Chaucers Male Influence in The Wife of Baths Prologue essays

Chaucer's Male Influence in The Wife of Bath's Prologue essays Geoffrey Chaucer demonstrates his skill as a write with his "Wife of Bath's Prologue" in many ways. It is easy to lose ourselves in the character of the Wife of Bath because she is colorful and by reading her prologue, we feel as though we almost know her. Her unique qualities cause her to stand out and her honesty about her personal situation is admirable, among other things. Another critical element of the "Wife of Bath's Prologue" is the fact that a man pens it. This aspect of the tale makes it more enjoyable because such behavior by women was not acceptable during the fifteenth century. Additionally, because a man writes her prologue, we cannot help but consider why he wrote it. This fictional character provides Chaucer an opportunity to address many subjects that may have been taboo in his time. By employing irony and humor, Chaucer is able to make statements about women and how they are treated. It should be noted the Chaucer was indeed seeking to represent a woman's voice. In fact, by creating the Wife of Bath, we can assume he wanted to create a memorable character in her. Women were victims of subjugation in the fifteenth century, and the Wife of Bath would never have been able to speak out about the things she did. Women were especially not expected to speak out about such things as their sex lives and their physical desires. The Wife of Bath provides Chaucer an opportunity to create a character that speaks on behalf of women everywhere. Chaucer takes this opportunity to the extreme by not only creating a female character that is open and honest, but bold and brash as well. It is obvious that Chaucer is working against the stereotypes that existed about women during that time. Chaucer presents the Wife of Bath as a woman who has gained vast experience is the area of marriage. She therefore considers herself an expert on the subject. This first section...