Quest, Breton lai. Technically, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is a Breton lai, which is
a short romance that features knights, noble ladies and supernatural incidents
. This kind of tale originated in a northeastern part of France called Brittany, hence the adjective “Breton” to describe it.
What type of tale does the Wife of Bath tell?
Quest, Breton lai. Technically, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is a Breton lai, which is
a short romance that features knights, noble ladies and supernatural incidents
. This kind of tale originated in a northeastern part of France called Brittany, hence the adjective “Breton” to describe it.
What does the Wife of Bath’s tale reveal about her?
The Wife of Bath’s story obviously reveals
her own personality and her desire for sex
. She is obviously a very lustful woman who has a preoccupation with sex.
What is the main point of the Wife of Bath’s tale?
‘The Wife of Bath feels she is an expert on relations between men and women because of her experience with five husbands. Her main point in her prologue and in her tale is
to explain the thing women most desire – complete control
– which she describes as sovereignty over their husbands.
What is the main theme in the Wife of Bath’s tale?
But whereas the moral of the folk tale of the loathsome hag is that true beauty lies within, the Wife of Bath arrives at such a conclusion only incidentally. Her message is that,
ugly or fair, women should be obeyed in all things by their husbands
.
How is the Wife of Bath’s tale particularly fitting for her?
How is this tale particularly fitting for the Wife of Bath? … The Wife of
Bath’s last husband was half her age
and the knight is half the age of the old woman. The Wife of Bath is an old and unattractive woman so she resembles the old woman in the tale.
Why are the Wife of Bath’s husbands three husbands?
The Wife of Bath tells him to have patience and to listen to the whole tale to see if it reveals the truth about marriage. Of her five husbands, three have been “good” and two have been “bad.” The first three were good, she admits, mostly because they
were rich, old, and submissive
.
What made problems in the Wife of Bath’s fourth marriage?
What made problems in the Wife of Bath’s fourth marriage? The problems
she had was anger, jealousy, and he a mistress
.
What question does the old woman ask the knight after they are married in the Wife of Bath’s Tale?
What question does the old woman ask the knight after they are married?
Do you want me to be you and faithless or old and faithful
? While the knight is returning to the castle, he sees young maidens dancing in the woods. When he rides up, he finds only the old woman.
What does the wife of Bath say she believes is the best response?
– Wife of Bath is saying that neither is wrong.
Being a virgin is just seen as better
. Example: a ship made of gold (virgins) and a ship made of wood (married people or people who have sex) both do the same things, but one is valued more than another.
How does the Wife of Bath’s tale end?
The Wife of Bath’s Tale ends
with the knight and the old lady having wed, in their nuptial bed
. The knight is very upset because his wife is so old and unappealing to him, and she asks if he’d rather a faithful wife or a beautiful one. After talking, he agrees to let her decide and offers her power over him.
Why did the Wife marry her first three husbands?
The presence of her first three husbands in her Prologue serves the Wife’s purpose of describing the “wo that is in mariage”
because of how badly she mistreats them
. It also provides the Wife with an ego boost because of how easily she claims to have dominated these men.
What did the Wife of Bath’s first three husbands have in common?
What were the wife’s first three husbands like?
They were rich and old and had trouble “keeping it up,”
but when they died they give her their land and treasure. She did not bother to try to please them unless it was for her own pain or pleasure.
How does the Wife of Bath feel about her husbands?
Of her fifth husband, she has much more to say. She loved him, even though he treated her horribly and beat her. He was coy and flattering in bed, and always won her back. Women, the Wife says,
always desire what is forbidden them
, and run away from whatever pursues or is forced upon them.
Why did the Wife rip a page out of her husband’s book?
At the end of her Prologue, the Wife rips a page or two out of her husband’s book
because she is so angry
. Finally, the Wife has begun to seem like an actual person with feelings, rather than just a combination of negative stereotypes.
Why is the Wife of Bath deaf?
The Wife of Bath describes
a violent relationship with her favorite husband
, Jankyn. He was the fifth man she married and the only one she really loved. One night, after she ripped some pages out of his book and punched him in the face, Jankyn hit her so hard that the blow caused permanent deafness in one ear.
