Week 4-6
1. Cite some variations in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales in your Reader. Focus on the conditions by which the lady is either beautiful or ugly, and the actions of the knight/king/"hero"...
2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
3. Hahn's essay (see critical reader) on The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguably it has a different purpose than asserting the feminine. What does he think the function of the story is?
4. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?
5. Discuss what you think is the most striking or outrageous example.
2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
3. Hahn's essay (see critical reader) on The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguably it has a different purpose than asserting the feminine. What does he think the function of the story is?
4. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?
5. Discuss what you think is the most striking or outrageous example.
6. What does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English Renaissance?
2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
ReplyDeleteIt’s important to note that ‘feminism’, as it is understood in the contemporary context, did not exist when Chaucer was alive and writing. He may have sympathised with women, but he was not a ‘feminist’ in the context with which we are familiar today. However, I will be referring to Chaucer’s potential sympathy as “feminism” to remain concise.
There is some evidence in The Wife of Bath’s Tale that Chaucer was a feminist. When Sir Gawain rapes the maiden and is taken to court for the crime, King Arthur turns the case over to his queen, Guinevere, “al at hir wille, / To chese wheither she wolde hym save or spille” (Chaucer, 1405, l.897-8). This would have been extraordinarily radical for its time: the medieval court was inherently patriarchal, and by flipping the gender roles and allowing women to make the final ruling, Chaucer feminized the court and gave power to women that they would never have actually experienced in this time period (Carter, 2003, p.335). Guinevere decides to grant Gawain his life so long as “thou kanst tellen me / What thyng is it that wommen moost desiren” (Chaucer, 1405, l.904-5), which feels feminist to me -- rarely were the desires of women acknowledged in medieval times. The conclusion at which Gawain arrives also smacks of feminism: “Wommen desiren to have sovereyntee / As wel over hir housbond as hir love, / And for to been in maistrie hym above” (ibid., l.1038-40), a prophecy that is fulfilled when Gawain leaves the decision of whether or not his hag wife should remain an ugly troll or transform into a beautiful women up to her: “I put me in youre wise governance [...] For as yow liketh, it suffiseth me” (ibid., l.1231, 1235). Women are certainly awarded a great deal of agency and sovereignty in the tale, so it makes sense that some scholars are inclined to believe that Chaucer may have been somewhat of a proto-feminist.
However, Chaucer was Catholic, and given that “irreconcilable conflicts” still exist between the Catholic church and feminism to this day, it’s safe to say that the Catholicism Chaucer followed would not have believed women to be capable to making such important decisions as to whether a knight should be executed (Fox-Genovese, 1999). Chaucer does present feminist ideas, but it’s unlikely that these views reflected his own personal values, especially given his religious inclinations (Carter, 2003, p.329). The fact also remains that The Wife of Bath’s Tale is more of a parody of the Irish Sovereignty Tale from which it is appropriated than a critique of the treatment of women. The question of women’s desire has led to conflicting interpretations of the text: around this period, women in England had little to no sovereignty, and the Church was debating whether or not women even had souls. However, this was different in Ireland, where women did have greater rights, such as the ability to inherit land if there was no male heir in their family ("WOMEN (Medieval Ireland)," n.d.). Historically, there has been great rivalry between England and Ireland, and when Chaucer appropriated The Wife of Bath’s Tale from the Celtic sovereignty myth of a loathly lady appearing before a knight and offering him sovereignty over the land in return for his hand in marriage, it’s more likely that he was parodying the Irish tradition that allowed women such sovereignty in landownership, marriage, etc.. He seems to have been mocking the Irish for allowing women to judge men, an ironic reversal of power in which a man is sentenced by a woman. Although one could reach the conclusion that Chaucer was a feminist, it’s unlikely that this was true.
Sarah,
DeleteI have answered the same question as you and I find it really interesting that we both touched on the point about how religion dominated female lives, i wonder if you also found research regarding how heavily the church influenced the archetypes of women as seen in literature, e.g how the archetype of the trickster woman who tricks a man into doing something stems from the theological figure of Eve. https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/women-in-medieval-literature-and-society/ explains it really well and Bovey goes into heavier detail https://www.bl.uk/the-middle-ages/articles/women-in-medieval-society
Hi,
DeleteI didn't see the same research as you, but thank you for leaving the links -- very informative! I initially considered that Chaucer might have been a 'feminist' for his time, but then I remembered how sexist Catholicism can be, and especially how sexist it was back in the 1400s, and I changed my mind lol. I knew that the church was unfortunately misogynistic at the time Chaucer was writing, but I didn't realise how much influence this had over the portrayal of women in literature; that's really interesting.
4. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?
ReplyDeleteA conceit is an extended metaphor that compares two dissimilar things, often using images from nature. A conceit may appear simplistic on the surface, but it will often end up having a complex logic upon deeper analysis.
5. Discuss what you think is the most striking or outrageous example.
For me, the most striking conceit was Edmund Spenser’s ice and fire connection in his sonnet Ice and Fire. Comparing love to fire and rejection to ice isn’t necessarily a revolutionary analogy (although for all we know, it could have been in his time), but I like how Spenser then goes further to probe the connection between the two in nature. If his love is like fire, while the rejection he is receiving from his mistress is like ice, should not his fire melt her ice, and/or her ice quell his flames? Perhaps, but as Spenser describes it, “How comes it then that this her cold so great / Is not dissolved through my so hot desire, / But harder grows the more I her entreat? / Or how comes it that my exceeding heat / Is not allayed by her heart-frozen cold, / But that I burn much more in boiling sweat, / And feel my flames augmented manifold?” (Spenser, 1595, l.2-8). Essentially, what he’s saying is that he is puzzled by the fact that her rejection has not quelled his passion for her, but strengthened it; likewise, his passion for her has not changed her mind about rejecting him: “What a miraculous thing may be told, / That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice” (ibid., l.9-10). The word “miraculous” interests me here. I initially read it to mean amazing or incredible, which is reflective of the sonnet’s content. However, it’s more likely that Spenser meant “miraculous” to mean ‘unnatural’, i.e. not in accordance with how nature works. Fire should melt ice; ice should put out fire. That’s how it works in nature, so why is the same not true in love? This is the question Spenser is really asking, and he proposes the answer at the end of the sonnet: “Such is the power of love in gentle mind, / That it can alter all the course of kind” (ibid., l-13-14). That is, love is so powerful that it can upset the course of nature and defy the laws of physics. What appears to be a simple metaphor actually has a complication upon deeper analysis.
WORKS CITED
ReplyDeleteCarter, S. (2003). Coupling the beastly bride and the hunter hunted: what lies behind Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale. In The Chaucer Review (37th ed., pp. 329-340). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Fox-Genovese, E. (1999). Catholic and Feminist: Can One Be Both?. Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, 2(4). Retrieved from https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/controversy/feminism/catholic-and-feminist-can-one-be-both.html.
Literature Glossary. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.shmoop.com/literature-glossary/conceit.html.
WOMEN (Medieval Ireland). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://what-when-how.com/medieval-ireland/women-medieval-ireland/.
The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree?
ReplyDeleteWhen one considers the question of whether ‘The Wife of Bath’s’ tale could be regarded as evidence for the argument that Chaucer is a protofeminist, one needs to look at the greater context of the portrayal of woman during the 14th century. This blog post will focus on the idea that ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’ does contain feminist elements and could be used as strong evidence to indicate Chaucer was a feminist, but there are contrasting points to this argument that deserve mentioning. To begin with some historical context, Bovey (2015) notes how the role of women in English middle ages society was dominated by family responsibilities and the church. Most women, with a few exceptions, had very little control over the direction of their lives (Bovey, 2015.). The Wife of Bath’s Tale, as part of the greater Canterbury Tales collection published in 1400c, could be argued as a story that advocates the agency of women (Merryfield, 2012), and gives a more nuanced portrayal then can be seen in other examples of medieval literature. There is also potential subtext within the piece regarding the power dynamic in heterosexual relationships (Carter, 2003) and in The Wife of Bath’s Tale, this power dynamic is reversed through the usage of the archetype of the loathly lady. In the text, the Old Woman turns from an ugly hag into a fair maiden and this is as a result of the Knight allowing the Old Woman control over her decision. This can be seen in the following passage from the text
“"Thanne have I gete of yow maistrie," quod she, "Syn I may chese and governe as me lest?" "Ye, certes, wyf," quod he, "I holde it best." (pg 72)
It could be argued that in a mainly patriarchal society, the act of a man submitting to a woman is further evidence of The Wife of Bath’s Tale as a protofeminist work given the historical context of the 14th century. The overarching message given by the Knight is that the desire of all women is that of sovereignty, as can be seen in the following passage
