Реферат: The Wyfe Of Bath And Feminism Essay
Название: The Wyfe Of Bath And Feminism Essay Раздел: Топики по английскому языку Тип: реферат |
, Research Paper The Wyfe of Bath represents woman as a jolly, healthy, rounded personage. She is a sort of Dr. Ruth, in that she knows love’s troubles and is willing to help out troubled souls. The Wyfe of Bath is the Nun’s foil, in that she knows what she is and doesn’t try to cover up and repress her sexuality. She “lets it all hang out” and revels in her sexuality. Chaucer uses the Wyfe of Bath to contradict the dehumanizing view of the women of his time. Women used to be put on a pedestal and admired, they were not to be touched and not to be soiled in any way. If women were virgins their whole lives they were admired, exalted, canonized and worshipped. Women would become martyrs for the protection of their “honor.” Odes were made in the name of women, and Courtly Love was the new fad. In Courtly Love, a man would sing, write, and do everything in the name of a woman (preferably a married one) except bed her. One was NEVER to bed the woman one loved, mistresses fulfilled that purpose. I have no idea how women felt about this, but it’s possible they were not at all pleased; who in their right mind would enjoy not getting to sleep with a handsome man who loved you? And they say women are a tease. The Wyfe of Bath, on the other hand, is not repressing anything. She is not dowdy, beautiful, priggish, prudish, or anyone’s servant. She makes no effort at hiding her sexual past, especially with men half her age, in fact she talks about it at length. She loves tumbles in the hay, and has been married five times- while actively looking for the sixth. She claims to have loved three of her husbands but explained for pages how she would tell the husbands she hated how bad they were. She was definitely the dominant wife. She pretended to be dead so her fifth husband would feel bad and do as she willed. The Wyfe of Bath knew what she wanted, how to get it, and often she did. Physically, the Wyfe of Bath was a healthy, large woman. Her scarlet stockings seem to show she is sensual, and maybe a bit of a rebel. Red socks would definitely stick out in a company of nuns and priests. Her broad hat and wimple prove that she does know how to dress and is no floozy in public, unlike Madame Eglantyne who strategically places her veil to make her look better. She has a handsome red face and is gap- toothed- traditionally thought of as meaning she has a good sexual appetite. She also has large hips- good for bearing children and carrying her weight. The Wyfe of Bath is making both a feminist stand and representing some of society’s views of women. She is not at all the traditional obedient woman. She defies all of her husbands, but also has the guts to tell them their rules were wrong in the first place. “After your text, and after your rubric I will not follow more than would a gnat.” “With wenches I would charge him, by this hand, When, for some illness he could hardly stand.” She also calls her husbands names like Sir Dottard, and Lord Fool. The Wyfe of Bath is full aware that she wears the pants in all of her marriages. She is also very sly; she had Jankyn lined up as a husband right after her fourth one died. The Wyfe of Bath also seems to fill a few traditional views of women. She is gossipy, she runs from her duties to tell her friend Alison all of the stupid things her fifth husband did. Even when he hit her for it – and she went deaf from it- she still told all of her friends. This quality is often seen in the traditional housewife character of today’s sitcoms. She is subversive to her husbands; though she is dominant, she often does things behind their backs, and I’m sure this gets her into sticky situations. She seems to be a bit like Lucy Ricardo in that aspect. The Wfye of Bath also slept around- a traditional “slutty woman.” Often when a woman is known to enjoy sex she is thought less of, particularity true in the Middle Ages, when virginity was the best thing a woman could possess. This is the ultimate double standard. The Wyfe of Bath basically says, “If all of the women are virgins, who’s left to give birth to more virgins?” The Oxford Cleric definitely had problems with this perfectly healthy activity, he told a story about how women are happiest when dominated. The Wyfe of Bath also had a jealous streak a mile long. She was proud of the cloth she made, and it HAD to be on the church altar. If she wasn’t first in line for everything she had a fit, also a very traditional view of women. All in all, the Wyfe of Bath is a charismatic character; the reader is pulled into her world. What other medieval woman is incredibly proud of her sordid past? How many other women in the 14th century traveled as much as she did? She is learned (somewhat) and yet still sticks to her personal experiences for teaching. Her power and ability to be happy with all of the other somber people of the party demands respect. |