The Wife of Bath Essay -- Essays Papers

The Wife of BathHistorical Background One of the close unforgettable pilgrims of The Canterbury Tales, as well as one of the roughly memorable women in literature, is the Wife of Bath. She is a lusty and domineering woman who is tall of and communicative about her sexuality and believes that a woman should take away reign in a marriage (Norton 80). She is also extremely blunt and outspoken about her ideas and beliefs. Despite being a woman of the fourteenth century, her ideas, beliefs, and appearance are more like those of the twentieth century. For these reasons, she seems true to life notwithstanding today. However, her ideas, beliefs, and behavior are not at all representative of the women of her time. Women in the optic Ages had more freedom compared to women in the Anglo-Saxon period. However, women in the Middle Ages were hitherto considered to be dependent on men. In the medieval period, most women were not formally educated. They did not have the right to own prope rty, to deliver themselves freely and openly or to make their own decisions. They did not have a lot of freedom and choice, and were not treated as be to men.In the Anglo-Saxon period women were generally identified by married or sexual status. In Caedmons Hymn, as told by Bede, Abbess Hilda is an exception, because patronage being a woman, she is the head of and rules all over the monastery. In Beowulf, the tragic fabrication of Hildeburh suggests that women were not warriors in the Anglo-Saxon culture and period. They were there to support their husbands and cook, clean, and translate birth. In the house as well as in the family men were given much more importance and were favored over women. In the Anglo-Saxon period marriages were often arranged for political reasons to assuage fe... ...ed subordinate and dependent on men. Today women are treated more as equal to men. However, things are still not perfect. There is still a lot that needs to be changed.Works CitedAbrams, M. H. et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 1. 6th Edition. New York W.W. Norton, & Co. 1993. 76-144.Benson. Chaucer The Canterbury Tales. February 1997. October 24, 1998. Online. Internet. Available http icg.harvard.edu/eng115b/Bobr, Janet. Welcome to Camelot. 1998. October 24, 1998. Online. Internet. Available http www.csis.pace.edu/grendel/prjs3f/arthur1.htmCanterbury Tales. 1998. November 30, 1998. Online. Internet. Available http userzweb.lightspeed.net/cheezit/pilgrims/index.htmlJokinen, Anniina. Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1343-1400). July 1996. October 24, 1998. Online. Internet. Available http www.luminarium.org/medlit/chaucer.htm