The Wife of Bath's Tale Study Guide

In lines 22-25, what understanding of women does the Pardoner hope to gain from the Wife of Bath's tale?

He hopes to gain some practical knowledge about marriage, based on experience.

In lines 181-216, according to the old woman, what is the key to an understanding of women? What words best describe the Knight? Find textual evidence to support.

A women wants power over her husband.

What is the knight's original punishment and his revised punishment? Who comes up with the revised punishment?

His original punishment is death; The Queen.

In what ways does the relationship between the knight and the old woman change during the course of the story? Is the conclusion of the story satisfying?

I do not like the conclusion because everything turns out to be wonderful for a rapist!

In lines 57-86, is the king's decision, that the knight should die for his crime, fair?

No, but personally I don't believe people should die for committing a crime. They should think about what they have done for the rest of their lives.

Why does the old woman's speech (lines 285-394) go on for so long?

The old woman is very angry, hurt, and annoyed by the knight's crude, ungrateful behavior toward her; she seems to be at wit's end. Perhaps she wants to give the knight one last chance to change

In the frame story of The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath and the Friar have an ongoing quarrel. In what way does the Wife of Bath's digression in lines 39-56 reflect this dispute?

She says that no women was ever hurt, because only the Friar was around, and he wasn't able to get with the women anyway.

Reread lines 128-158. In what ways does the Wife of Bath digress, or wander, from her story about the knight? Explain what purpose this interruption might serve.

She starts to tell the story of Midas.

What is the narrator's opinion of flattery in lines 101-110? Consider what this view suggests about her personality.

She thinks that flattery is very important because a man can win a woman with flattery.

Review lines 57-88. What characteristics of the Wife's narrative style appear in the story's introduction?

The Queen is in control of the Knight's life, because his life is determined by whether or not he can answer the question she has given him. This is like the Wife's life in that she also likes to be in control of men.

In lines 7-21, the narrator introduces the subject of her tale-marriages and its many difficulties. What personal opinion and experiences does she also reveal?

The Wife of Bath offers the opinion that the Pardoner should be careful about marrying. She bases her opinion on her significant experience with marriage.

Was the Wife of Bath ahead of her time or behind the times with regard to her attitude toward gender roles in the 14th century?

The Wife of Bath was ahead of her time, as she spoke out against men's control of women's lives in her 14th-century society.

Rerad the last paragraph. What is the Wife of Bath's attitude toward husbands who are controlling or misers ("niggards")? Cite details that helped you draw this conclusion.

The Wife of Bath's attitude toward controlling or miserly husbands is negative and hostile. She asks that Jesus cut short the lives of controlling husbands (lines 437-438) and that God cause miserly husbands to die of pestilence (lines 439-440).

In lines 57-63, how does the opening of the Wife of Bath tale illustrate an extreme case of a man who has no understanding of women?

The knight dominates the maiden by brute force (rapes), ignoring her entreaties.

In lines 285-294, the old woman offers a lengthy rebuttal to the knight's complaints. Why might the narrator place her focus on the old woman and not the knight at this point in the story?

The narrator focuses on the old woman because she is the only one who can deliver the moral of the tale; the knight has proven by his actions and behavior that he is still churlish and mean-spirited. Only the old woman has something to teach, while the knight still has much to learn.

In lines 322-358, why does the old woman launch into a speech against the knight? What arguments does the old woman use to put the knight to shame?

The old lady's instructive comments illustrate why she believes that the knight is no gentleman. She repeats that noble deeds, rather than high birth, are signs of gentility, and that poverty is neither shameful nor bad.

In lines 346-388, is the old woman helping the knight to gain an understanding that goes beyond "what women most desire"?

The old woman is helping him to understand what makes a good man: a person who is dignified in his actions and manners and is respectful of others.

Summarize the events of the Midas tale, as told by the Wife of Bath.

There once was a man named Midas who had donkey ears. He hid his ears from everyone but his wife, and she was the only one that knew. She swore that she would never tell anyone, but she couldn't keep the secret forever. So one day, she went to the edge of the marsh and whispered it to the water. The moral of the story is that women cannot keep secrets.

In lines 282-300, according to the Wife of Bath, what gives a man the distinction of being a great gentleman? Why does the old lady feel it necessary to explain her ideas about gentility to the knight?

Virtuous deeds, rather than high birth, make a great gentleman. Gentility is the quality possessed by a gentle, or noble, person. The knight has been treating the old lady rudely she is not high born, rather than showing her gratitude for saving his life.

In lines 101-124, the knight finds many different opinions on understanding women's one desire. What are they?

Women want wealth (line 101), treasure (line 101), honor (line 102), fun (line 103), pleasure (line 102), clothing (line 103), many husbands (line 104), pampering (line 106), flattery (lines 106-110), freedom (line 112), a lack of criticism (line 113-120), and the trust of others, even if it's not deserved (lines 121-127)