"My lige lady, generally," quod he, Wommen desiren to have sovereynetee. As wel over hir housbond as hir love, And for to been in maistrie hym above.” (pg 68)
It could be argued that from a historical context, as a woman’s life was dominated by the patriachy, for her to have control over him could mean greater agency in all decisions. While there are more arguments for Chaucer’s status as a feminist then against, it is important to note that way females are represented in Chaucer’s work is still problematic. This can be seen in another stereotype that the Old Woman could be compared too; the archetype of ‘The Trickster’. The Old Woman ultimately tricked the Knight into marrying her as can be seen in the following passage
“Mercy," quod she, "my sovereyn lady queene! Er that youre court departe, do me right. I taughte this answere unto the knyght; For which he plighte me his trouthe there, The firste thyng that I wolde hym requere He wolde it do, if it lay in his myghte.” (p 68)
It is worthy here to note that it is argued by Bovey (2015) that feminine representations in literature often stemmed from biblical texts with the ‘Trickster’ coming from the theological figure of Eve. To summarise, while it is very difficult for this writer to concretely agree with the notion that Chaucer is a feminist, it can certainly be argued and proven that in the greater historical context, Geoffrey Chaucer was one of the few writers in the 13/14th century who represented women in a way that was not just one-dimensional.
Word Count: 620
References:
DeleteBovey, A. (2015). Women in medieval society. Retrieved from https://www.bl.uk/the-middle-ages/articles/women-in-medieval-society
Carter, S. (2003). Coupling The Beastly Bride And The Hunter Hunted: What Lies Behind in Chaucer’s Wife Of Bath’s Tale. In The Chaucer Review, Vol. 37, No. 4, 2003.
Chaucer, G (c.1390). The Wife of Bath.
Merryfield, C. S. (2012). Chaucer’s most nimble feat: Reproof of anti-feminist theology in the Wife of Bath’s prologue. Indiana University South Bend Undergraduate Research Journal. 14 – 16.
I appreciate the viewpoint you're coming from on this question! Indeed, Chaucer's representation of womenhood and female autonomy in The Wife of Bath's Tale is somewhat revolutionary for the time in which he was writing, which does indicate that he was somewhat sympathic to the plight of women. I went in the opposite direction when I answered this question -- I don't reckon Chaucer was a feminist, given the historical/socio-cultural context of the time period in which he lived -- but the fact remains that his treatment of women, whether or not it was ironic or a parody of appropriated Celtic mythos, is much fairer and more equitable than the representation that is seen in other texts published around the same time. I agree with your point about the remaining problematic elements in The Wife of Bath's Tale, too. It's definitely a product of its time.
DeleteYour point about it possibly being a parody is incredibly interesting and definitely a fair point.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Carolyn Dinshaw (2007), feminism was an ideology, a key aspect of modern society and a social movement which advanced the rights of women. However, in Geoffrey Chaucer’s time (1350s - 1400s), feminism was not discerned in a patriarchal society. Geoffrey Chaucer’s tale, ‘The Wife of Bath’, has been perceived by many critics as an idea that Chaucer was a feminist. The question of whether Chaucer is a feminist or not is very complex, considering many critics have argued that he is a feminist or anti feminist. Likewise, the answer to whether Chaucer is a feminist is difficult to approach. Critics like Carolyn Dinshaw and Jill Mann are amongst those who agree with the statement that Chaucer is a feminist, however there are other critics who may go against this. Carolyn Dinshaw approaches the certainty that Chaucer may have been a feminist due to him giving women a voice especially within the patriarchal time (Carosone, n.d). Since, the medieval era was a time where women were known as just mothers, wives or peasants, Chaucer gave them a voice through his literature. It is depicted within the folktale of ‘The Wife of Bath’, that although women in the medieval era were not able to speak for themselves independently, Chaucer had given the loathly lady a voice and made her the protagonist of the tale. So, Dinshaw seemed to have also manifested the idea that Chaucer may have been a feminist as he was still able to make changes about women particularly within patriarchal discourse (Carosone, n.d). However, Dinshaw also argues that Chaucer may have been a feminist as he employs ‘The Wife of Bath’ tale to voice his opinion as he was unable to declare in his time that he was a feminist (Carosone, n.d). Another critic who also believes that Chaucer may have been a feminist is Jill Mann. Mann argues that Chaucer may have been a feminist as he was supportive of women. Similar to Dinshaw’s statement of Chaucer as a feminist, Mann declares that Chaucer could possibly be a feminist as he was “on the side of women” (Carosone, n.d). With her affirmation of Chaucer being a feminist, Mann indicates that Chaucer employs that the positive role models are women (Wife of Bath Tale) and it is not men, which is another reason as to why he could have been a feminist.
