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The Wife Of Bath's Tale Feminist Essay

1265 Words6 Pages

Within Chaucer’s semi-feminist classic “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” there are quite a few themes, but I thought the one concerning women and femininity was the most intriguing. The story is told by a Wife who is the epitome of feminism, but her story is plagued by the characteristics of a patriarchal society. Chaucer was trying to emulate a story empowering women, but the men in this story come out on top. Is Geoffrey Chaucer a feminist, and should this story be considered feminist literature?
At the beginning of the tale, a sexual assault occurs on a beautiful woman inflicted by the young knight. The knight is to be beheaded, but Queen Guinevere takes it upon herself to decide his fate. She forces the knight go on a year long quest to find out what it is that women truly want. The knight receives a million different answers from multiple women and is about to return home without an answer when he stumbles upon a group of dancing, beautiful women. However, once he gets closer, the women disappear and all that is left is an …show more content…

He tells her that women most desire sovereignty over their husbands: “Women desire to have sovereynetee / As wel over hir housbond as hir love,” (119). The old woman demands that she become the knight’s wife and love since she gave him the right answer and spared his life (“that thou me take unto thy wyf, / For wel thou woost that I have kept thy lyf.” (119)). In agony, the knight agrees to the old woman’s demand. The women asks whether he wants her to be old and ugly but faithful, or young and beautiful, but with no guarantee of her fidelity. The knight lets her decide, which is what women want: sovereignty over their husband. The woman turns beautiful and faithful and the knight gets to live a happy, free life! Chaucer’s misrepresentation of what women truly want baffles me because in the end the Knight ends up winning over

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