The Wife of Bath’s Tale

What Women Want

A Knights Journey….

There was a knight in King Arthur’s kingdom that came a cross a beautiful maiden. He decided that he must have her so he took her right there... The punishment for rape in those days was death. But the knight was saved by the pleading of the Queen.She told him that he had not earned his right to live just yet.He was given one year and a day to search for the answer to her one question…. What do women want?

What Do Women Want? As the knight traveled far far away he came across many answers…

JewelsRichesGreat SexTo Marry Many Times (cause once isn’t enough?)

Loyalty ( I recommend a puppy)As correct as all of these answers were, they were not the one that the knight sought….

Finally The Truth!

After searching for many months, the knight came across a group dancing in the trees. As he drew closer they asked him of his quest. When he asked them the Queen’s question, an ugly elderly woman bargained with the knight. She proposed that she would give him the answer he seeks, in return for one favor that he must fulfill whenever she asked. The knight agreed, was given the answer and went on his way…. Unaware that the old woman was to outsmart him.

And They Meet Again

The knight returned to the kingdom to reveal his answer to the Queen and the large group of maidens that had gathered with her. He told them that women only really desire one thing…..

They want the power to control their husbands, and all decision making in the relationship! To no ones surprise all of the women agreedThe elderly woman having gathered with them, now decided it would be a good time to call in her favor….

POWER

Here Comes The Bride

To the surprise of the knight, the elderly woman is smarter than him. Her one favor is to ask the Queen for his hand in marriage. Apparently Granny is a cougar! Remembering that he promised her a favor in return and much to his unhappiness, the knight takes the old woman to be his bride.Later that night, in their marriage bed, Granny was in the mood but to her dismay, her new husband was not. When she asks him what is wrong, he answers by telling her that she is ugly, old and repulsive, and that it is no wonder he is not in the mood!Again the old woman is smarter than the knight…

Pick one… But Choose Wisely

The old woman tell him that there are far more important things than youth and beauty, but she can see that her words are falling on deaf ears. Again she bargains with the knight. He has two choices:1. She can remain ugly and old, completely obedient

and faithful for all of her days.2. She can become young and beautiful, but he must

take the risk of her cheating on him with all of the young men that are sure to want her.

Smart Man!

Remembering the answer that he gave the Queen, he decides to give the same answer as every other husband, when they are asked to make a decision.

“Honey, it is whatever you think would be best.”So seeing that the knight is not completely stupid, and after giving him major brownie points for that answer, the old woman decides to give him the best of both worlds.

And the magic begins…

In the morning the knight awoke to find that the old woman had been transformed into a beautiful young maiden. So he took her in his arms, kissed her passionately, consummated their marriage (many times I might add) and

lived happily ever after!

So, if my commentated summary was not to your liking, or you are still confused here is an animated version of The Wife of Bath’s Tale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3cvOm7qStk

Works Cited.

Damrosch, D. (2012). Gateways to literature. (Vol. 1). Pearson Education Inc.

You Tube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3cvOm7qStk

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