The Wife Of Bath's Tale By Chaucer

The Wife of Bath’s Tale begins with a Knight who must answer one question in order for his life to be spared and for him to gain some sense of honor back. This Knight must answer the question of what women truly want. In his journey to find the answer to said question, he comes across an ugly old woman who says she can answer his question of what women truly desire. The ugly old woman asks for one thing in return "Plight me thy trouthe heere in myn hand," she says to the knight (Chaucer 1009). She essentially is asking him to swear fealty to her. Knowing that he has nowhere else to turn for his answer he gives in. This is the first glimpse of power we see the Wife of Bath secure and eventually take advantage of. There are several other examples

For example, when the ugly old woman and the Knight make it back to court so that the knight can fulfill the task given to him by his Queen, his answer and the reaction of the women present for his answer. In response to the Knights answer that women desire power over their husbands and power in general, Chaucer wrote “In al the court ne was ther wyf, ne mayde,...But seyden he was worthy han his lyf (1043-1045).” The women of the court and the Queen’s willingness to agree with what the Knight said, shows how the women of this tale think and further signifies that the wife was correct in her views and that it's common knowledge among the

This is also something that is very apparent as the story ends. There is the moment when the ugly old woman and the Knight are in bed and she offers the knight a choice. She says “ To han me foul and old til that I deye... Or elles ye wol han me yong and fair, And take youre aventure of the repair…(Chaucer 1220-1224).” At first it appears that the Women has given the Knight some sense of power back. She is giving him the power of choice, but the Knight relinquished that power back to the ugly old woman, when he says “ I put me in youre wise governance… For as yow liketh, it suffiseth me (Chaucer 1231-1235).” It is here that we see that the Knight has finally given the ugly old woman exactly what he knows all women to want now. He has given her power over him, this is very apparent to the old women because in the preceding line she says “"Thanne have I gete of yow maistrie (Chaucer 1236)." Unbeknownst to the Knight, the story has come full circle from his quest of seeking what women desire most and finally to him giving the old hag that exact