Alisoun's 'The Wife Of Bath'

The Wife of Bath Alisoun first introduces the work of art using a prologue which she uses to justify her numerous marriages; she gives examples of prominent men who had several wives and argues that living a virtuous life does not always apply to everyone; she questions what the genitalia was made for. Alisoun states that the genitalia was created by God solely for procreation and comfortably sates that she will use her instrument as freely as her maker had sent it (Chaucer 150). Alisoun paints quite a negative image of women, she implies that chastity should not be observed but women should be solely driven by their sexual desires. This is not the reasoning from the feminist school of thought. To add on to that, the prologue is characterized by a obsession with sex, which she uses to manipulate her husbands, of which she has had five, into acquiescing their land and money to her control, which is perfect example of the traditional figure of the wanton woman who is selfish, licentious, greedy, and dangerous to men (Justman 345). The feminists fight for fairness when dealing with women and not women being perverts, selfish and manipulating men by using their genitalia to

The Wife verifies this when she says, “And she obeyed hym in every thing/ That myghte doon hym plesance or liking” (Chaucer 1255-56). This is a clear proof that the tale, in reality does not support feminism despite the fact that the wife theoretically seemed to advocate for female empowerment, a totally coward move is shown when the wife goes quiet and does only what the husband likes. The feminism school of thought believes in ‘walking the talk’ rather than just advocating for things and not taking