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The Canterbury Tales : The Final Passage Of The Wife Of Bath

Decent Essays

Ambiguity acts as a catalyst for the dialogue between the author and audience within a story that evokes a certain feeling that arouses an immense interest in something that is not definitive. This purposely sparks the audience to dive into the depths of the text to crystallize the uncertainties, and as a result, contemplate the meaning of the uncertainty as well. Throughout The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer’s literary design, such character development and narrative, constantly appears to shift depending on the particular interpretation of the reading. This incites uncertainty for the reader as they attempt to firmly grasp the author’s true intention. Chaucer raises the question whether he was applauding or criticizing the Wife of Bath, which remains one of the permeating uncertainties from his tale for the reader to contemplate. By examining multiple literary techniques used in the final passage before her tale, we can see that the ending prologue passage acts as a mirror to the final passage of the Wife of Bath’s Tale to illustrate the connections between the Wife of Bath and the old woman from her tale. Chaucer purposely leaves the audience contemplating the meaning of the colloquial fairy tale with regards to the likelihood of the reality of the Wife of Bath character actually existing to act as a warning to the males of the time period. Through the lens of multiple literary techniques used to mirror the ending prologue and tale, it can be seen that Chaucer purposely leaves

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