THE WIFE OF BATHA portrait of a wordly, dynamic and passionate woman

INTRODUCTIONThe Wife of Bath decidedto go on the pilgrimage because it was a chance to socialize, to meet new people, to give a rest. She loved company and she was able to entertain everyone.Her name was Dame Alice and came from Bath, a roman british town. She was a widow and represented earthly qualities.The Wife of Bath ignored thesacramental aspect ofmarriage: Chaucer mentionsedthat she has been married five times and has had innumerable affairs in her youth.

THE GENERAL PROLOGUE (ORIGINAL TEXT)A good WYF was ther of bisydeBut she was som-del deef, and that was scathe.Of clooth-making she hadde swiche an haunt,She passed hem of Ypres and of Gaunt.In al the parisshe wyf ne was ther noonThat to the offring bifore hir sholde goon;And if ther dide, certeyn, so wrooth was she,That she was out of alle charitee.Hir coverchiefs ful fyne were of ground;I dorste swere they weyeden ten poundThat on a Sonday were upon hir heed.Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed,Ful streite y-teyd, and shoos ful moiste and newe.Bold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe.She was a worthy womman al hir lyve,Housbondes at chirche-dore she hadde fyve,

Withouten other companye in youthe;But therof nedeth nat to speke as nouthe.And thryes hadde she been at Ierusalem;She hadde passed many a straunge streem;At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne,In Galice at seint Iame, and at Coloigne.She coude muche of wandring by the weye.Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye.Upon an amblere esily she sat,Y-wimpled wel, and on hir heed an hatAs brood as is a bokeler or a targe;A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large,And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe.In felawschip wel coude she laughe and carpe.Of remedyes of love she knew per-chaunce,For she coude of that art the olde daunce.

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PilgrimTransportationMajor Physical Traits/ and Distinguishing FeaturesFollies/Vices/Negative QualitiesPositive Traits /Virtues/AttributesThe Wife of BathHorseVery fancy dresser, fancy red stockings, widely spaced teeth, large hat, new shoes, somewhat deafAlways wanted to be first at the alter to give her offering and would be angry if someone was ahead of her; vain, very concerned with outward appearanceWell travelled been to Jerusalem and to Rome. Friendly and happy; likes to laugh and chat: her special knowledge and talent is remedies for love. Married five times, a good seamstress.

RED COLOUR: ANALYSISRed is a vibrant colour and it was the colour that the narrator associated with the Wife. Her hose was of finest scarlet red and her bold face was red in hue. These details added to the sense that Chaucer was describing a figure who attracted and demanded attention.Red was the colour of the passion and lust.The narrator also noticed that the Wifes large hat was as brood as is a buckler or a shield (as broad as a shield, or as a large shield). Again her dress or equipment became a sign of her sense of her own importance and her dominance.

CLOTHING Her kerchiefs were of finely woven groundHer hose were of the finest scarlet red and gartered tight; her shoes were soft and new.Well wimpled up, and on her head a hat as broad as is a buckler or a shield.Clothing was important in the narrators description of the Wife. He drew attention to the fine fabric of her kerchiefs (her head-dress) and Speculated on the heavy head-dress that she wore inchurchon a Sunday. We could well suspect that this was a woman who was displaying her wealth and sense of importance of fabric that she wore.

ABILITIESThe Wife was a confident rider. She sat comfortably on a horse. This suggested her desire for power and control. She had a manageable, not particularly fast, horse, but the heels spurred could enable her to drive it on to keep up with the company. Her actions might, at first seem, be a rebellion against the male-dominated society in The Canterbury Tales, and more generally, themedieval period for women. Its a example of a revolutionary women of her time.

Economic skills: In making cloth she showed so great a bend so she was very good at making clothes; she was a cloth maker.Social skills: And she had thrice been to Jerusalem, seen many strange rivers and passed over them; shed been to Rome and also to Boulogne, St James of Compostella and Cologne, and she was skilled in wandering by the way this suggested that she also liked to travel which was suspicious for a woman in the Middle Ages. The fact that the Wife of Bath had been on so many pilgrimages might be indicative of her piety, and yet, the reader senses Chaucer's irony in the geographical description of the places.In company she liked to laugh and chat and knew the remedies for loves mischances, an art in which she knew the oldest dances so she was very entertaining and she loved staying with people. Her knowledge about the remedies of love was probably a reference to Ovids Remedia amoris". The irony was in her knowledge of Remedia amoris" rather than "Ars Amatoria".

PHISICAL DESCRIPTION she had gap teeth, large hips, bold was her face, handsomered in hue

These phisical aspects referred to the beautiful womans idea. gap teeth was a sign of love and passion to other men. The description suggested a sensual woman who cared about earthly pleasures.

Written by

Chiara Tavarozzi & Lucy Plescia