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The Wife of Bath-Canterbury Tales

The document provides historical context about the Wife of Bath tale, which is set in King Arthur's time and involves magical folk elements. It then summarizes the key events in the tale, where a knight is sentenced to death for raping a maiden but is given a chance to live if he can determine what women truly want. He goes on a quest and gets different answers until an old woman tells him women want power over their husbands. When he provides this answer, his life is spared, but then he must marry the old woman. She transforms into a beautiful wife, living happily with the knight.

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257 views10 pages

The Wife of Bath-Canterbury Tales

The document provides historical context about the Wife of Bath tale, which is set in King Arthur's time and involves magical folk elements. It then summarizes the key events in the tale, where a knight is sentenced to death for raping a maiden but is given a chance to live if he can determine what women truly want. He goes on a quest and gets different answers until an old woman tells him women want power over their husbands. When he provides this answer, his life is spared, but then he must marry the old woman. She transforms into a beautiful wife, living happily with the knight.

Uploaded by

lalala12342
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Wife of Bath

Historical Context

Setting on in the olden days of King Arthur. Big influence with folk and magical creatures such as fairies, dragons, and wizards.

All this wide land was land of faery. The elfqueen

King Arthur- 5th and early 6th centuries. The details of Arthur's story are mainly of folklore and literary invention.

About the Wife of Bath


Authority

on marriage & sex

1st at the age of 12 5 husbands

Various

lovers Death in one ear 3 good husbands & 2 bad

Good-rich, old, and submissive

Verbal

& sexual powers to bring husbands into submission

Literary Devices
Symbolism:

Knight
as

Metaphor:

a symbol of the authority of all men.

Bread-sexuality Imagery
virgins

Queen and Loathly lady


Womens

power

Allusion

Jesus Christ

bread wives to barley bread Flour to her youth Bran to her older age

to wheat

Summary

In the olden age of King Arthur, there was a lusty, young Knight, part of the Kings court who one day overcome by lust and his own power he rapes a beautiful young maiden. The Knight as punishment, is sentenced to decapitation. However Arthurs queen & other ladies of the court intervene and ask the King to give the Knight one chance to save his life. Arthur agrees and the Queen presents the Knight with a challenge, if in a year he can find out what women want the most and report his findings to the court, he will be saved. If he cannot or he has the wrong answer he must be decapitated.

Summary

The knight goes on his quest through out the country and questions every woman he meets. Yet everyone of them has a different answer; money, honor, looks, sex, remarriage, flattery, or to be free to do as they want. When his year is over the Knight returns to the kingdom, when he sees a group of women and approaches them to ask them the question, hoping to find the answer. When he gets close the group disappears and all he can see is an ugly old woman. The woman offers her help and the Knight explains his problem and promises to reward her if she can help him.

Summary

The woman tells the Knight that if he promises himself to her, she will give him the correct answer to what woman really want. The Knight makes the pact and heads off to the court with the woman. In front of a large audience, the Knight answers the Queens question, with what the old woman told him; what woman most want is to be in charge of their husbands and lovers. His answer is correct and the Queen spares his life. Then the old woman asks the Knight for his hand in marriage, to which he is forced to say yes.

Summary

After they consummated their marriage, the woman asks him why he was so sad. The Knight answered, it was because he had an ugly wife. The woman asks him if he rather have an ugly and loyal woman or a young and unfaithful wife. The Knight tells her to chose what she thinks is best. Since the Knight gave her what she most desired the ugly woman, became a beautiful and loyal wife. The two had a long and happy life.

Satirical Content
Women-The

story encourages womans power over men yet the Queen and her court excuse a racist. Religion-Sees friars as rapist and worse than the demon incubi. The Wife of Bath- women where supposed to virtuous and composed.

Questions
Does

the knight's punishment in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" fit his crime?

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