Webb Amanda English 241 Professor Goldman February 8, 2005 The CTs
Greet was the wo the knight hadde in his thought: Whan he was with his wif abedde brought, He walwather and he turneth to and fro. His olde wif lay smiling everemo, And saide, "O dere housbonde, benedicte, Fareth every knight this with his wif as ye? Is this the law of King Arthures hous? Is every knight of his thus daungerous ? I am youre owene love and youre wif; I am she which that saved your lif; And certes yit ne dide I you nevere unright. Why fare ye thus with me this firste night? Ye faren like a man hadde lost his wit What is my gilt? For Goddes love, tell it, And it shal been amended if I may." (The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, 1089-1103)
In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, the descriptions and tales of the people making a pilgrimage to Canterbury are narrated by the fictional character, Chaucer. The characteristics of the setting and also those of the characters are very similar to those of the time period in which Chaucer wrote. At this time there was a great deal of corruption within the Catholic Church and Chaucer exposes this corruption to the reader through the use of ironic statements that illustrate the differences between appearances and reality. The religious characters, however, are not the only characters within the story that show this difference, there are also common-people characters on the journey and they show it as well. One of these characters is the Wife of Bath and it is in her tale that we find the knight and the old woman from the excerpt above. The theme of differences between appearances and reality seem to be halted during the Wife of Bath's tale as the knight and the old woman are the only characters who are consistent in their appearances and their
Webb 2 interactions with each other which emphasizes the importance of closing the gap between appearances and realities. In the Wife of Bath's tale, she begins with the knight who nonchalantly rapes a poor woman on the street. When the king learns of this he orders that the knight be put to death, but Queen Guinevere declares that he should be given another chance. His alternative form of punishment is to find out what it is that women desire. He looks throughout the land for an answer to this question, but he cannot find an answer that will be suitable for the queen until one day when he meets a hideous old woman. The woman tells him that she will tell him what women desire in exchange for his hand in marriage. The old woman then tells him that all women want power. The knight takes this answer to the queen and she finds it acceptable. The knight is relieved at the renouncement of his sentence, but is then disappointed to learn that the old woman has followed him to the palace to ensure that he keep his promise. Soon after, the two are marries and Lines 10891103 describe their wedding night. This passage is exceptional in describing the sincere interaction between the couple because of the syntax and diction that Chaucer uses. The words that are used throughout the passage are words that describe the utmost feelings that the knight and the wife are feeling at the particular moment. This is helpful to the meaning of the passage because it is the point in which the knight and the woman truly express their feelings towards each other without any false pretence. Chaucer uses this careful word choice and placement as he candidly begins the passage describing the utter misery that the knight is feeling towards his new wife. Chaucer says that the knight lay "walweth (tossing) and turneth to and fro" (1091). These
Webb 3 are words which are rarely used to describe a couples' wedding night, but are appropriate at this point in the tale because the knight is actively expressing his disappointment in his wife. Despite being standoffish on this night, marrying the woman is the first instance of the knight's honest attitude towards his wife because based on his status as a knight and her status as a poor woman, the knight could have easily broken his promise of marrying her but he does not. The knight's tossing and turning does not surprise the woman as she is described as "smiling everemo" (1092) at the sound of it. The placement of this statement about the wife smiling is cleverly juxtaposed against the previous statement about the knight's despair but is closely related to the husband and wife's relationship. The knight and the woman are complete opposites in all aspects of their lives, but in the end are able to work together for the benefit of them both just as the two opposite illustrations of them are able to fit together to present a clear depiction of the situation. The description of the wife smiling also reveals a great deal about her character. It is evidence that she indeed knows the knight is unhappy, however it can also be seen as the wife being cruel because she is smiling amidst her husbands sorrow, but she nevertheless goes on to tell her husband that if he will tell her the reason, that she will "amend" it. The wife does not say that she will simply fix the situation but that she will amend it which emphasizes the wife's desire truly to change. The wife then goes on to ask the knight, "Is this the law of King Arthures hous?/Is every knight of his thus daungerous?"
which are rhetorical yet pertinent questions because they show the knight that he is being ridiculous in his actions (1095-96). She also reminds the knight that it was she who saved
him from being executed and defends this statement by saying, "dide I never you unright/
Webb 4 What is my gilt" (1099). But the woman does not end with this "guilt-trip," she ends by telling her husband that she will amend it if she is able to. As the couple's conversation continues and the knight reveals that his sorrow is being caused by the fact that he is married to a hideous and poor woman. His wife tells him that she can either be ugly and faithful or beautiful and unfaithful. She leaves the decision up to him but he tells her that she could decide which to choose. Since the knight had given his wife the power to maker her own decision, she becomes beautiful and faithful which is beneficial to both of them. Now the knight knows for himself that the power that women desire not only makes them happy but also makes men happy as well. The Wife of Bath's character has been considered by many scholars as a feminist character but has also been seen as quite the opposite. In regards to this there are many differences between the Wife of Bath's appearance and reality. At different times she shows characteristics of each side. In one way she can be seen as feminist as she is a cloth maker and extremely independent, but she can also be seen as a non-feminist as jumps from one man to another and her current husband she says is not kind to her but she loves him anyway. The Wife of Bath's ability to portray opposite sides of a feminist does not denounce the validity of her character as it does with the clergymen who are supposed to be men of God, but rather accentuates her dynamic nature. The wife of Bath's dynamic nature can be seen through her tale about the knight and the old woman because her tale is also very dynamic. The knight illustrates this best as his character changes completely from the beginning of the tale to the end. At the beginning of the tale the knight is a rapist and at the end he entrusts his wife with the monumental decision of choosing beauty over faithfulness. The Wife of Bath does not
Webb 5 experience an enormous change in her countenance as the knight does, but the reader is able to see her from many angles as the Canterbury Tales progress from the description of her many flamboyant cloths in the General Prologue, to the personal stories of her many husbands in her own prologue, and the reflection of herself as a powerful and beautiful woman in her tale. The theme of appearances versus reality can also be seen in the life story of Margery Kempe. In many ways the Wife of Bath and Margery Kempe are very similar as people see them both as ludicrous and unbelievable. Margery Kempe is a common woman who leaves her family to go on a pilgrimage. She does not know how to read or write but she knows can quote scripture...