Wife of Bath
what would she really have been?
what side of the spectrum would she have been on?
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I feel like I am extremely behind in this class because my blog for the WoB is just now being completed. Maybe I'm the bad person for procrastinating as much as I did on this particular blog but...before I begin wasting time again...these are my thoughts of the WoB. I must ignore the beckoning Myspace and Facebook and actually be productive.
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Geoffrey Chaucer's Wife of Bath is an elaborate tale of an independent, determined and potentially disagreeable woman. The main character, the Wife of Bath, is undoubtedly a fiesty creation that resembles women of our current society. She is ferocious in her look for love, confindent in her ability to manipulate every man she attracts andseemingly fearless. Yet, when attempting to break through her tough exterior, Chaucer is vague in describing her true person. The reader is left to interpret her harshness, her lustfulness, as well as her overall character as they please. Fortunately, I was amused by the Wife of Bath. Although I do believe she was somewhat immoral, she was definitely that deserved a little bit of recognition, if not respect. I appreciate the WoB's spirit, her determination and lastly her sense of self.
If there was a scale based on morality of character, the WoB might score somewhere around where our modern day Paris Hilton might end up. Unfortunately, is appears that women with these certain personality traits become timeless parts of every society. Much like Miss Hilton, the WoB was a wealthy woman who was fortunate enough to know the tricks of the trade. The WoB was very capable of getting everything her way and often prided herself on it. In her prologue she states, "And whan that I have toold thee forth my tale // Of tribulaciun in marriage, // Of which I am expert in all mine age -- // This is to saye, myself have been the whippe --" (lines 172-175).
But, is this a negative quality? Women in our current society must mock the attributes of a succesful man. Generally speaking, it requires a woman to be more assertive as well as demanding. Although the glass is slowly beginning to crack, the ceiling still does exist. I believe that if the WoB would have existed in our current day and age she would have been one step closer to becoming a money mogul much like Oprah but with an edgy, Madonna, Hilton and Donald Trump edge. For this, I like the WoB's fiestyness as well as her openess in admitting to her flaws. She is obviously confident and, for that reason, I like her just a little bit more.
The WoB was definitely more than just full of, well, piss and vinegar. (I know that term is somewhat...vulgar...but I felt it described her quite well). She was confident in herself both physically and mentally. She was well educated and was obviously interested in exploring (hence the reason for the pilgramige and others). She had probably been trained the way of a lady and, throughout all of her marriages, was more than accustomed to the life of a wealthy woman. Her confidence was maybe the most amusing aspect of the WoB. I believe it was this particular quality that allowed me to overlook her other habits. I tend to regard characters highly when they themselves do the same. Confidence is contagious and, with literature, a reader can somewhat morph in to character and draw out the qualities they appreciate the most.
I believe that the WoB deserves respect because of her willingness to bear her soul. She is confident inthe Prologue to her tale and she was definitely the dominating factor. She refused to allow interruptions and occasionally was a bit brazen in her manner. In admitting to her weaknesses and telling of her past marriages, she hits on one theme that, according to Bruce Magee's notes on the Wife of Bath (http://www2.latech.edu/~bmagee/201/chaucer/wife_notes.htm), deems her as being "bad". Magee's notes read, "The WOB [is] considered bad because she follows desire." Although true, I don't think that because she is a 'go-getter' type of girl she is automatically bad. But, I understand that Magee's approach was from society then and not now. Had her story and her attitudes been adapted to current society, the fact she follows her desires would be something no one would notice because almost everyone does it.
The WoB, much like the roses named for her, are a tenacious breed notorious for their beauty and their thorns. She was very much aware of the person she was and the type of rebel she was for her time. Chaucer allowed her to indulge herself as well as amuse herself when describing who she was the other pilgrams. In her prologue she says, "As help me God, I was a lusty oon, // And faire and riche and yong and well bigon. // And trewely, as my housbondes tolde me, // I hadde the beste quoniam mighte be," (lines 605-608). The WoB is very concious of her good looks and flaunts them. She has had many years of playing the role of a foxy vixen and I don't think she ever wants to give that up, regardless of age or maritial status. I would never say I look to her for inspiration but I do admire how she accepts herself completely, even if it is a bit arrogant. Regardless, she is definitely a strong woman and that is something to give credit to.
Overall, I believe the WoB lacks a few morals but makes up for them in confidence and honesty. She is open minded and willing to accept the criticism of others for the person she is. She is happy with what she has become and has struggling through several unsuccesful marriages. After being married at 12, I would have to say she is definitely a survivor. Chaucer's WoB is an amusing and interesting character -- especially because she is so foreign to the time period in which she was set. What makes this ironic is that, unbeknownst to Chaucer, the WoB is a timeless figure that represents alot of the women of today. Is she good? I believe so yes. She sins, but accepts it and appears to be optimistic. She has not committed any crimes and, in my book, I would say that the WoB deserves a bit of what she gets but...for what she is and what she stands for...she is still a good woman.
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websites:
An outline of Geoffrey Chaucer, the time period and offers insight in to relationships and relates it back to the Wife of Bath. It was very interesting and provided for a very good quote.
I believe this was one of the websites that was given as a good reference in the class. It had a lot of different links that I was able to branch off on. I am surprised as to how much time I spent on here. I really like this link though because of everything it had on there -- no wonder it was a reference!
Much like the last one, this had many links to go and look at. I think I actually found the first one off of this particular 'mother' site. It had pictures, and sooo much information I did not know what to do with myself.
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again - i redid this one. i never changed the text just added the websites and went over the format.
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