious voyage made to a shrine or holy place. They be travel on horseback from London to the shrine of martyr Saint doubting Thomas a Becket at Canterbury. Chaucer has very opinionated views of the manners and behaviors of wowork force and expresses it strongly in the Tale. In his collection of Tales, he portrays two extremes in his prospect of women. The wife of Bath represents the extravagant and lusty woman where as the mother superior represents the admirable and devoted follower of church. Chaucer delineates the two characters contrastingly in their appearances, general manners, cultivation and or so evidently in their behavior toward men. Two female characters in Canterbury Tales portray themselves differently to what would be expecte d of their class and view.The wife of Bath represents liberal extreme in regards to female stereotypes of the Middle Ages. Unlike most women organism anonymous during the middle Ages, she has a mind of her own and voices herself. Furthermore, she thinks passing highly of herself and enjoys showing off her Sunday clothes. Because of her obnoxious attitude, Chaucer makes her toothless, fat and large. The Prioress on the other hand, serves as a foil to the Wife of Bath. Chaucer describes her as a tender-hearted (154) who can non bear the sight of pain or physical suffering. She apply to weep if she hardly saw a mouse caught in a trap, if it were dead or bleeding (148-9). Chaucer paints a very delicate and fine picture of the Prioress. Chaucer describes her table manners as very graceful, not a drop of anything would fall from her mouth, and she was very polite when talking things at the twaddle (131-134). Chaucers last description of Prioress the letter A around her recognize that stood for Amour vincit omnia (166) meaning L everywhere Conquers all. The symbol that she wore showed that she is perfect and obviously a representation of what most men of that time wanted but they couldnt gravel her. Accordingly, the Wife of Bath is daunting, ostentatious, and ugly. She is nothing in comparison to the Prioress who is elegant, tumefy mannered and above all loving.The Prioresss superiority over the Wife of Bath is shown again in the presence of education. The Wife of Bath has traveled a great deal and seems knowledgeable about things of the world. She brings up many binding points through with(predicate)out the prologue, but Chaucer voids her opinion because of her social class and looks, when in accuracy she is actually wise. On the contrary, the Prioress is considered scholastic and high class referable to her good manners. Her ability to speak French puts her character in a higher class category. Thus, once again the Prioress is considered intelligent. Wife of Baths execution and thinking not only differ from the Prioress, but almost from every wizard else in the Middle Ages.The Wife of Bath is radical especially when it comes to relationship with men. She is characterized as knowing much about love, which is illustrated by her physical description being gap-toothed, which symbolizes sexual accomplishment. Its interesting how the Wife of Bath is always striving to deport sovereignty and the Prioress was granted sovereignty even though she didnt desire for it intentionally.The Wife of Bath and the Prioress alike make believe power over men once again this characterization would s superintend men. The Prioress, as her light upon suggests is a superior being in a monastic company for women is so important that three priests were in her company (168) as this shows her status as the boss, which would be fearful for men at that time. Early in the tale, there is a quotation by the Wife of Bath backup the idea of mens fear. I dont deny that I will have my husbands twain my debtor and my slave, and as long as I am his married woman he shall suffer in the flesh. I will have involve over his body during all of his life, not he. In other course she is saying that she will have total control over herself, her husband, and their household. Wife of Bath has a choice of not giving in to the man, but she decides to let the man have pleasure for his desire not hers. Because from her by experience, she knows how much men enjoy when women ar submissive.Ironically, She (Prioress) was all sentiment (154), this is shown through her use of the Jew as the villain of her tale. However, there is no historical express of ritual murder of Christian children by Jews, but that would have not mattered to the pilgrims. This tale also reinforces her devotion to the church and this characterization can be seen as a fear to some men as they are unable to obtain her. This is the only time we see that Chaucer is telling us that the Prioress is not as perfect as she might have first seemed. She is basically a fake. A Prioress should take care of people but instead in Canterbury Tales, she had little dogs, (150) which was against the rules of the Church. She also love to show off her dress, which is not something a nun would do.Chaucer now contrasts feelings in the Prioress with senses of the Wife of Bath. Prioress embodies fastidious sensibility. The Wife of Bath is the magnetic pole of elemental vitality. Prioress is simple and coy (123) and she never curses. However, she subtly violates the laws of her ordinance by keeping pets, overdressing and taking on to a pilgrimage. On the other hand, Wife of Baths aggressiveness demonstrates of her instincts, appetites and will. She makes the institutions of Church pilgrimage and marriage serve to her temperament. Chaucer veritable two basic traits of her Experience and desire for mastery.Its interesting to know that how Chaucer manipulates the sense modality of m edieval romance with Prioress physically resembling a romance heroine, and the Wife of Bath is used in a romantic setting in Canterbury Tales. Both ways of using romance are connected with irony. sacred issues bring up another interesting contrast between the Wife of Bath and Prioress. Wife of Bath embodies empirical knowledge of facts the Prioress embodies contrivance religious faith.Chaucer is trying to educate women through these tales, and say that there are times that one should be a feminist and times one should be not. In his compare and contrast, he shows in both women what men fear. Wife of Bath is excessively sex appealing, and the Prioress is generally fill up with feelings. As we all know by now, that both of the womans are not what they seem to be, but they are the opposite of their class and status.