Wife of Bath´s Tale
In the end the Old Wife gives the Knight two choices. What are these?
"Do you want me to be old and ugly, yet loyal and humble OR young and pretty, but unfaithful and untrustworthy?"
Identify the test the Knight is sent on:
He was sent on a test to discover what women desire the most.
What do you think he learns from his experience?
I think the Knight learns to change his view on other people; instead of looking at women as objects that he can control and use to his benefit, only caring about outward appearance via youth, beauty, and wealth, he learns to care about the less superficial aspects of someone. Marrying the Old Woman teaches him that beauty on the inside is far more important than outward youth or appearance, and that someone's level of wealth or age does not automatically indicate anything about their self-worth. He learns this because after he listens to the Old Woman's advice and treats his wife as his equal, he begins to see her inner beauty and youth, and cares more about faithfulness than he does appearance.
Insult: You are of low birth! Her Defense:
She explains that being born into a rich, wealthy family does not guarantee someone will actually be an upstanding person; rather, she believes those who work hard, help others, and are as gentle as they can be are the greatest people. The Old Woman explains that an inheritance and legacy of those who came before someone does not make that person great, but rather what that person does to earn themselves a reputation is what counts, regardless of where they came from. She then tells a story that builds on her defense; a key excerpt reads, "If you would be esteemed for the mere name/Of having been by birth a gentleman/And stemming from some virtuous, noble clan,/And do not live yourself by gentle deed/Or take your father's noble code and creed,/You are no gentleman, though duke or earl./Vice and bad manners are what make a churl" (328-334). This means that being born into a higher social class does not make one great, but following an honorable moral code and working to become an outstanding citizen does.
What happens to the ladies?
The Knight eagerly approaches the ladies in the hope of finding some wisdom and the answer to the Queen's question, but before he reached them, they all disappeared into thin air except for a foul-looking old woman.
What did the Knight do at the beginning of the story?
At the beginning of the story, the knight is riding from a river when he sees a maiden walking all alone, so he forces himself upon her and takes her virginity unconsented.
What happens to the Old Wife in the end? Do you think this is a good ending or not? Why?
After she promised to be a good wife and told the King that, if she ever went against her word, he could do with her life and death as he felt was deserved, she turned herself into a good, beautiful woman; the two of them lived out the rest of their days happily together, with her giving complete authority to her husband after he gave her some first. This ending was satisfactory, but not what I was anticipating. After the Knight gave the Old Woman what she had asked for (the authority to choose her own destiny), I was hoping that there would be a concluding stanza talking about how they ruled in equal power and learned to appreciate the other for who they were instead of who they want the other to be. Therefore, learning that she eventually succumbed to old ways and gave her authority back to her husband was disappointing; I know she is happy and that she wishes her life of a young, active husband who can be outlived to all women, and hopes that controlling husbands are punished, but regardless, it was anticlimactic in my opinion.
What truth about women does the story of Midas' ears reveal?
From the story of Midas' ears, it is revealed that women try to keep secrets and often succeed for a little while, but eventually they come out because women are not good at hiding the truth via keeping those secrets.
Does he PASS the test in your opinion?
In my opinion, he does pass the test, because in the end he chooses to allow his wife to decide the fate of their marriage and how she wants to live out the rest of her life, rather than choosing their futures for her. The whole goal was for the Knight to learn that women desire equality, and he stepped down so that she could have that.
What is King Arthur's punishment for this crime?
King Arthur punishes the knight by calling for a beheading.
Insult: You are old and ugly! Her Defense:
She feels the Knight should respect her old age since he would respect any old man by calling him "father" and treating him with the utmost courtesy, and that the fact that she is old and ugly means he will never need to worry about her cheating on him. The Old Woman says that she will remain loyal, true, and humble, and that she will never displease the Knight, which is better than the alternative of having a young beautiful wife who can't be trusted when his friends visit or he takes her places with other men around that also desire her (397-398).
Contrast the knight in the Wife's tale to Chaucer's Knight in the General Prologue:
The Knight in Chaucer's General Prologue is much more chivalrous and respectable than the knight in the Wife's tale. Chaucer explains how distinguished his Knight is, explaining his good character traits and that he took part in as many moral battles and fights as he could in an attempt to follow the Code of Chivalry; this can be demonstrated when Chaucer writes, "There was a Knight, a most distinguished man,/Who from the day on which he first began/To ride abroad had followed chivalry,/Truth, honor, generousness and courtesy./He had done nobly in his sovereign's war/And ridden into battle, no man more,/As well in Christian as in heathen places,/And ever honored for his noble graces" (43-50). Chaucer claimed that the Knight has never said a boorish (disgraceful) thing, and that he is truly a perfect gentleman - the same can definitely not apply to the knight in the Wife's tale. Whereas the Knight in Chaucer's tale is inherently good and honorable, the knight in the Wife's tale is the opposite, and broke the Code of Chivalry within the second stanza of the story by raping a young, innocent, helpless maiden. This knight is not a gentleman and does not understand that being a gentleman and a knight means standing up and fighting for all, regardless of their social class, wealth, appearance, or any other superficial matter; Chaucer's Knight did understand this, which is why he found in so many battles and was considered so respectable. Finally, Chaucer claims that his Knight was never foul or abrasive with his words, where the Wife's knight called his wife ugly and old, and made fun of the fact that she was born into poverty. Though Chaucer's Knight was perfect, the knight in the Wife's tale was far from it.
