The Impact of Religious Change on Literature in the Late Middle Ages European society in the Late Middle Ages was governed socially and economically by Catholicism, and this expansive power resulted in widespread abuses of power in the clergy. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Wife of Bath’s character and her tale to challenge these behaviors in a satirical manner that would resonate with his predominately religious audience (Phillips 16). Allusions to the unorthodox notions of Lollardy are reflected by the Wife of Bath’s interpretation of Scripture, and provide a clue as to some of Chaucer’s potential influences for writing The Canterbury Tales (Blamires 224). The Wife of Bath’s moral complexities, the Friar’s corruption, and the Knight’s obscene …show more content…
The Twelve Conclusions are the most thorough description of early Lollard teachings, and were presented to Parliament in 1395 (Blamires). These conclusions encourage the marriage of widows and discredit priestly authority, and Alyson’s eagerness on these fronts aligns her actions with this theism (Allen). Admittedly, there is more to her character than heretical associations. In fact, the Wife of Bath’s tale exemplifies the medieval theatre genre of confession, where the protagonist “confesses” their shortcomings, usually one of the seven deadly sins, to the audience (Cornett 3-4). Her story would fascinate an audience of that time, as the knight’s sexual assault leads to groveling before the king and queen, the confession, then a fantastic chivalric quest that ends in perpetual happiness. Evidently, the religious and political opinions of Geoffrey Chaucer live through his characters, and it is interesting how the Wife of Bath, in her efforts to undermine clerical improvidence, parallels the characterization of