The Wife of Bath’s Prologue is one of the earliest examples of a feminist critique of the patriarchal social order.

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue

Line 1-34 

The wife of Bath begins her prologue with a claim of her experience of marriage. Though she has no authority to speak on the subject her experience makes her eligible to give a talk on the difficulties of marriage.

She first marries at the age of twelve. She expresses her gratitude to God to marry for making it possible at the church five times. 

Marriage as an institution stands for a social, religious, and legal norm which are set by patriarchy. This will be often in favor of men and reject the role of women. The Wife of Bath speaks out about her experience of marriage. This suggests she is an outspoken woman.

Polygamy 

She asks if it s allowed to marry multiple times, Many people do not like the idea of polygamy She has not remarried because her husbands are unworthy. She assures all her five spouses are worthy in their way. If she has remarried despite their worthiness, then what does lead her to marry?

She tells the listeners what someone has taught her about marriage. That someone could be anyone: a priest or anyone who is a representative of patriarchy. 

He told her Christ attended only one wedding in Cana of Galilee. He suggests she should wed only once, not twice or several times. Based on this we get an idea of the popular notion of marriage in medieval society in English.

She refers to a story to make her argument more convincing. She refers to a biblical story where Christ expresses his disapproval of polygamy to a Samaritan woman when he meets her beside a well. He says she has married five times and the same man with whom she is with is not her husband. She cannot explain what he means but asks the other pilgrims why Christ does not consider the fifth husband as her husband. So, the question is how many are allowed to have husbands? Men may get enlightenment by reading texts like Bible or explaining it in various ways but they will never have a definite answer. 

She clearly understands God has commanded men to reproduce. She also comprehends a man should leave his parents and live with his wife. In Genesis 1:28, the biblical commandment instructs man to reproduce. If it is not clear about the number of husbands, then she poses a question, why do people speak negatively about bigamy or octogamy? She is probably referring to her situation, where people think of her negatively. 

35-110

She attempts to justify her polygamy by referring to the wise King Solomon. She reminds them he had more than one wife, The third king of Israel, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (Jewish Women’s Archive).

Women cannot have multiple partners but men can. If it is the case, it is the hypocrisy of society. She wishes that God permitted her to change partners often like King Solomon. She expresses her wonder and perhaps a bit of envy by saying he had a gift from God to have multiple wives and she does not have such a gift. No man in the world has such a gift now. 

She assumes that the king must have had a wonderful night with each of his wives and his life is full of joy and pleasure.

She also feels blessed in her life for she has married five times and she selected them out of the best available for her. She has chosen them for their financial status and sexual prowess. 

Different schools of thought make the clerk knowledgeable and different practices in various works or professions make a workman expert. Similarly, she argues that having diverse knowledge and experience in marriage makes her an expert in the matter of marriage. 

She has married five times and that makes her an experienced person than most people. Her observation of her five husbands and married life as a whole makes her capable and confident enough that she can welcome the sixth one to her life and lead her life.

She openly tells them she will not remain chaste after her fifth husband does. After his death, a Christian man will shortly wed her. This shows she has an extra-marital affair with another man. 

She argues that Apostles, each of the chief twelve disciples of Christ, say that she can freely wed in God’s name and choose anyone that likes. She thinks being married is no sin. It is better for a widow to remarry than to suppress the desire and burn with it inside.

She does not care if people speak badly of Lamech who did bigamy. If people call Lamech “wicked” for her remarriage, she argues by bringing the examples of Abraham and Jacob who were holy and had wives more than two. Moreover, many holy men had multiple partners in the past. She demands them to tell her if anyone can tell her if God has anywhere disapproved of marriage with stern words or commanded virginity. 

She displays her knowledge by claiming that like them she knows exactly what Apostle said about virginity. Apostles said about Christianity that there is no commandment or instruction for remarriage. People may advise a widow to live alone but it is not an instruction. The Apostle has left the choice up to the individual. So, she justifies polygamy. 

She argues if God had wanted everyone to remain chaste, he would have commanded maidenhood, but he has not ordered anything related to this. If people never had intercourse, virginity would never be possible. Paul, the Apostle, did never say anything even a bit which his master never taught him. 

