Riske vs Reserved

Women in the 20th century would most likely stand out if she were to be transported back into the time of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Women during the 14th century were to be “seen and not heard”. Their rights in society as well as their role was subordinate to medieval man’s. In specifically two tales of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer expresses his opinionated views of the manners and behaviors of women during the 1300’s. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale, Chaucer portrays an extravagant and lusty woman, where as the Prioress is well mannered with a lady like demeanor. Chaucer’s descriptions of the two characters clearly depict the Prioress and a better woman than the Wife of Bath according to 14th Century standards pertaining to appearance and general manners, education, and their deportment towards men.

The manners and appearances Chaucer gives to each of the characters to bring them alive vary drastically. Women at this time did not posses the integrity, potency, and self-confidence to live, travel, and think independently. In the prologue Chaucer says that the Wife of Bath had “thrice been to Jerusalem / . . . to Rome and also to Boulogne / St James of Compstella and Cologne” (15) which shows the reader t

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

Additionally, sexual demand will never have its roots in the virtuous Prioress’ mind or life. Certainly the religiously centered culture of the Middle Ages favored a dutiful Christian rather than a primitive prostitute of sorts. This small but significant detail shows that the Prioress, although well studied, is not with it on the actual happenings of the world.

Following with the trend of delineation from society’s ideals, the Wife of Bath sets her own standards for relationships with men. The Wife of Bath represents the liberal extreme in regards to female stereotypes of the Middle Ages. She contrasts with the typical medieval woman because she is equip with confidence that Chaucer exposes when saying that she audaciously showed of her best kerchiefs on Sundays. She had five innocent husbands and numerous affairs, thus breaking five innocent hearts. She has taken the sacred vow of chastity and thinks of men and women alike and in no way sexually. The Prioress encompasses the ability to speak the noble language of French, which in medieval society, places her in a superior class than the Wife of Bath, while the Wife of Bath’s nature of education acquires no social status. Surely the Prioress would strongly disprove of divorce nor the idea of numerous partners. But, even though the Prioress attended the school of Stratford-atte-Bowe, “French in the Paris style she did not know” (6). Chaucer’s descriptions pertaining to general mannerisms and appearance, education, and especially their interactions with men, bluntly points out the ideal 14th century women. The fact that she would even think, much less openly, along such sexual terms, sets her apart from society a tremendous amount. Chaucer delicately, hand paints a tenuous woman Prioress while vigorously painting a robust Wife of Bath. While The Wife of Bath did not gain popularity with her wisdom of scholarly issues, she does seem to exhume a good deal of popularity from the male society because of her attitude towards men.

Approximate Word count = 1057
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.