Chaucer's View of Women Exposed in The Canterbury Tales

makes her feel so “silly as to make him uncomfortable just for a whim” while she is

In the wife’s prologue she beings by granting herself authority, given the time and circumstance of the background this would be shocking to most of those around her. She does this two ways: first, she gives her experiences of her many marriages, she then alines her experiences with that of a respected man. “Experience, though no authority. Were in this world, would be enough for me To speak of woe that married life affords; For since I was twelve years of age, my lords, Thanks be to God eternally alive, Of husbands at the church door I 've had five (If I have wed that often legally), And all were worthy men in their degree.” This is a clever trick she is using at the very beginning. when she states that her experience is not an authority. This is because she is almost lessening herself before she alines herself with a king in the next statement. She humbles herself, and allows her audience to make her higher. But she insures this higher thought by highlighting her

obligated to do. She not only prefers this but her bravery, obstinacy and other traits destroy the

In the time period of the 14th century, many woman faced inequality. Women were not viewed to uphold the same quota as men. Most females were viewed as passive to males and were not able to make many demands in their relationships or make any contributions to their own survival or life. In the “Wife of Bath Tale”, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, Chaucer gives an insight into the struggles of a woman. Chaucer gives a voice for women who cannot speak for themselves. He creates a tale for the Wife of Bath that includes and questions the societal views of women. Written in the words of a woman, Chaucer undermines what it means to be a female in the fourteenth century who desires independence and

The Wife used her body as a bargaining tool, withholding sexual pleasure until her husbands gave her what she demanded; power. She even admitted that she had a healthy sexual appetite and alluded to the fact that she may quench those appetites outside of wedlock. In a way this foreshadowed the old hag who wished to gain higher social class, which would ultimately result in more power. She used her knowledge as a bargaining tool, withholding knowledge until the knight proclaimed to give her what she demanded. Both women have provided themselves with knowledge on how to survive in a world where women had little independence or power.

She comes when he calls her and chastises women who are not submissive to their husbands as she

A strong need for affection governs her interactions and her

The wife is also able to dominate her husbands by other methods, which she often recommends to other "wys wyfs". Here Chaucer is obviously appealing to his audience as there are no other wives on the pilgrimage but also the Wife may be suggesting that is not only her who acts in this manner therefore condoning it. She firstly accuses them of indecent behavior thus covering her own faults and then reverts back to nagging. Her ability to nag and argue is complemented by her knowledge of many parables, fables and even astrology and she uses this to get the upper hand on her husbands but is defeated by Jankin as a scholar at Oxford, which demonstrates the repression of women through lack of education.

shows how she is passive and submissive. Her weak flaw lies in the fact that

She likes to cook, clean, take care of the children, lets the husband do exactly what he wants, and let themselves be used to fuel their husbands’ sexual desires and boost their ego in

However this is in action only, not in mind. Although she assumes the role of the obedient wife, inwardly she still retains her

Perception of Women in The Canterbury Tales Chaucer, in his Canterbury Tales, makes a careful criticism of the views of women in his society and the accepted understanding of gender norms. Chaucer drew on the literary motif of courtly love to satirize the ways women were regarded. According to the precepts of courtly love, a system that was by no means widely known but would have been familiar to literary readers at court, women were elusive goddesses for whose honor a man should fight and even die (Crane). In the Canterbury Tales, however, women are portrayed as untrustworthy, selfish, vain, and often like caricatures, almost inhuman. The Nun’s Priest’s Tale provides a perfect example of this.

She shows fidelity to her husband like what a woman should be according to the

odd compared to the others because of this. She is very loving and beautiful and wants everyone

While ever Desdemona is the compliant and dutiful wife, in awe of her husband, boosting his ego: