... becomes as significant as the meaning behind any other mundane prop in his plots. The first example of this becomes obvious with the seemingly contradicting character of the Wife of Bath. Her experiences are clearly paradoxical in relation to her convictions, yet Chaucer, certainly aware of this, makes no attempt to further elaborate on her illogical understandings, especially of those regarding ... sex. In her prologue the Wife of Bath tells the other pilgrims that the purpose of marriage and sexual organs is to procreate. She cites the famous verse from the Bible "Be fruitful and mult...

• Word Count: 1877
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... battlefield 'action' that his chainmail has begun to rust. It is a device used by Chaucer to convey the character of his pilgrims using their appearance. Thus when the Wife of Bath is described as being "gat-toothed", the reader can assume that she is lusty as it was believed in the Middle ages that this particular physical attribute denoted that characteristic ... ...

• Word Count: 2064
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate