The Wife of Bath’s Tale

Romance

• Plot structure: Hero battles an enemy and ultimately prevails

• Three Stages of a Romance• Dangerous Journey• A Test to Determine the True Qualities of

the Hero• A Return to the Point where the Journey

Started

Romance

• Includes:

Supernatural Elements

Good vs. Evil Element

Quest

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

• Romance

Love

Quest

Supernatural/Magic

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue

• 862 lines

• She speaks with the Pardoner in this excerpt

• She claims to be an expert in marriage

• Evidence that she is well read

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

• Knight’ quest is to find what women most desire

• Lines 101-114

• The pilgrim digresses and injects her own beliefs

• Lines 118-124 What criticism of women does the Wife offer?

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

• Wife contends– Women can be hypocritical– Women cannot keep secrets

• How does the Knight display chivalry in lines 159-164?

• What element of magic happens in lines 166-180?

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

• What is the irony in the answer to the riddle?

• In return for the answer, the Knight must marry the old woman.

• Old woman gives a sermon

• Lines 293-294 “Gentility is given by God, not by social rank”

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

• In her lecture, the old woman is talking about gentility and virtue

• The woman then gives the knights a choice1. Have an old, but faithful wife2. Have a young, but unfaithful wife

• What is the knight’s answer?• What is said at the end of the poem (437-

440)?