Canterbury Tales Essay - Anti-Feminist Rhetoric in The...

Anti-Feminist Rhetoric in The Wife Of Bath In Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath is a strong woman who loudly states her opinions about the antifeminist sentiments popular at the time. Chaucer, however, frequently discredits her arguments by making them unfounded and generally compromising her character. This brings into question Chaucers political intent with the Wife of Bath. Is he supportive of her views, or is he making a mockery of woman who challenge the patriarchal society and its restriction and mistrust of women? The Wifes comedic character, frequent misquoting of authorities, marital infidelity, and her (as well as Chaucers) own antifeminist sentiments weaken the argument that Chaucer supported†¦show more content†¦Another example of the Wifes comedy is when she tells her soon-to-be fifth husband of a fictitious dream involving blood. She credits her mother with the idea, but it is ridiculous because after her fourth husband, she is clearly not a virgin. The Wife seems oblivious to thi s, which makes it all the more humorous and discredits her further. Perhaps the most ruinous of the Wifes characteristics is her frequent misquoting of authorities. Assuming that the editors of The Norton Anthology are correct, and that Chaucer knew that the Wifes claims were incorrect, the frequency of her false authoritative references diminishes the credibility of her arguments. During her prologue, she uses the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well to question the Bibles view of remarriage. As Norton points out, Jesus is denouncing the womans sixth lover, to whom she is not yet married. She misquotes the Bible again in her comment about white and barley bread . According to Norton, it is actually John, not Mark, who mentions the barley bread. A third misquote occurs during her prologue: Whoso that nil be war by othere men,/By him shal othere men corrected be. Again, according to Norton, this passage does not appear anywhere in Ptolemys Almagest. While the Wife is rattling on about her high ideals in marriage, Chaucer hints at her infidelity. While it is never statedShow MoreRelated Passive Women in Chaucers Canterbury Tales? Essay1466 Words   |  6 PagesPassive Women in Chaucers Canterbury Tales? One argument that reigns supreme when considering Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is whether or not there is an element of anti-feminism within the text. One thread that goes along with this is whether or not the women of The Canterbury Tales are passive within the tales told. This essay will explore the idea that the women found within the tales told by the pilgrims (The Knight’s Tale, The Miller’s Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Tale to name a few) are not