Why is the Knight unhappy with his wife?
The Knight is unhappy with his wife because she is so ugly, and he finds it incredibly embarrassing that he is married to someone who is as foul as she is; the text explains this when it reads, "Nothing but heaviness of heart and sorrow./He married her in private on the morrow/And all day long stayed hidden like an owl,/It was such torture that his wife looked foul" (255-258). Later in the text, he also states that he is sorrowful since he is married to someone who is so old, poor, and from a low social class.
In what ways does the Knight BREAK the Code of Chivalry?
The Knight originally broke the Code of Chivalry by raping the young maiden he found in the beginning of the tale; this code is a moral system, where knights promise to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and by forcing himself onto an alone, helpless girl, he chose harm instead of protection. He is also supposed to protect and respect his elders, which he does the opposite of when he insults his wife by telling her he is embarrassed to be married to her due to her age, ugliness, poverty, and low-birth; therefore, the Knight is again breaking the Code of Chivalry because he is choosing to verbally attack another helpless person rather than protecting them.
How does the Knight answer her question?
The Knight tells the Old Woman that she can decide for herself and choose an option in honor of both of them, for he does not care which option she chooses and feels that whatever makes her happy will leave him content.
What deal does the Knight make with the Old Woman?
The Knight tells the Old Woman that, if she can give him the answer to the Queen's question, he will pay her for it. She takes his hand and tells him that, if he swears to do what she tells him to, she will give him his answer in time to save his life.
How successful was the Knight in finding an answer to the Queen's question? Why?
The Knight was not all that successful; he went around from house to house, town to town, country or coast to country or coast, but could not find a cohesive answer. Some told him that honor or pleasure was best, others told him wealth or sex, and others still said flattery and appreciation; the author confirmed this, explaining, "What could it be that women wanted most?/But all the same he never touched a coast,/Country or town in which there seemed to be/Any two people willing to agree" (97-100).
Insult: You are poor! Her Defense:
The Old Woman believes that poverty is not shameful if one remains joyful about life, accepts their situation, and tries as hard as they can to remain a good, honest person; she thinks that people in true poverty are those who complain about their situation and choose to be jealous of others with more money rather than just being happy with what they do have, which can be seen when the text reads, "'No shame in poverty if the heart is gay,/As Seneca and all the learned say./He who accepts his poverty unhurt/I'd say is rich although he lacked a shirt./But truly poor are they who whine and fret/And covet what they cannot hope to get" (359-364). She also feels poverty is actually a good thing, because it gives those who are poorer an incentive to live life to the fullest, teaches them to put trust in God and Christianity, gives them wisdom, and teaches them who their true friends are.
What does the Old Woman request of the Knight?
The Old Woman requests the Knight to marry her, for she saved his life.
What is the Old Woman's answer to the Queen's question?
The Old Woman's answer is that women want the same power their husbands have, and that they do not want their lovers to command her or have authority over her.
How does the Queen intervene? What is her plan for the knight's punishment?
The Queen and other ladies begged and pleaded to the king to give the Knight some grace; it worked, and the King gave all the power to his Queen so that she could decide the Knight's fate. The Queen thanks the King, and gives the knight an ultimatum: answer her question correctly, or die via decapitation. She states this when she says, "'You stand, for such in the position still,/In no way certain of your life,' said she,/'Yet you shall live if you can answer me:/What is the thing that women most desire?/Beware the axe and say as I require'"; afterwards, she tells him that if he cannot answer immediately, he can take a year and a day to learn the proper answer, then return to share his response and surrender his body to the court (78-82).
When is the Wife of Bath's tale set (historical time period)?
The Wife of Bath's tale is set in the Medieval time period, when King Arthur was in power; this can be seen when the text reads, "Long, long ago in good King Arthur's day," (58).
On the day of his return to the Queen, the Knight still had not found his answer. What does he spy at the edge of a forest?
While riding home, the Knight sees twenty four ladies dancing at the edge of the forest.
