TheWyvesPageofBathe

From Wyclif

From the Ellesmere manuscript.

This page is devoted to questions and comments about the Wife of Bath, her portrait in the General Prologue, her own prologue, and her tale. My students will please note that there is another page on the wiki with excellent questions about the Wife of Bath.

Allison’s Tale

My tinking, twirling spurs, with every sway
of this old horse’s swagger, catch the sun.
I’ve traveled everywhere; my red stockings
peek out from under my bunched riding skirt.
I tilt my head to hear the raven caw —
my boxed ears hear only the quiet hum
of Jankyn’s meaty blow, echoing dimly.
Those rumors of my spaced teeth are all true,
I’ve had my share of lustful entanglements.
Five times I’ve stood before that glowering priest
and his book of godly vessels and useful wives.
What role for me? A wife or pointless, sealed,
and holy virgin precious to God—not Man?
A fruitful, clever and productive wife
Was my only choice; my heart would not submit
and hide under blunt folds of divine love.
From Jerusalem to boggy Canterbury
I wandered wide and experience taught me well.

I wrote this poem to express my intense curiosity for the Wife of Bath, she really is a remarkable character, one that Chaucer must have liked. Her prolouge is longer than most of the pilgrims and she gives so many details about her character that it is almost shocking to hear how brutally honest she can be. I laugh and sometimes think of her as a celebrity telling their most juicy secrets and confessions! Comments and reactions are welcome.Silverluna, March 8th

I enjoyed your poem--It made me smile. I enjoyed the Wife of Bath because she is a constant contradiction. She made me laugh, and I agree that Chaucer must have liked her. She is the easiest character for me to visualize so far, and even her picture evoked a chuckle. She seems to enjoy the shock and amusement she causes! (LUnderwood 3-14-06)

The Wife of Bath's Tale makes me laugh because of how serious it becomes when the haggard woman redefines nobility and grace. It echoes Chaucer's brilliant decision not to introduce the characters by rank. Gentility should be measured by noble deeds. The implications are ever present in our world today. So many "high class" people hide behind the facade of wealth and their actions rarely prove why they receive such a stigma of respect. The old woman cites Jesus Christ and Dante to help prove her point. But the greatest humor comes at the end when the Wife of Bath steps into the tale, more so than at any other point, and prays to God for young husbands to be sent who will give complete power to their wives, and if not, she asks for them suffer and die...she's insane. I love her. This is, by far, one of my favorite short stories. Blueridgeborn 3/15/06

Silverluna-The poem is wonderful. You just have to love the Wife of Bath. She's hundreds of years before her time. Her brazeness in speaking as she did of such private matters and in front of a group of mainly men! I just wonder what the Prioress or the good men of the bunch were thinking and what their faces looked like while she was speaking. I had to laugh when the pardoner in lines 186-187 solicits her to teach them of her techniques.Her ending advice is to die for! Elizabeth(ah)3-16-06

Thanks, Elizabeth(ah)! I am planning on writing a few other poems, perhaps one for the Miller or Prioress. Silverluna 3-17

I have enjoyed reading the Wife of Bath. She is a very interesting character and I love how she justifies how many times she has been married. I also liked it when she said how she can use her husband's body whenever she wanted. My husband would love for me to be that way. Annette Cole 3/16/06

The Wife of Bath is perhaps my favorite pilgrim. Her bluntness and character are extremely humorous and enjoyable. She seems to be a real person with real needs and desires, and, as a woman, is not afraid to express them. I love that the Prologue to her tale is longer than her tale. I think that says a lot about her unique character. magzie

Do you wonder how the husbands died? Divorce was not possible, so we must assume that the husbands all died due to: "natural" causes? Murder? Suicide? Sometimes she suggests that she knew Jankyn before she married him. I'm not sure the citation, if I find it I will include it, but I think she saw him at her former husband's funeral. What do you think of the Book that Jankyn read from? Would you have put up with it? I certainly would have made sure it got "lost" while I was "cleaning" *g*.Silverluna, 3-22

I'm curious to know what the other characters thought of the Wife of Bath. As one of only two women (I think) on the journey, I am kind of surprised that only the Summoner tries to proposition her into educating him in her ways. It seems like the more pious characters would have something to say about many of the things she talks about and yet (I believe) they remain silent. Jacob

Very good point Jacob. Personally, I don't understand why Chaucer did not have the Prioress or maybe her nuns give some sort of response. Here I think Chaucer lacks a bit of realism. In real life, there would have perhaps been more reactions or "counters" to someone's "outrageous" claims. There are other places in the Tales( other character's prologues for example)where there is a lot of "realistic" interaction between characters. Perhaps this re-enforces the idea that the Tales are infact unfinished. --Silverluna 4/4/06

I really like your poem!You did a very nice job with it and I especially liked the last line ~Andreea

I love the Wife of Bath's Tale. It was humorous and witty. She doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks of her; so much so that she actually sounds as if she would like another husband while on this Pilgrammage. I think that she is a little ahead of her time, a free thinker. She definitely moves at her own pace(she has had five husbands-How many people in that time period have had five husbands by the time they are 40? I don't even know anyone today that has had five husbands!)-Brandi

I like your poem- Jennifer Butler

---

Return to CarolWoodPage