(comment A)
To an extent I do not agree nor disagree, with the fact that Chaucer is or could be a feminist. Although, it seems like he may have been a person who supported feminism (Wife of Bath’s Tale), I think that especially within his period of time where it was a patriarchal society, feminism was not introduced into medieval society or was seen as an advocacy for the rights of women. I do think that Chaucer wanted to portray women as individuals who were as powerful and independent as men. However, with the medieval era he could not publicly declare this statement or identify himself as a feminist. The reason as to why I think this, it is that there is no clear statement which Chaucer identifies himself as a feminist. He did want to give women a voice within English literature and by that he used his platform as a way to showcase women and their free will. However, I do agree with Smith (2014) as Chaucer “pushes the traditional ideas of what a woman should be doing during his time”, which would change my view on Chaucer being a feminist and agreeing. Furthermore, with Smith’s declarement of this, I think that with Chaucer and his aspects of feminism within texts like, ‘The Wife of Bath’, he was interested in ideology of feminism, even though the medieval era were not familiar with such a complexed aspect. So, with Dinshaw and Mann’s arguments of Chaucer possibly being a feminist, there are critics who argue that Chaucer’s intentions of feminism may have been to only “plant seeds of feminist understanding for his readers” (Smith, 2014). Nevertheless, the answers to which Chaucer is a feminist is still debatable, especially since Chaucer lived through a period of time of protofeminism.
Delete(Comment B)
References:
Carosone, M. (n.d.). Geoffrey Chaucer: Feminist Or Not? Retrieved April 3, 2019, from https://www.academia.edu/657084/Geoffrey_Chaucer_Feminist_Or_Not
Leicester, H. M. Jr. (1984). Of a fire in the dark: Public and private feminism in the Wife of Bath's Tale , Women's Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, volume,(11), pages. 157-178, https://doi.org/10.1080/00497878.1984.9978608
Dinshaw, C. (2007). Medieval feminist criticism. A History of Feminist Literary Criticism, 11-26. Retrieved from
Smith, T. J. (2014). The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights. International Journal of Literature and Arts. volume, (2), pages. 76-83. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14
1. Cite some variations in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales in your Reader. Focus on the conditions by which the lady is either beautiful or ugly, and the actions of the knight/king/"hero"...
ReplyDeleteWithin the three tales of which depict the folktale of the ‘loathly lady’, all three fabula’s have similarly described the loathly lady. The loathly lady is discerned as someone who desires to be by the side of the king or knight. However, with the Knight or King resisting to be wed the loathly lady due to her physical appearance, they have to marry her otherwise they will greet death.
Geoffrey Chaucer’s folktale known as, ‘The Wife of a Bath Tale’, describes the state of the loathly lady as an ugly creature, a “creature that bore life” (Chaucer, 1390). The knight’s actions depicted within the poem was that he was ordered by the Queen to find the answer to “What thing is it that women most desire?” or else he would be decapitated. The knight doubtfully searched for answers to the question and came across a variety of different answers from women, like so:
925 Somme seyde wommen loven best richesse, Some said women love riches best,
926 Somme seyde honour, somme seyde jolynesse, Some said honor, some said gaiety,
927 Somme riche array, somme seyden lust abedde, Some rich clothing, some said lust in bed, 928 And oftetyme to be wydwe and wedde. And frequently to be widow and wedded.
