NOTE: Feel free to read both the Prologue and the Tale for Monday, though we'll only have time to really discuss the Prologue on Monday. I'll reserve Wednesday's class for the Tale. This is one of the most significant works of Medieval literature, and certainly among the most influential. If you read nothing else in The Canterbury Tales, read this one! :)
Answer TWO of the
following...
Q1: The beginning of the
Wife of Bath’s Prologue is a defense of multiple marriages using her own
interpretation of the Scriptures. What is her basic argument, and why might
this have been shocking for its time—particularly considering the many Church
figures in the audience?
Q2: At one point, the Pardoner
interrupts, claiming he was thinking about marriage, but the Wife of Bath
claims, “You wait...you’ll taste another brew before I’m done;/You’ll find it
doesn’t taste as good as ale” (263). What are her views about marriage,
especially considering she’s done it five times? Is she trying to discourage
men and women from tying the knot, or does she simply have a less chivalric
view of wedded bliss? Discuss a moment
that seems to illustrate this.
Q3: Toward the end of the
Prologue, the Wife of Bath claims, “Lies, tears, and spinning are the things
God gives/By nature to a woman, while she lives” (269). She goes on to say that
“No one can be so bold—I mean no man--/At lies and swearing as a woman can”
(264). How do you respond to her characterization of women in this Prologue? Is
she a forward-thinking, bold-as-brass proto-feminist, or is she just another
male stereotype of a greedy, nagging wife?
What sways you one way or the other?
Q4: How might the “Wife of
Bath
Q1: Throughout the beginning of the prologue she keeps arguing that different biblical men have had thousands of wives. She wants everybody to know that obviously marriage can't be a sin if these people were married that many times and her only five. I also like where she starts talking about virginity. She argues that if God wanted us all to be pure maidens then marriage in and of itself would be a sin. Which I think is kind of funny because your purity isn't what relationships are built off of in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteQ3: I don't think she's being portrayed as just a feminist or just a nagging wife, but I feel as though she's both. She does nag her husbands and boss them around and complain, but she also says things along the lines of we just can't win with you guys. At one point she names reasons men say other men desire women, and then says "By your account the devil gets us all". It really feels like she's just tired of either being too much, or too little, and she feels like women just can't win here.
Q1: The beginning of the Wife of Bath’s Prologue is a defense of multiple marriages using her own interpretation of the Scriptures. What is her basic argument, and why might this have been shocking for its time—particularly considering the many Church figures in the audience?
ReplyDeleteA: Men have hundreds upon thousands of wives. That was her main argument and she wants people to see that marriage isn’t a sin if people she knows are married many times while she has only been married about five times. She may not be pure, but then again who is? She makes an argument about if God wanted us to all be pure maidens then marriage in itself would be a sin.
Q3: Toward the end of the Prologue, the Wife of Bath claims, “Lies, tears, and spinning are the things God gives/By nature to a woman, while she lives” (269). She goes on to say that “No one can be so bold—I mean no man--/At lies and swearing as a woman can” (264). How do you respond to her characterization of women in this Prologue? Is she a forward-thinking, bold-as-brass proto-feminist, or is she just another male stereotype of a greedy, nagging wife? What sways you one way or the other?
A: I see her more as a feminist than as a nagging wife. Yes, she does nag her husbands and complains about everything, but she makes the comment of “we just can’t win with you guys”. She even names reasons why men desire women with stating "by your account the devil gets us all". To me, I see that she is tired of either being too much or just too little of a wife. At the end of the day she wants her hair to be played with and wants to cuddle with her husband. Is that too much to ask?
Answer to Q1) First of all, the Wife of Bath has followed the rules of experience rather than authority. She doesn’t see anything wrong with having 5 husbands, and doesn’t even understand Jesus’ rebuke to the woman at the well who had 5 husbands as well. She prefers to “go forth and multiply.” Her basic message is that women should have the upper hand. If the woman doesn’t have the upper hand, then she better make sure and get it. At this time, this would have been looked down upon. Until recently, women have been almost commanded to be submissive to their husbands; the men took this very literally. The Church figures would see this as a brazen personality and few her as almost sinful. I understand her feminism stance, but she goes above and beyond to get the upper hand.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Q3) The Wife of Bath is very bold-as-brass. She doesn’t let anyone push her around. She goes so far as to beat her 5th husband over the head with a book, and literally had a fist fight with him to get the upper hand. I see her faking to be dead as a manipulative way in keeping the upper hand. After the fight, she does come off her high horse a little bit, but she still has to make sure she is in control. Back then, and maybe even now, I don’t think a woman would literally fight with her husband just to get what she wants. I think she is just a bold woman, and the fight with her 5th husband sways me to believe she will do whatever it takes to be in control.
Q1.) Her main argument in the prologue is that she only has sex inside the confines of marriage. She argues the fact that she has had five husbands by saying that the men in the bible that we praise and worship, have had thousands of wives, and no one shames them for sleeping with them. She also makes a valid point: why would God make them, supposedly perfect in his eyes, with the "generative parts" if they weren't allowed to use them. She questions why virginity is the greatest thing a woman could have. It's shocking because she's a free thinking woman, and it's also shocking because she calls out Solomon for his hypocrisy. Women aren't supposed to think for themselves or question government. They are supposed to be mild-mannered, sweet-of-tongue, and pure. Alice is not that. She is out-spoken, smart, and calculated.
ReplyDeleteQ3.)
I think that Alice is a very forward thinking woman. she wants her independence, and will do whatever she can to get it. I think that she grew up very poor, and that's why she was married off so young to a man so old. I also think that's why she was so smart, and worked so hard to keep her independence. I think that Chaucer was tired of the same archetype of the medieval woman. Evil, stupid, cruel slut or naive, unthinking, and pure trophy. I think he was bored of these roles that were written.