The Wife of Bath’s Tale
Romance
• Plot structure: Hero battles an enemy and ultimately prevails
• Three Stages of a Romance• Dangerous Journey• A Test to Determine the True Qualities of
the Hero• A Return to the Point where the Journey
Started
Romance
• Includes:
Supernatural Elements
Good vs. Evil Element
Quest
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
• Romance
Love
Quest
Supernatural/Magic
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
• 862 lines
• She speaks with the Pardoner in this excerpt
• She claims to be an expert in marriage
• Evidence that she is well read
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
• Knight’ quest is to find what women most desire
• Lines 101-114
• The pilgrim digresses and injects her own beliefs
• Lines 118-124 What criticism of women does the Wife offer?
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
• Wife contends– Women can be hypocritical– Women cannot keep secrets
• How does the Knight display chivalry in lines 159-164?
• What element of magic happens in lines 166-180?
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
• What is the irony in the answer to the riddle?
• In return for the answer, the Knight must marry the old woman.
• Old woman gives a sermon
• Lines 293-294 “Gentility is given by God, not by social rank”
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
• In her lecture, the old woman is talking about gentility and virtue
• The woman then gives the knights a choice1. Have an old, but faithful wife2. Have a young, but unfaithful wife
• What is the knight’s answer?• What is said at the end of the poem (437-
440)?
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