Questions on “The Wife of Bath”
How does the Wife of Bath treat her husbands?
The Wife acts as a dominatrix, using her relationships as a means to
satisfy her own desires. She sees the marriage as a business exchange-
“They had me yeven hir lond and hir tresoor; / Me neded nat do lenger
diligence / To winne hir love, or doon hem reverence”. The caesura
emphasises the lack of personal regard that the Wife holds for her husbands.
In the mediaeval era, marriage was an economic proposition, where husbands
benefitted from their wives’ dowries. The Wife of Bath inverts this custom to
benefit herself.
Explain the symbolism of the Wife’s metaphor in line 142-148.
The Wife explains that “I nil envye no virginity. / Lat hem be breed of
pured whete-seed, / And lat us wives hoten barly-breed”. The endstopped line
emphasises the Wife’s assertive tone, and her dismissal of the virtues of
virginity. The jusxtapostion between the white and barley breads accentuates
the contrasts between the Wife and more virtuous women. However, she
continues with “with barley-breed, Mark telle kan, / Oure Lord Jhesu
refresshed many a man”. Here, the plosive recognition connotes the
coarseness of the Wife’s life, which she recoggnises. The extended metaphor
demonstrates how the Wife does not feel called to virginity, as she feels that
her lifestyle is justified, even within the confines of religion (as shown by the
use of biblical exemplum).
Why did the Pardoner interrupt the Wife? Explain the motivation behind his
comments.
, The first use of direct dialogue is when the Pardoner interrupts the Wife-
“Up stir the Pardoner… ‘Now, dame,’ quod he, ‘by God and by Seint John! / Ye
have been a noble prechour”. In the Middle Ages, the clergy was solely the
domain of men. Therefore, the Pardoner uses irony in addressing the Wife as
a “prechour”, indicating that he is mocking her. This implies that the Pardoner
is trying to remind the Wife of her station and reassert gender roles within their
conversation. This is supported by the exclamatory end-stop, which creates
an assertive tone to heighten the reader’s understanding of the Pardoner’s
self-importance. Pardoners were notoriously hated in mediaeval society as
they were widely regarded as symbols of greed and corruption. Chaucer
implies that it is this arrogance that leads him to interrupt the Wife.
Furthermore, the Pardoner’s use of blasphemy implies to the reader that he
does not object to the Wife’s tale out of morality or religion, but because of his
own annoyance.
Moreover, the Pardoner uses his interruption to extend his criticism to
all women in “I was about to wedde a wyf; alas, / What should I bye it on my
flessh so deere?”. The rhetorical question demonstrates how the Wife’s
monologue has deterred the Pardoner from marriage. This is somewhat ironic,
as the Pardoner was described as horribly ugly and undesirable himself in the
General Prologue. This may be interpreted as an example of men blaming
women for their own shortcomings. The caesural pause emphasises this
contempt that the Pardoner holds for the Wife (and all women), explaining his
motivation in belittling the Wife. This also explains why he encourages her to
hasten in her storytelling.
Give two pieces of advice that the Wife of Bath expounds to ill-advised wives,
with quotation and explanation.
The Wife urges her fellow women to manipulate their husbands and
exert control in marriage in “Ye wise wives… Thus shulde ye speke and bere
How does the Wife of Bath treat her husbands?
The Wife acts as a dominatrix, using her relationships as a means to
satisfy her own desires. She sees the marriage as a business exchange-
“They had me yeven hir lond and hir tresoor; / Me neded nat do lenger
diligence / To winne hir love, or doon hem reverence”. The caesura
emphasises the lack of personal regard that the Wife holds for her husbands.
In the mediaeval era, marriage was an economic proposition, where husbands
benefitted from their wives’ dowries. The Wife of Bath inverts this custom to
benefit herself.
Explain the symbolism of the Wife’s metaphor in line 142-148.
The Wife explains that “I nil envye no virginity. / Lat hem be breed of
pured whete-seed, / And lat us wives hoten barly-breed”. The endstopped line
emphasises the Wife’s assertive tone, and her dismissal of the virtues of
virginity. The jusxtapostion between the white and barley breads accentuates
the contrasts between the Wife and more virtuous women. However, she
continues with “with barley-breed, Mark telle kan, / Oure Lord Jhesu
refresshed many a man”. Here, the plosive recognition connotes the
coarseness of the Wife’s life, which she recoggnises. The extended metaphor
demonstrates how the Wife does not feel called to virginity, as she feels that
her lifestyle is justified, even within the confines of religion (as shown by the
use of biblical exemplum).
Why did the Pardoner interrupt the Wife? Explain the motivation behind his
comments.
, The first use of direct dialogue is when the Pardoner interrupts the Wife-
“Up stir the Pardoner… ‘Now, dame,’ quod he, ‘by God and by Seint John! / Ye
have been a noble prechour”. In the Middle Ages, the clergy was solely the
domain of men. Therefore, the Pardoner uses irony in addressing the Wife as
a “prechour”, indicating that he is mocking her. This implies that the Pardoner
is trying to remind the Wife of her station and reassert gender roles within their
conversation. This is supported by the exclamatory end-stop, which creates
an assertive tone to heighten the reader’s understanding of the Pardoner’s
self-importance. Pardoners were notoriously hated in mediaeval society as
they were widely regarded as symbols of greed and corruption. Chaucer
implies that it is this arrogance that leads him to interrupt the Wife.
Furthermore, the Pardoner’s use of blasphemy implies to the reader that he
does not object to the Wife’s tale out of morality or religion, but because of his
own annoyance.
Moreover, the Pardoner uses his interruption to extend his criticism to
all women in “I was about to wedde a wyf; alas, / What should I bye it on my
flessh so deere?”. The rhetorical question demonstrates how the Wife’s
monologue has deterred the Pardoner from marriage. This is somewhat ironic,
as the Pardoner was described as horribly ugly and undesirable himself in the
General Prologue. This may be interpreted as an example of men blaming
women for their own shortcomings. The caesural pause emphasises this
contempt that the Pardoner holds for the Wife (and all women), explaining his
motivation in belittling the Wife. This also explains why he encourages her to
hasten in her storytelling.
Give two pieces of advice that the Wife of Bath expounds to ill-advised wives,
with quotation and explanation.
The Wife urges her fellow women to manipulate their husbands and
exert control in marriage in “Ye wise wives… Thus shulde ye speke and bere