The Wife of Bath expresses her envy by expressing her wish to have a new sexual encounter with different partners often like King Solomon. But this is not socially acceptable for a woman. This is an instance of gender bias.

Virginity is a prize, she tells people may pursue the prize and time will tell who is most successful in the pursuit. It is good if one can remain chaste. However, virginity is not meant for every individual. It is not a cup of cake for everyone. By accepting that all cannot remain virgins, she admits she cannot remain chaste. 

God has granted someone the power to maintain celibacy. She is aware Paul the Apostle was a celibate. Though he did write and say that he wished everyone be like him, he only asked people to consider virginity. Virginity is not a commandment.

He has never restricted women to remarry. Therefore, she can still get married and indulge in pleasure. She does not expect rebuking from others. If her husband dies, she can remarry and non can object to her. However, Paul believed it would be better for a woman if she refrains from sexual activities as such acts are dangerous. He probably means over indulgence in physical pleasure keeps one away from the grace of God. He considered virginity better than marriage because it is considered frail. She thinks it is fragile unless both partners remain chaste.

The Wife of Bath confirms that she has no envy toward people. though celibacy disapproves of bigamy. The practitioners like to keep their bodies and soul clean. 

In contrast, she will not boast of her state. She gives a metaphor of a house to compare the world to a house. In a Lord’s house, there are many vessels. Not every vessel is made of gold, some are made of wood. However, all are kept for a useful purpose. Similarly, God has made people in different ways. Everyone has his unique gift from God. Some have the power to be celibate and some do not. Everything is God’s wish.

111-140

Being a virgin is a great state of perfection and so is also self-restraint with devotion. Christ, the paragon of perfection, did not order everyone to go and give everything that one possesses to the poor. He means his words only for those who would like to live life perfective without indulging in pleasure.

She accepts that she is not one of them. She will offer her youth vigor to the physical actions and the fruits of marriage. She poses a question about what purpose the reproductive organs have. Why God has created man with them so perfectly? 

The Wife of Bath claims that they are not created without no purpose. They were not created only for urination nor to differentiate sex. But she says it is not true. Her experience says there are more uses for them. 

As long as clerics do not feel offended, she will say the reproductive organs are meant for the functional purpose and pleasure of procreation. She asks why it is mentioned clearly in the books that a man will make his wife sexually satisfied. If that is the case, how will he do that without the blessed instruments? Thus, it is proved that they were created to serve a dual purpose: functional activity like urination and continuing the human race.

141-229

The Wife of Bath continues her advocacy for sexual freedom and says that not everyone is suitable for marriage or chooses celibacy. Christ was a maid and like him, many saints lived a life of perfection by following celibacy. She has no problem with virginity and with chaste who are like a pure wheat seed. She wants them to grow like them so they should also be like barley bread. She reminds them Jesus has fed any with barley bread. 

She feels blessed for God has chosen her for marriage and will continue her role as a wife freely since God has intended her to make use of the reproductive organs. She is ready to make full use of her gift and believes if she rejects her gift, God would punish her. Therefore, she will be available for her husband anytime to make him feel fulfilled whenever he comes to pay his debt.

She expresses her desire to have a husband who will be both her “debtor” and “thrall”, her slave. She wants him to bear hardship on her behalf. She desires to exercise her power over his body for her entire life. It is not him rather she should be the sovereign of his body. The desire for autonomy is fully reflected in her tale.

She mentions Paul the Apostle who ordered men to love women well and she wants to get complete control over him on that basis.

Amidst her speech, the Pardoner interrupts her and praises her that she is a noble preacher on the subject of marriage. The Pardoner says he is about to marry but after listening to her, he has reconsidered his decision. If he has to pay his flesh he will not marry.

The Wife of Bath responds to him to wait for her tale which she has not started yet. She ensures him that when will finish, he will have a different experience. It will be worse than drinking ale. Her tale will be about the troubles of marriage which are her subject of expertise.

She asserts she has been in a position of power. She employs the metaphor “whip” for herself to imply her authority. The Pardoner can choose himself if he wants to hear her story or not. She also uses the metaphor of a tun, a beer cask, to describe her story. She warns him before telling her story. She will provide more than ten examples. She quotes Ptolemy’s Almagest and says that those who are not warned by other men become an example for other men. 

