Since the beginning of literature, women have been depicted as devious individuals. As a result, women put use to this stereotype to get what they want. This is proven, especially in medieval literature. Examples of this are shown in works like “Macbeth,” * Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” and “The Canterbury Tales”.
Gloria Steinem once stated, “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” This quote is saying that women don’t need men, but the world has made the impression that they do. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale, women desire power over their husbands. In Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Tale, in lines 214 and 215, it states, “A woman wants the self-same sovereignty Over her husband as over her lover, And master him; he must not be above her.”
In the second-to-last stanza, it appears that the woman had decided that the knight had fully learned his lesson, and they were able to have a happy relationship. The last stanza seems to be an ideal that the Wife of Bath holds. Instead of wives being, “meek and young and fresh in bed,” the Wife of Bath wishes for men to be held to that same standard. She also prays that any man who, “won’t be governed by their wives” to be killed, meaning that she wants men to hold the same amount of respect for their romantic partner as anyone else, otherwise they should be punished. These stanzas offer a satisfying conclusion, while also adding in the Wife of Bath’s ideas of gender equality and respect.
Chaucer characterizes The Wife of Bath as controlling and powerful. The Wife of Bath was a complete contradiction of the typical female, during this time. The average woman was submissive and reserved. Whereas, The Wife of Bath possessed character traits that one would associate with men. Chaucer emphasizes this trait by describing her in such ways one would describe a man.
Stereotypes of Women in The Canterbury Tales Stereotypes of women have not changed throughout the years of history. Throughout the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer portrays women through negative stereotypes. Women are portrayed as selfish, lustful and immoral. In the Wife of Bath’s Prologue women are portrayed as selfish.
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales are two pieces of British literature that are incredibly interesting and thorough. Women play important roles in both of the texts. Throughout Sir Gawain and The Green Knight there are several important females present. The women being Guinevere for a short period of time, Lady Bertilak, and Morgan Le Fay. Guinevere is presented at the beginning of the text before The Green Knight barges into the castle, and is presented as the standard of beauty.
The Wife of Bath’s behaviors are questionable but are inherently aided by the social injustices that face women of this time period. The Wife of Bath discloses that for her first three marriages she sought out older wealthy men for sex and money. Her intentions included making her husbands fall in love with her and then making them have enormous amounts of sex until they die. In addition, the wife elaborates on her occasional tumultuous tirades of accusing her husbands of being unfaithful to her. Her uproars chided her husbands into persistently obliging into her every request.
In “The Franklin’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer, he employs the idea of gender norms to present a maistrie where Arveragus is dominant over Dorigen in their relationship. Chaucer entails this dominance over Dorigen when Arvegaus is described that “he wrought for his lady before she was won.” The fact that Chaucer describes Dorigen as being “won over” by Arvegaus denotes the dominance he has over her. Dorigen is being won over as if she is an object or more specifically a trophy that can be owned. This is done to the effect of emphasizing the idea that Dorigen, like most women during that time, are only property of their husbands.
In the book of Wife of Bath’s Tale, Geoffrey Chaucer shows the role of a woman being weak creatures while men are economically powerful and educated. Women are seen as inheritor of eve and thus causes
Gender Roles: Interpreting The Opposite Sex In today’s society men and women are often expected to perform different tasks, and occupy different roles based on their sex. Within different cultures, the view of how women and men should act and interact varies with political and religious influences, as well as personal influences. Geoffrey Chaucer suggests that people’s ability to understand the opposite sex is divided because of the stereotypes set in society for the opposite genders. Women are more likely to work as secretaries, and men are likely expected to work as managers and executives in the working field.
If you would take a moment to picture what your ideal boss is; would it be someone who is a strong leader, someone who takes control of a situation, or is not always apart of the staff drama? Now wouldn’t you say the the first person you thought of was a man figure, for most of the population their idea boss would be a man. That just shows how women aren't very represented in anything until recent years in anything but the kitchen. Even today it has taken women a lot of fighting and struggle to be even seen as “equal” to a man. It just shows that most women, have been seen as care givers ever since the beginning of time.
Medieval Women Are Not What You Think They Are Women of the medieval times are not like women today, women in the medieval times were known to be cunning and manipulative. In the book “The Prologue” to Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, Chaucer gives us details about a Nun who is shown as manipulative and cunning and that it is also a trend for medieval women to be manipulative and cunning not only her. “The Prologue” is about how author Geoffrey Chaucer goes on a pilgrimage and takes note about the people that he views. On his pilgrimage there is a Nun who does things that nuns would not typically do such as wear red lipstick. Chaucer then continues to write about how she is not your typical nun and shows manipulative and cunning traits.
In the fourteen century, men were always the superior, head of the household, the breadwinner, but women were always inferior, they would stay at home, do the house work, cook, and never would have a job. Well, times have changed. Women are reaching an equal status to men in political, social and economic matters It’s part of the idea called Feminism. In many ways the Wife of Bath displays many characteristic of women in the 21st century. Instead of being directed by men, she views herself as an independent person.
In The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, women are treated as objects and sexual entertainment. Women are defined by their beauty, social standings, and upbringing. What women want is control over men and to be defined by their wisdom and intelligence. Several female characters, two in particular, Alice and Alisoun support the strength of women and reject that fact that they are looked at as less than men. The women have little control over the men and they slowly gain their power by manipulating men and using their sexual desires to entice them, thus giving women more control over men which is very rare.
Abstract: Medieval period is mainly enclosed with a great time of tension and pressure which has been the most influential point that stood on the back stages of the different authors. One of the main matters of that period was the role of the women which has also been highlighted in the prominent works of medieval writers. In the middle ages, women did not possess the rights like in modern world. Most of the women were submissive and obedient, and they were domineered by the opposite gender. Men had dominance over the women of medieval period.
