THE WIFE OF BATH’S PROLOGUE FROM POINT OF VIEW OF FORM
1. The Character Imagined as
Individual
In Chaucer’s The
Wife of Bath’s Prologue, the Wife 1s imagined as an individual who understands
her world concretely. Her analysis is steeped in a deeply understood reality of
the time. With respect to the conduct of husbands, she has a great deal of
wisdom to convey. Are husbands masters of the household, or who run its affairs
together with their wives? The questions raised in the text relate to social
rights. For the Wife, women in matrimony are held on a tight leash. She points
out that women are compared with items of use in the home. The custom is that
they are supposed to be tested the same way as vegetables, or pots and pans. If
money was spent on the wife’s upkeep, it is for making the man respectable. The
complaint of the Wife is serious even as she makes it dramatic. There is a
double irony in this—the point made by the woman is serious and the passion
with which she argues makes it laughable. She quite clearly plays to the
gallery. Finally, who is scoring the critical point that women should be
treated as an entertaining nuisance? The reference to the young Jankin who has
“crispe” hair “‘shininge as gold so fyn” introduces the element of jealousy the
husband may harbour that he wins the Wife's attention more.
2. Idea of Type as Built into the
Prologue
The Wife of Bath's
Prologue, Alison fights against the gender difference strongly. She has been
targeted as a woman all her life. She invited criticism for not being a true
wife. In relation to the husband, she always found herself helpless. Whether it
was money, land or privilege, she had to work extra and use tricks and
stratagem for ensuring gain. None appreciated her quality of mind or ability to
mobilize opinion. There is no reference in the text to her personal skills. If
she expresses an opinion, people interpret it as an affront. Consider that in
the company of pilgrims, people hear her talk only for amusement, not listen to
her for any gain or benefit. This invisible prejudice rattles her, makes her
feel uneasy and insecure. This results in her being worked up in the middle of
her introductory remarks. One reason why her Prologue is so long, unlike those
of other characters is that no one takes her seriously. This is not merely the
case in the Prologue but would have been in life as well. This absence of
individuality is a part of Chaucer’s realism. It is suggested that women
particularly got their identity from marriage or family, seldom from strength
of qualities and skills.
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