The Pardoner responds to her by requesting to tell her story and leave no details and teach them her experience. She accepts and says she is ready to start if it pleases the other pilgrims. However, she asks everyone that if she has the chance to tell, no one should feel offended by what she will say. The purpose of her story is not to offend but to amuse.

Reversal of Power Dynamics in Marriage 

She says three out of her five husbands are good but the remaining two are not nice. The three good men are rich and old. Because of their age, they had difficulty fulfilling their obligation to her. She laughs when she thinks about their inability to sleep with her. Nevertheless, she gives no importance to that for they have given her land and wealth. She does not either care for them or show deep respect to them to gain love from them. Fortunately, they love her so much and she does not care for their feelings.

A wise woman will put her best effort to win someone’s heart if she has no one. She does not need to do any toil. She has kept them in her control and since they have given her their property, she thinks she does not need to please them in any way or show any concern for them except it is for her benefit and comfort. In this context, she projects herself as a selfish, opportunist woman.

They have made it hard for them to get her, they sing sad songs at night but they were not that great to please her. Therefore, she controls them according to her rules and makes each of them respectful toward her. They bring pretty things for her for the fair which shows their devotion toward her. They are glad when she treats them kindly and talks nicely to them. But she often scolds them harshly. This is how she enjoys the state of being married to them.

230-262 

She goes on to tell her how to act properly and expects the wise wives will understand her. She advises them to become inaccessible when their husbands do any unacceptable deed. 

She narrates her personal experience. One day, she asks an old man, probably one of her husbands, if this is how he behaves. She complains to him for her neighbor’s wife dresses so nicely. Everyone praises her everywhere. Contrastingly, she sits at home and lacks decent clothing. Therefore, she cannot go out and feels ignored. 

She asks him what he is doing at her neighbor’s house. She doubts his visit and asks him if she is beautiful and if he is amorous. She interrogates him about what he is whispering to the maid. She accuses him of promiscuity and tells him to stop his trickery. 

She argues if she simply gossips with a friend, probably a male, without no intention to deceive, he scolds her like a devil. She also becomes a subject of his criticism, when she visits her friend’s house. On the other hand, he comes home drunk like a mouse and unbelievably preaches to her.

Her husband tells her that it is a big mistake to wed a poor woman due to the expense the man has to bear. But if she is rich and comes from a reputed background, then it is disturbing and misery for him to endure her pride of her. Moreover, if she is charming, the problem is each lecherous man will show interest in her and she will not remain chaste. Therefore, it is a sad matter for the man. Because of such hypocrisy, she calls him a dishonest man.

263-308

She continues her accusation and criticizes him for the generalization of women. He says men desire women for reasons such as their wealth, physical attributes, Fairness, singing or dancing talent, gentleness, and playful nature. Based on this perception, women are doomed and would go to the devil.

She argues men cannot bear an attack on their castle wall for long and will eventually surrender. This suggests the man is weak. If a woman is unattractive, he thinks she will crave everyone like a spaniel jumping at its owner. She will continue her endeavor until she finds someone. He compares a woman to a grey goose that is not beautiful compared to other birds. Like a grey goose, she will find a mate.

It is hard to control something that man does not want to hold willingly. Therefore, he thinks neither wise nor religious men should think of marriage. Because of such perception, she shows her anger by wishing his old “withered” neck should be broken by fierce thunderbolts and lightning. 

The old man, who is a representative of the patriarchal mindset, thinks leaking roofs, thick smoke, and chiding wives make men run away from their houses. She, in anger, asks what is so wrong with him to think in such a way. He also thinks women hide their flaws until they wed and after marriage, they reveal them all which is similar to the behavior of a shrew. 

Man can try oxen, asses, horses, and hound and inspects objects from every possible aspect before buying like basins, and stools. Spoons, pots, clothes, finery, etc. But a man cannot do the same thing in case of choosing a woman before the wedding. Therefore, a woman remains mysterious until she is married. This is a problematic issue for men. These are primarily stereotypes against women.

