The Wife of Bath’s TaleA Brief Lesson in One of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

By Angela TinnerelloNorthwestern State University

ETEC 5610/Spring 2017

The Wife of Bath begins her tale with a story of fairies dancing in the forest. She follows this statement with a criticism of the clergy, who, she claims are nothing more than rapists who hide behind the guise of their robes.

The goodly wife continues her tale with a story of a not-so-noble knight of King Arthur’s Round Table who raped a young maiden in the woods.

His punishment, according to King Arthur, was death; however, Queen Guinevere and her ladies came to his defense. King Arthur, out of respect for his queen, defered judgement to her. She sent the knight off on a quest for a year and a day to find the thing that women want most. If he failed, his original sentence would be carried out.

The knight set off on his quest believing that God would give him his answer and allow for his life to be spared. But he did not find what he needed. He knocked on every door that he came to and, still, no answer. That is, until…

He came upon a group of twenty four ladies dancing at the edge of the woods. He approached them, hoping to learn the truth that would save his life. To his dismay, they all disappeared before he got to them.

An old woman was all who stood where the fair maidens had been. The knight, desperate for his answer, made a bargain with the old woman. The old woman gave him his answer but, in return, she demanded that he marry her.

Elated, the knight returned at once to give the queen her answer. He said, in a loud and clear voice, that women want sovereignty in their marriage. Upon being granted his life, the knight begged the old woman to take anything but to spare him the marriage.

She, however, refused and they were married.

As the knight took his bride to bed, she became aware of his dissatisfaction with the situation. Being a good wife, she asked him why he was so unhappy. He told her that it’s because she is old, ugly, poor and of low birth. His criticisms set off a series of chastisements from the old woman. She told her husband that her station in life should be no indication of who she truly is. She explained that a person’s heart is the same and that social status does not matter. As for poverty, she said that there is no better way to live a virtuous live than one of poverty. The poor have nothing and find happiness in the simplest of things; they have no fear of theft and know that their friends are true. She followed this by addressing his comments about her appearance and assured him that old, ugly wives are faithful but young, beautiful wives cannot be trusted.

The hag gave her husband a choice: to have her old, ugly and loyal or young, pretty and desired my many. His reply? Well…

The knight gave her the choice to be whatever she chose. When he did this, he gave her what she wanted: sovereignty in her marriage.

And she transformed into the beautiful wife that he wanted.

The End