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Wife Of Bath Satire

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The Middle Ages was a time of Knighthood and Chivalry Code, upholding values and conforming to society. The religious culture was a major aspect of this time period, it was uncommon for religion to be manipulated to accommodate flaws people had. “A woman was always subservient to a man, whether husband, father, or brother”, (Introduction: The Middle Ages), a woman during this time period had no political rights, or say. They were to be seen but not heard, their social standing was determined by the man in her life and the level of respect he had in the community. The use of satire throughout this prologue illustrates the irony and humor towards religion. The religious value is reflected through Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue” through …show more content…

They were values that surrounded everyday life and encompassed morals to live by; religion being one of the central entities to the Middle Ages. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s, “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue”, the significance of religion is expressed through the usage of satire. Chaucer’s purpose for communicating the value of religion through satire, is for the reader to identify the humor, exaggeration, and irony displayed throughout the text. In this time period it was unheard of for a women to marry more than once, and she would be considered unholy. Satire is capitalized when the wife conveys her reasoning for her imperfections and sins from countless marriages, “But Christ, who of perfection is the well,/ Did not bid everyone to go and sell…” (Chaucer 107-108). The wife claims she is not perfect because if she was meant to be, Christ would have made her that way. Chaucer’s satirical use, conveys the ironic way she twists the Bible to adapt to her unorthodox ways. This was unheard of in the Middle Ages because religion was held as a value to be worshiped not …show more content…

In the Middle Ages, women were supposed to be the background to men. They were to cook, clean, provide a family and above all remain loyal to their husband, “In all the acts and fruits of being a wife” (Chaucer 114). Through the character development of The Wife of Bath’s, Chaucer constructs her to be the antagonistic of what women should be at that time in society. Having five marriages defies the value of loyalty to a single husband, as well as the husband being the dominant in the marriage. The Wife of Bath asserts herself to be the “debtor” (155), and her husband to be the “slave” (155). She is to have all the power in the relationship and while she gives him the prize of sex and a women to call a wife, he must then provide all that she desires to her liking. She is in control because they were captivated by her that the love they delivered to her was never equally repaid to them, “For I will have the power all my life/ Over his body, I and never he” (158-159). The Wife of Bath’s character is developed to reflect the value of women and what they were not in the Middle

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