When she reveals her vices, it displeases men unless she is beautiful and praises her beauty, throws a party on her birthday, makes her feel special, and honors her old nurse, chamber-maid, relatives, and friends. But she argues these are all lies. 

309-363

She tells about Jankin who has crisp hair that shines like gold. He has accompanied her in various ways. Her husband suspects her of having a relationship with him. She denies that by claiming that she will marry him if her husband does it tomorrow. 

She accuses him of spying on her. She thinks he likes to restrict her. Instead of controlling her, he should free her. She claims she is free and can go anywhere she likes. He should let her enjoy herself in her way. She reminds him that women do not love a man who suspects his woman and interferes in where she goes. She likes to have free space and independent choice.

She again mentions a statement from Ptolemy’s Almagest that the wisest man, who will not care about who controls the world, is the most blessed man. She refers to him to argue if he has enough of what he wants, there is no need of caring about how others are living. 

He says if women become attractive by putting apparel and precious jewels, she falls into the danger of losing chastity. Moreover, Apostle says that women should dress up modestly and avoid braided hair and jewelry. He mentions this to argue woman is safe not because of fashion but because of the thought and intent of men.

We still observe a debate over this topic.

She declares she will not listen to them like a gnat. He compares her to a cat. He says if one burns lightly a cat’s skin, he can keep the cat in his inn. But if the cat’s skin is sleek and gay, it will not dwell in the house even half a day. This suggests beautiful women are hard to keep within the house. It will walk around and shows off its smooth fur.

She declares if she feels attractive or carefree, she will run away and show her old clothes to others, implying showing off her beauty. Therefore, she says there is no point in spying on her.

364-508

Though he begs Argus, a Greek mythical character who has many eyes to be her bodyguard she will not accept it unless she wants. She asserts her authority by threatening to trim his beard and she may do the same to him. Three things trouble the world and the fourth one cannot be endured by man. He complains a hateful wife is one of them. 

She accuses him of comparing women’s love to hell, barren land, and wildfire. He also says just like an insect kills a tree, similarly, a wife destroys her husband. The ones who are bound to their wives know this. 

The Wife of Bath says she controls her older husband by taking benefit of drunkenness state. They are quick to apologize for the things they have never done. She takes benefits of the oldness of her husbands. She admits she spies on other women at night and openly admits God has bestowed qualities like deceit, weeping, and lying and she beastly accepts that she possesses all of them.

She does not allow her husbands to enjoy her in bed unless they give her some kind of compensation. She then uses the metaphor of falcon to mean that one has to offer something to lure a falcon, similarly, she endures their lust and displays a false sexual appetite to get what she wants, which is domination over them.

She expresses her dislike for bacon, a common food in 14th-century England. She scolds them for that and will never stop even if Pope sits beside them. This shows she is mannerless. She responds equally to her husbands’ words, Though sometimes they react like raging lions, she overpowers them with her deceitful qualities. 

She asks her husbands to be peaceful and suggests being patient enough like Job from the Bible. She says a man is more reasonable than a woman. Therefore, he should be controllable. 

She talks about her fourth husband who was a reveler. She was then young, spirited, stubborn, strong woman and “pert as a magpie”. She dances and sings and drinks. Unlike, Metellius who beat his wife to death for drinking, her husband can never stop her from drinking and enjoying herself. This shows her superiority over him. Whenever she recalls her youthful days, it rejuvenates her soul. Despite her age, she decides to remain cheerful. 

If her fourth husband enjoys other’s company, she feels spiteful. However, she makes him feel suffer by being with other men and makes him jealous as if she is his purgatory. She admits she has tortured him on several occasions. He dies after she returns from Jerusalem. She hopes his soul might rest in peace.

509-632

After him, she talks about her experience with her fifth husband. He is the worst of all but he is so good at bed and can win her love. She loves him the most. He marries him not for wealth but for love> he is a former clerk of Oxford.

She has a habit of sharing all her secrets including his disgraceful deeds with Alison or her niece. 

While walking one day, she suggests to him that they should marry if she becomes a widow. It is a formality to weep for hours at the demise of the husband. She admits she weeps a little when her fourth husband dies as she has her new lover. After the funeral, she immediately enjoys the company of Jankin even though she is forty whereas he is just twenty years old. She calls herself a lusty, fair, rich, and high-spirited young woman despite her age.