929 Somme seyde that oure hertes been moost esed Some said that our hearts are most eased
930 Whan that we been yflatered and yplesed. When we are flattered and pleased.
(Chaucer, 1390)
Nevertheless, once approached by the “ugliest creature”, the knight questions the loathly lady and requests that if she could answer his question; she then whispers a message into his ear. The knight proceeds to visit the Queen with his answer to her question;
1038 "Wommen desiren to have sovereynetee "Women desire to have sovereignty
1039 As wel over hir housbond as hir love, As well over her husband as her love,
1040 And for to been in maistrie hym above. And to be in mastery above him.
1041 This is youre mooste desir, thogh ye me kille. This is your greatest desire, though you kill me.
(Chaucer, 1390)
So, the knight was not beheaded but was to marry the loathly lady; the lady declared that she would either be unattractive but humble or she could be gorgeous but unfaithful. The knight stated that she shall choose herself as whatever chooses it will be enough for him. The loathly lady who was presented as an ugly creature was now a beautiful and devoted wife of the knight.
(comment A)
The folktale of, ‘The wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle’, was among the three of the loathly lady fabula’s which was much similar to Chaucer’s folktale of ,’The Wife of Bath’. Within the text, the loathly lady was narrated as “the ugliest creature” (Hahn, 1995), however with the description of the loathly lady in this text, it is both descriptive and expressive about her physical features or appearance;
DeleteShe was the ugliest creature
Her face was red, her nose running,
Her mouth wide, her teeth all yellow.
Her eyes were bleary, as large as balls,
Her mouth just as large.
Her teeth hung out of her lips,
Her cheeks were as broad as a woman's hips.
He back was as curved as a lute.
Her neck was long and also thick.
Her hair clotted in a heap.
In the shoulders she was a yard across.
Her breasts would have been a load for a horse.
Like a barrel was she made.
To recite the foulness of that lady
There is no tongue fit.
She had ugliness to spare.
(Hahn, 1995)
Hahn’s physical description of the loathly lady or Dame Ragnell, illustrates more of her image to the reader's’ mind as it not only progresses their imagery but also their understanding of the text itself. With King Arthur’s actions, it is almost similar to the knight in ‘The Wife of Bath’ tale, however it is King Arthur who must obey and follow the direct orders given by the loathly lady. Her orders; to be wed the knight known as Sir Gawain or he (King Arthur) is dead. King Arthur follows through with the loathly lady’s orders and Sir Gawain accepts his request to be wed Dame Ragnell;
"I shall wed her and wed her again, Even if she be a fiend. Even were she as foul as Beelzebub, I would wed here, I swear by the cross. Otherwise, I wouldn't be your friend. You are my honored king And have done me good many times. Therefore, I hesitate not To save your life, my lord. It is my duty. Otherwise, I would be a false coward. My service is better than that!"
(Hahn, 1995)
Sir Gawain is then praised and honoured by King Arthur for his agreement to marry Dame Ragnell (loathly lady). Therefore, Sir Gawain is commended for saving his reputation and life.
In Steeleye Span’s fable, ‘King Henry’, the loathly lady is identified or illustrated as;
………...a grisly ghost
Her teeth were like the tether stakes,
Her nose like club or mell,
And nothing less she seemed to be
Than a fiend that comes form hell.
(Span, 1972)
Span’s folktale describes the loathly lady as a fiend; a evil spirit or demon, who is from no other place but hell (Span, 1972). Nevertheless, with this description of the loathly lady she is indeed portrayed as someone who is ugly or a hideous hag. As for the actions of King Henry, like the knight in ‘The Wife of Bath’ tale, and King Arthur and Sir Gawain in ‘The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Gawain’, he was also told what to do;
Go kill your horse you King Henry
And bring him here to me;
He's gone and slain his berry brown steed
Though it made his heart full sore,
(Span, 1972)
However, King Henry was not informed by the loathly lady that he would be punished or that he would die. King Henry seems to have obeyed the ‘grisly ghost’, and with his actions of respecting her he woke up to the “fairest lady that was ever seen” (Span, 1972).
