Feminism in Chaucer’s Wife of Bath Essay -- Wife of Bath Essays

Wo custody in the medieval times were cast into very distinct roles. There was a rigorous code of conduct that was followed. They were to be submissive to their husbands and follow their lead. A womans place was also in the home and the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc. fell into their domain. Women who deviated from these cultural-set norms make for interesting characters. Chaucers use of women and their overstepping their boundaries and typical roles in society make them most memorable.Most of the gender expectations base of operationsmed from the Church and biblical history. There were umteen anti-feminist feelings due to Eve causing the fall of Man. Women were perceived to be responsible for most of the suffering to man, and were therefore inferior and to be dominated by their husbands and men in general. The courtly lady of medieval poetry has much in common with the images of the Virgin (Martin xiv). Chastity, purity, and holiness, were all associated w ith the expectations of women from role models such as the Virgin bloody shame type-cast women into a saintly role. Because women were thought to have caused so much suffering on behalf of mankind, they were to be controlled, held in check and not exhibit any outward signs of defiance or concern for themselves. Their purpose in life was to serve others at their own expense.There were typical male traits, and these had a more supportive connotation to them. In the following list of terms, the first are meant to be masculine and the second to be feminine limit and unlimited, odd and even, one and plurality, slump and left, male and female, resting and moving, straight and curved, light and darkness, good and bad, square and oblong (Cox 8). The more desired traits like the obvious light and good, were saved for the traditional male. These ideas stem from the Aristotelian paradigm, and are consistent with gender roles in Chaucers world. The Wife of Bath was expected to have the femin ine traits, but she would not accept that. why should the positive traits be reserved only for men? Being born a woman should not automatically exempt a woman from universe cast into a more positive position within society.What makes Chaucers characters so unique and unforgettable is that he cast them outside of these roles. Bordering on the moot but lightened by his use of humor, his characters... ...f Bath, we see an individual who is willing to express that idea. Her courage to defy the traditional concepts as set by her peers does not dismay her, and she boldly stands up for what she believes in, popular or not. Another strong feminist aspect to her is that she feels no need to be justified or have citation for her decisions and lifestyle. Just because she is a woman does not limit her choices in her life, and neither her gender nor her decisions make her inferior. Works CitedChaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales The Wife of Baths Prologue and Tale. The Norton Anthology E nglish Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt. seventh ed. New York W.W. Norton & Company, 2001. Cox, Catherine S. Gender and Language in Chaucer. Florida University pep up of Florida,1997. Hallissy, Margaret. Clean Maids, True Wives, Steadfast Widows Chaucers Women and Medieval Codes of Conduct. Westport, Ct Greenwood Press, 1993. Jennings, Patrick. Online Webct posting. 18 April 2004. Mann, Jill. Feminizing Chaucer. Cambridge D.S. Brewer, 2002.Martin, Priscilla. Chaucers Women Nuns, Wives and Amazons. London TheMacmillan Press Ltd, 1990.