While I refute the patristic and feminism criticism that argues the Wife is meant to be the supreme embodiment and confirmation of medieval stereotypes (Rigby 134). These critics argue that WB is far from expecting us to be convinced by her arguments and the humor of the Prologue lies in Chaucer's desire to have his readers see through WB's defense of women as she proceeds to condemn herself.
The reader first meets the pilgrims in the General Prologue (GP), where Chaucer provides subtle indications to the type of character he describes. When the reader is first introduced to the WB in the GP obviously she is not a typical medieval woman. Chaucer has come under critical disapproval for not adhering to socially prescribed gender roles for feminity in his character WB. WB, being competitive, steadfastly desires to come first when it comes to offertory at her parish. Though she has been married five times, she is childless in a period when there were no contraceptives and we know it is not for the lack of sex in her relations. She seems relaxed and sits "esily" on her ambler. Her portrait on the Harvard website shows that she rides her horse astride, against the normalic of sidesaddle for women. We can imagine that WB puts aside the more "lady-like" style of riding at her own convince while traveling the road to Canterbury (Biebel 64). How she chooses to travel is a minor aspect of crossing the lines of cultural gender expectations. She is also described as an efficient business person, not afraid to verbalize her desires, and she laughs and jokes in [mixed] company (lines 445-75). Her attire seems loud, heavy and abrasive. The effect of masculinity is reinforced by her hat, "as brood as is a bokeler or a targe", and her vast experience in "wandrynge by the weye". "She is a parody of a knight-errant. The narrator exclaims over the weight of her headdress as one might over a knight's armor or equipment" (Martin 38).