References:
Chaucer, Geoffrey. (1390). The Wife of Bath. Retrieved from https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/bbcswebdav/pid-4703463-dt-content-rid-6652318_4/institution/Papers/ENGL600/Publish/Desire_Critical%20Reader_2019.pdf
Hahn, T. (Ed.). (1995). The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle. In Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications. Retrieved from https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/bbcswebdav/pid-4703463-dt-content-rid-6652318_4/institution/Papers/ENGL600/Publish/Desire_Critical%20Reader_2019.pdf
Span, S. (1972). King Henry. In Below the Salt. US: Shanachie. Retrieved from https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/bbcswebdav/pid-4703463-dt-content-rid-6652318_4/institution/Papers/ENGL600/Publish/Desire_Critical%20Reader_2019.pdf
(comment B)
2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that Chaucer's tale is feminist. But, I do believe that the tale teaches universal message.
First of all, the tale teaches to be kind to one another or to be kind to people who do wrong. Like the king's wife, instead of feeling sorry for a fellow woman who was rapped, she instead felt sorry for the man. She decides to tell him what to do in order to learn in the right way.
For example, “It happened that King Arthur had in his household a young knight who, while he was riding one day beside a river, came upon a maiden who was walking all alone. Taking advantage of the situation, this young bachelor made love to the damsel against her will. The crime caused such an outcry among King Arthur's retinue that the wretch was soon caught and sentenced to death, as the law required. But Queen Guinevere requested that he be handed over to her for punishment, and King Arthur gave her the knight, to do with as she wished. The Queen thanked him”
'But do not imagine that your life is now safe,' she told her prisoner. 'I grant it to you only if you can answer the following question – tell me what it is that we women most desire. Think carefully, or your neck bone will feel the cutting power of iron! And if you cannot give me an answer immediately, I give you leave to search for a year and a day, wherever you please, and to return at the appointed time with your reply.
secondly, it teaches relationships or what to base on while looking for relationships. Or it teaches marriage in the modern sense and this is not feminists because many people are single nowadays. But the tale can be feminist in those days it was written down but not now.
What to base on: someone can be ugly but inside beautiful. For example, the old ugly woman in the wife of Bathe’s tale. She is not beautiful but she provided good advice which saved the rapist. It should not be forgotten that when he saw young woman and asked them what women desire, no one gave him good answers.
Someone cannot get out of their wrong. When the man raped the woman, this caused protest. The rapist might have thought maybe he would get away with the rape but he never. The tale could be considered as a socialist story because the king had protest from people and reacted by condemning the man to death.
Finally, if the story was feminist, the old lady at the end of the story would not turn beautiful.
Bibiliography
http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/wbt-par.htm
http://eleusinianm.co.uk/middle-english-literature-retold-in-modern-english/works-by-geoffrey-chaucer/the-wife-of-baths-tale
5. Discuss what you think is the most striking or outrageous example.
ReplyDeleteThe most outrageous example in the Wife of Bath's Tale is rape. The man who comes from a wealthy family rapes a woman. For example, in the tale rather the prologue, “It happened that King Arthur had in his household a young knight who, while he was riding one day beside a river, came upon a maiden who was walking all alone. Taking advantage of the situation, this young bachelor made love to the damsel against her will”.
This might have given a bad image to wealthy people. Some of the examples that indicate that he was from a wealthy family: horse, and a bird – haw on his hand for hunting maybe. It also looks like that people who were rich during those time the story was penned down, were behaving like him. Thanks to author of penning situation for us new generation to read about.
A second outrageous thing in the Wife of bathe’s tale is protest. A good extract from the tale rather than the prologue of story is, “The crime caused such an outcry among King Arthur's retinue that the wretch was soon caught and sentenced to death, as the law required”.
On the other hand, there one most striking thing that happened in the story, and it is what the king’s wife did. Example from the Tale rather than the prologue of the story is below
“Arthur's retinue that the wretch was soon caught and sentenced to death, as the law required. But Queen Guinevere requested that he be handed over to her for punishment, and King Arthur gave her the knight, to do with as she wished. The Queen thanked him.
'But do not imagine that your life is now safe,' she told her prisoner. 'I grant it to you only if you can answer the following question – tell me what it is that we women most desire. Think carefully, or your neck bone will feel the cutting power of iron! And if you cannot give me an answer immediately, I give you leave to search for a year and a day, wherever you please, and to return at the appointed time with your reply”.
I also think that the lady appearing beautiful at the end of the story is another striking thing.
Bibliography
http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/wbt-par.htm
http://eleusinianm.co.uk/middle-english-literature-retold-in-modern-english/works-by-geoffrey-chaucer/the-wife-of-baths-tale