OK.so after reading the wife of Bath's prologue, I do not know what to think of this lady. She is something. I do not think she is my favorite character anymore.. The entire Prologue she tells of her husbands and her lies. How much can you really believe from her. She admits to her lies. She literally used her husbands in a way to get Money and land.
She has her own religious views and perspectives on how marriage should be. She speaks a lot at the beginning of procreation and virginity. Lines 111 "Virginitee is greet perfeccioun,And continence eek with devocioun.
The wife believes that she is the authority of Marriage due to all of her personal life experiences and people should learn from her ways. Lines 215-220 really reveals the truth of the Wife of Bath "A wys womman wol bisye hire evere in oon To gete hire love, ye, ther as she hath noon. But sith I hadde hem hoolly in myn hond, And sith they hadde me yeven all hir lond, What sholde I taken keep hen for to plese, But it were for my profit and myn ese? " Pretty much she does everything in her power to have her way.
Lines 203 "As three of hem were gode and two were badde" Mostly she speaks of her 4th and 5th husbands.
When the fourth husband passes away she pretends to act sad but truly she is not b/c she knows she has her 5th husband lined up. This man named Jankin who is a clerk. This is explained through lines 590-605 I still do not know what it is about her that would attract such a young man. Because at the time of marriage of her 5th husband the Wife of Bath was 40 and he was 20. Is it because of her sex?
When the fourth husband passes away she pretends to act sad but truly she is not b/c she knows she has her 5th husband lined up. This man named Jankin who is a clerk. This is explained through lines 590-605 I still do not know what it is about her that would attract such a young man. Because at the time of marriage of her 5th husband the Wife of Bath was 40 and he was 20. Is it because of her sex?
Also its hard to feel sorry for her being partially deaf after reading how it happened. Lines 635-644
Throughout the entire prologue she keeps bringing up different Saints. I'm still confused of why she does this. Line 318 "Now by that lord that called is Seint Jame." Line 452 "By Saint Peter! I would curse you, if you did not love it well;" Line489 "But he was paid back, by God and by Seint Joce!" (Saint Josse) Line 610 "I hadde the prente of Seynte Venus seel."Line 680"A cardinal, that highte Seint Jerome"
Are these Saints part of her religious views?
One more thing is her real name Alisoun?
I have changed my view of The Wife of Bath. Now I'm going to go read her tale.
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