The Wife of Bath's tale is one of the most popular stories from Chaucer's "the Canterbury Tales" and there is a good reason behind this: it deals with power!
Where is the power in the relationship, how much power do women have in comparison to men? Do they even have power?
Another characteristic of the story that makes it popular is the heated controversy: is it profeminist, endorsing an empowered vision of women or antifeminist, maintaining the status quo of patriarchy?
In light of optimism, I would personally like to read the Wife of Bath's Tale as pro-feminist. However, I have serious doubts as to whether Chaucer really intended this particular interpretation. Despite the ambiguity throughout the tale, which facilitates both readings, the ending -at least for me- makes me turn towards a patriarchal understanding; it is more of a mockery of women’s supposed power than an acceptance of the existence of this power.
The old hug, throughout the tale, mocks and plays with the knight; on their wedding bed, after he calls her foul and old, she responds: “Is this,” asked she, “the cause of your unrest?”. She dismisses external beauty and exposes the knight’s shallowness before she continues to deconstruct concepts such as beauty, class, economic status etc. She is a clever and strong female figure, witty, cunning and powerful. She then makes him an offer: “since I know your delight, I’ll satisfy your wordly appetite”; she can be either beautiful but unfaithful or old, ugly but submissive. At this moment, she has all the power over her husband, but she quickly yields and accepts (or rather puts herself in) a lower position. The old hug, despite her wit, cannot maintain the power; she doesn’t really know how to use it, which results in the final shift: the power is returned yet again to the man.
The knight, having acquired useful insight regarding women’s psychology, is more aware of her wishes: “Women desire to have the sovereignty as well upon their husband as their love, and to have mastery their man above”. So, he decides to outsmart her in her own game. Instead of making the decision himself, he places himself under her “wise governing”. He acts as if he has resigned from his power on their marriage and lets her think she holds all the cards. Instead of insulting her, he tries to be nice to her (“My lady and my love, and wife so dear”) and go with her flow. The result is astonishing: he gets to enjoy his fairytale ending, having a “both a good and fair” wife. Instead of testing him, she ends up trying to ultimately please him, canceling out her previous arguments regarding age and beauty.
In the Wife of Bath's Tale, the man somehow managed to rape a woman and end up with a beautiful, young, obedient wife to suit his status as a knight. Her response defeats the whole lesson; the knight learns nothing, except perhaps how to trick his wife, by giving her an illusion of power. She is pleased, falsely thinking she is above him, when, in reality, she has no power.
Women in the story are portrayed as weak competitors for power in their relationships with men. A hideous crime is rewarded, instead of profoundly punished and the women fail to teach any kind of lesson. Their efforts are ridiculed and their status is further diminished. Ultimately, the tale reaffirms the status quo of patriarchy and adopts a critical attitude towards women.
Elle Papadopoulou
Another characteristic of the story that makes it popular is the heated controversy: is it profeminist, endorsing an empowered vision of women or antifeminist, maintaining the status quo of patriarchy?
In light of optimism, I would personally like to read the Wife of Bath's Tale as pro-feminist. However, I have serious doubts as to whether Chaucer really intended this particular interpretation. Despite the ambiguity throughout the tale, which facilitates both readings, the ending -at least for me- makes me turn towards a patriarchal understanding; it is more of a mockery of women’s supposed power than an acceptance of the existence of this power.
The old hug, throughout the tale, mocks and plays with the knight; on their wedding bed, after he calls her foul and old, she responds: “Is this,” asked she, “the cause of your unrest?”. She dismisses external beauty and exposes the knight’s shallowness before she continues to deconstruct concepts such as beauty, class, economic status etc. She is a clever and strong female figure, witty, cunning and powerful. She then makes him an offer: “since I know your delight, I’ll satisfy your wordly appetite”; she can be either beautiful but unfaithful or old, ugly but submissive. At this moment, she has all the power over her husband, but she quickly yields and accepts (or rather puts herself in) a lower position. The old hug, despite her wit, cannot maintain the power; she doesn’t really know how to use it, which results in the final shift: the power is returned yet again to the man.
The knight, having acquired useful insight regarding women’s psychology, is more aware of her wishes: “Women desire to have the sovereignty as well upon their husband as their love, and to have mastery their man above”. So, he decides to outsmart her in her own game. Instead of making the decision himself, he places himself under her “wise governing”. He acts as if he has resigned from his power on their marriage and lets her think she holds all the cards. Instead of insulting her, he tries to be nice to her (“My lady and my love, and wife so dear”) and go with her flow. The result is astonishing: he gets to enjoy his fairytale ending, having a “both a good and fair” wife. Instead of testing him, she ends up trying to ultimately please him, canceling out her previous arguments regarding age and beauty.
In the Wife of Bath's Tale, the man somehow managed to rape a woman and end up with a beautiful, young, obedient wife to suit his status as a knight. Her response defeats the whole lesson; the knight learns nothing, except perhaps how to trick his wife, by giving her an illusion of power. She is pleased, falsely thinking she is above him, when, in reality, she has no power.
Women in the story are portrayed as weak competitors for power in their relationships with men. A hideous crime is rewarded, instead of profoundly punished and the women fail to teach any kind of lesson. Their efforts are ridiculed and their status is further diminished. Ultimately, the tale reaffirms the status quo of patriarchy and adopts a critical attitude towards women.
Elle Papadopoulou
Comments
Post a Comment