The Wife of Bath's Views on Love, Marriage, and Female Supre

The Wife of Bath, as introduced in the General Prologue, is a professed authority on love and a firm believer in the rule of man by woman, and in her own precedence generally. Chaucer describes her as being somewhat deaf; she was also an excellent seamstress and weaver, and she had been on several other pilgrimages. She wore fine clothing, including scarlet red stockings and a large hat; Chaucer points these out to show her availability and her prosperity. The Wife had been married five times already, and Chaucer noted her assertiveness and sensuality as evidenced by the gaps in her teeth.

The Wife of Bath clearly has her own perception of marriage, which Chaucer hints at in his Prologue and fully reveals in the Wife’s Prologue and Tale. In both the Prologue and Tale of the Wife, we see the institution of marriage used to control financial and sexual powers. The Wife of Bath displays a complete sense of mockery toward marriage as a holy institution; she also views marriage as a woman’s chance to dominate a man.

In her Prologue, the Wife of Bath announces that she believes experience is more important than authority, and she defends her actions of

marrying five men. She interprets from Scripture: “But wel I woot, expres, withouten lie, God bade for to wexe and multiplye: That gentil text can I wel understonde. Eek wel I woot he saide that myn housebonde shoulde let fader and moder and take to me, But of no nombre mencion made he-of bigamye or of octogamye; Why shoulde men thanne speke of it vilainye?” (lines 27-34). She uses her multiple marriages as a sort of fulfillment of God’s Word. She also

Chaucer’s narrative of the Wife of Bath states that she is such a good weaver and is so successful that her fame has spread to Europe and back; however, in her Prologue, the Wife describes herself as one who has risen financially by marrying old men and outliving them. The Wife of Bath’s own description of herself is the one she seems to prefer, perhaps because it shows her as a strong woman who had complete supremacy over her husbands, rather than as a hardworking seamstress. Chaucer also portrays her as domineering, sensual, and as an expert in love-related matters; the Wife echoes these characteristics of herself in her Prologue.

uses specific examples from Scripture where men had more than one wife: Solomon, Abraham, and Jacob, who were all considered holy, devout men. She then justifies her marriages by citing St. Paul’s warning that it is better to marry than to burn. The Wife uses these biblical examples not only to justify her own marriages, but also to state that without such marriages there would be no procreation to produce more virgins.

The relationship that develops between the knight and the hag also illustrates the Wife of Bath’s intention of showing that submission to the desires and needs of women does not necessarily result in t

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