f her prologue is dramatic and
             griping because she wastes no time getting to the point. It is important
             how the Wife of Bath immediately addresses areas of concern--that is
             multiple marriages. Her first remarks set the tone for the entire prologue
             as well as establish her character as a strong-willed woman.
             She addresses what some are saying about her "persuasion" by searching
             out scripture. From her extrapolations, we realize that she is a fantastic
             manipulator of the truth. For example, she mentions that "God bade us all
             to wax and multiply" (277) and claims she understands the text because God
             has commanded man to leave his father and mother and find a wife. She
             immediately follows this with "No word of what the number was to be/Then
             why not marry two or even eight'" (277). In her mind, she has reconciled
             the argument of having multiple spouses. In fact, she declares, "The wise
             King Solomon of long ago;/We hear he had a thousand wives or so" (277).
             She also mentions how wonderful it would be if God had allowed her even
             half as many spouses as wise Solomon had. It is interesting to note how
             she spins scripture in her favor. In fact, in a humorous way, she claims
             that she has exhibited some restraint by only having five husbands.
             Additionally, she brings up that fact that Abraham and Jacob had several
             brides. She even mentions Lamech for his bigamy, which is a completely
             different situation from hers altogether because Lamech had two wives at
             ...