Gender Oriented Analysis in Wife of Bath by Geoffrey...

Of all the numerous females depicted in literature throughout the centuries, Geoffrey Chaucer’s Wife of Bath has inspired more in-depth discussion and gender-oriented analysis than the majority. She is in turn praised and criticized for her behavior and her worldview; critics can’t seem to decide whether she is a strong portrayal of 14th century feminism or a cutting mockery of the female sex. Both her tale and its prologue are riddled with themes of conflict and power struggle between the sexes, and the victor of this battle is not made explicit. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales being a parody of various societal conceptions and literary conventions, it is likely that this ambiguity was entirely intentional. By comparing the Wife of Bath and†¦show more content†¦Whether this is due to their youth, or perhaps their awareness of the sexual power they hold over the Wife, the dynamic is very different than that of her previous marriages. The Wife finds it difficu lt to achieve the kind of relationship in which both sexual gratification and power over her husband are possible. While the fourth husband seems to have been quite a lively character—she describes him as a â€Å"revelour,† quite aware of his lover on the side—it is the Wife’s fifth and final husband, Janekin, who has left the most lasting impact (459). She claims to have truly loved him—he is the only husband whom she marries for love rather than money—although his treatment of her leaves something to be desired. His prowess in the bedroom always overcomes any ill treatment, and indeed his primary appeal is that he is â€Å"of his love daungerous†; essentially, he is hard to get, and the Wife relishes the challenge. Contrary to prior husbands, Janekin actively educates the Wife by reading to her from various texts with decidedly anti-feminist themes. This infuriates the Wife to no end, as does Janekin’s intense interest in the se tales preaching female subordination, and she gets her revenge by ripping pages from the loathed book and hitting her husband. Janekin reacts by striking her back. The incident marks a distinct shift in the dynamic of their relationship; Janekin, perhaps rattled by the violent