In bed that night, the knight is distressed, though
the old woman is merry. She asks why he is upset, and
he replies, “thou art so loothly, and so oold also” (l.
1100). The old woman responds with a discussion in
which she challenges the traditional notion of gentility
being based on birth and wealth; rather, true gentility
derives from one’s actions. She concludes by offering
the knight a choice: She will remain old, ugly, and
faithful, or she will transform herself into being beauti-
ful and young, but potentially unchaste. The knight
considers his options and eventually declares: “I put
me in youre wise governance; / Cheseth youreself
which may be moost plesance” (ll. 1231–1232). Hav-
ing acquired the mastery she desired all along, the old
woman then chooses to be both beautiful and faithful,
a decision the knight accepts happily.
“The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale” are com-
monly taught as one piece. The prologue combines ele-
ments of sermons and a confession. Like a sermon, it
contains BIBLICAL ALLUSIONS and references, lessons, and
an EXEMPLUM. In relating the personal details of her life
and adventures, however, the Wife is also “confessing”
to the other pilgrims in the sense of a modern talk
show, not the medieval church. She is not seeking pen-
ance and redemption; rather, she is seeking validation
and entertainment. The tale is a ROMANCE that contains
the traditional elements but also includes unique vari-
ants such as the rather casual rape at the beginning.
The various characters described by the Wife are
rarely individualized and instead are generally pre-
sented as a “type,” or stock character. Her fi rst three
husbands are presented collectively, and even the
fourth is not detailed, though he warrants special men-
tion. The fi fth, however, is not only discussed in depth
but is also named and given a profession. Similarly, the
knight, the maiden, and even the queen are not
described beyond their standard roles. Only the old
woman is given personality and true character.
“The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale” have been the
subject of a great deal of critical attention and contro-
versy over the years. Early critics concentrated on dating
and manuscript variants as well as on determining source
materials. For the prologue, Chaucer relied heavily on St.
Jerome’s letter Adversus Jovinianum and the French
Romance Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Lorris and
Jean de Muin, of which Chaucer had completed a partial
translation earlier in his career. For the tale, he drew on
two sources: JOHN GOWER’s “Tale of Florent,” found in
the CONFESSIO AMANTIS, and the anonymous romance The
WEDDYNGE OF SIR GAWEN AND DAME RAGNELL.
Other early criticism sought to deemphasize the
Wife’s individuality and instead read her as a device,
ALLEGORY, parody, or social type. For instance, the Wife
is a secular professional woman in an era when that
was rare. Allegorically, some critics have read the rape
and the knight’s subsequent gentility as a political mes-
sage to Richard II, asking the king to stop “raping” his
people and to treat them with gentility. Iconographi-
cally, some critics have viewed the Wife as a represen-
tation of femininity gone wild and/or lust. As a parody,
the Wife is often seen as a “funny” portrait of a woman
as portrayed by misogynists.
New Historicist and Marxist critics have taken dif-
ferent approaches than the traditional ones outlined
above. For instance, situating the Wife in the context
of 14th-century struggles between classes reveals com-
mentary on the changing face of medieval social power
structures, where wealth was increasingly not tied to
aristocracy. Additionally, several critics have examined
the Wife in terms of economics. She is a professional
weaver, a guild member, and capable of earning capi-
tal. Moreover, through her marriages she has acquired
capital, making her both merchant and commodity.
Realizing this, the Wife then accumulates profi t in the
easiest and most effi cient ways. She is a professional
wife. Psychoanalytic critics have tended either to see
the Wife as an extension of Chaucer and his confl icted
views of women and marriage—complicated further
by charges of raptus, which can indicate either rape or
abduction or both, leveled against him—or to view her
as an independent character complete with a unique
psychological profi le. These readings tend to view her
prologue, and to a lesser extent her tale, as an autobi-
ography rather than a sermon or confession. Coupled
with the romance-fantasy tale, these narratives reveal
the Wife’s inner desires and pleasures.
The largest body of criticism on the Wife’s prologue
and tale, however, is feminist criticism, which often
incorporates elements from other aspects as well. Numer-
ous scholars have dubbed her a proto-feminist, sparking“WIFE OF BATH’S PROLOGUE AND TALE, THE” 469