Regarding her preference for sexual partners, she follows her instinct and avoids discrimination. It does not matter to her if he is long, short, black, white, wealthy, etc. If that is true it is clear she has married her previous husbands for wealth.

633-716

She marries Jankin and willingly gives her wealth to him that she has inherited from her former husbands. However, she soon regrets her decision because he does not allow her freedom. One day she tears pages of his book. He in anger hits her on the ear which causes her deafness on one side. She walks door to door in a reaction as she has done before. She protests by being stubborn like a lioness. 

He does not like her doing that and preaches her old Roman tales like Simplicius Gallus who abandons his wife for his entire life because she sees her hatless in the way. He tells another story where a Roman husband forsakes his wife because she goes to the summer Games without his knowledge. He also refers to a proverb of the Ecclesiast, which states a man, who allows his wife to remain free without his permission, should be hanged.

His preaching suggests a woman must follow traditional norms that woman should follow. But his wife is contrary to his expectation. She cares a little about his teaching and he fails to reform her. 

She reveals the reason why she tears the book’s pages. Jankin is fond of reading Theophrastus and Valerius and a compiled book that includes Tertullian, Chrysippus, Trotula, Heloise, the parables of Solomon, Ovid’s Art of Love, and others. 

He had a habit of reading at his leisure every night. This book contains stories of wicked women. The Wife of bath questions the narrative set by the male historians, She argues if women wrote histories, they would have written about men’s wickedness than “all the sons of Adam could redress.” She says the clerics who write history are old and impotent and envy women’s sexual power. Therefore, they write critically about women.

717-791

She tells why she was beaten for a book. The book is filled with examples of the wickedness of women. One night, Jankin is sitting by the fire and reading his book. 

The first story is the story of Eve, how she brings mankind to doom, and how Christ had to sacrifice himself for her. Another example is how Samson loses his hair because of his lover. On top of that, Hercules’s wife Deianira, and Socretes’ wife Xantipipe are some women who belong to the same category. Clymnestra kills her husband by deceiving him, and Livia and Lucilia kill their husbands for love and hate respectively.

He reads the stories with great enthusiasm. The book also cites how some women kill their husbands in various ways by deceiving, murdering while sleeping, and poisoning their drink. These stories reinstate the point that women are wicked and the cause of misery. The book also contains proverbs that are pieces of advice for men. Some are: it is better to live with a lion or foul dragon than with a woman who will always scold. Second, it is better to live on the roof of a house than in living with an angry wife. 

The Wife of Bath is not happy and feels disturbed by the misrepresentation of women and the generalization helps to promote stereotypes.

792-832

Amidst his reading, she becomes furious and plucks three pages from his book. She punches him on the cheek which has made him fall. He becomes angry like a raging lion and hits her too with his fist on his head which causes her to fall on the floor. She lies down as if she is dead. Seeing her he becomes shocked, she raises her head and accuses him of trying to kill her for her land. 

At the same time, she expresses her love for him, probably to lure him. She says if she dies she will kiss him before her death. This makes him feel guilty and he kneels. He apologizes for his deed and then, she completes her revenge by hitting him again on his cheek.

In the end, they come to a peaceful conclusion. He returns the land, and the control of the house to her and surrenders himself to her. She also burns the book. He allows her to do anything she likes. This is how she gains sovereignty over her fifth husband by using wit and strength.

She says she is as kind as any woman from Denmark to India. In return, he was also true to her. She ends her personal history with a wish that God might bless Jankin’s soul. She tells she will tell her tale if other pilgrims are ready for it.

833-860

After listening to her, the Friar laughs and tells her that the prologue is too long for a tale. The Summoner interrupts him and says a Friar always interferes in everything one does and tells them that he is causing hindrance in their entertainment. The Friar offers to tell a tale that will make everyone laugh. The Summoner says that he will curse him if he fails. He will tell two or three stories of Friars that will make the Friar’s heart sad. The host Harry Bailly intervenes with them and allows the Wife of Bath to tell her story. Before she starts she assures that she has permission from Friar which he grants and is ready to listen to her tale like others.