The Wife of Bath Tale in Geoffery Chuacer´s The Canterbury...

As a member of an ever changing society, Geoffrey Chaucer had a sharp perception of the attitudes and opinions that were coming to light and shaping the roles in peoples lives. Scattered throughout these philosophies were ideas and traditions that had dictated women to lead mostly subservient lives. One of Chaucer’s characters in The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath, serves as a contradiction to many of these oppressive norms and in turn, establishes her own overbearing view of the roles and relationships of women in society. While attempting to showcase a distinct female dominance over men, the ultimate effect the Wife of Bath strives for is to bring women and men to a more equal level of power. Through the Wife’s journey to bring men and women to a more comparable level there is no attempt to change society’s mind when it comes to shortcomings of the current social order. It is in these instances where the Wife may come off written as a shrewd and spouting h er dissatisfaction. The Wife; however, says a few intriguing examples of how her own society goes about treating women unfairly. Double standards for men and women, she states, are far too common and too deeply engrained in culture. While examining this issue, she mentions Christ’s teachings say to her, That by the same ensample taughte he me / That I ne sholde wedded be but ones (117, ll. 12-13). She later adheres to the fact that many holy men have had more than one wife, stating, â€Å" I woot wel Abraham was an