Themes
Power:
Sovereignty:
Feminism:
Principles:
Poverty:
Wealth:
Religion:
Destiny:
Appearances:
Old Age:
- Power is a dominant theme in The Wife of Bath’s Tale, as at the beginning of the story, men hold all power, which is represented by the knight character. However, after raping the women, the knight is sentenced to die by the king, until the Queen steps forward and proposes a different punishment. At this point, power is reversed in the poem, and the female characters are now dominant, and not only does the Queen have power, but also all the women in the land whom the knight seeks to find the answer to his question. This story sends the message that man’s lust for power often can have negative effects on their life and society. By continually trying to exemplify one’s dominance, an individual’s power and morals may be lost.
- The idea of power is shown throughout the poem. The Knights were always more dominate over the women. As his punishment, he must find out what women must desire, which he realizes what they most desire is power. The knight’s punishment fits his crime, as he must yield his power over his own body.
Sovereignty:
- Another theme in The Wife of Bath’s Tale is sovereignty, and the desire for freedom. At the beginning of the poem, when the woman is raped by the knight, therefore taking away her authority to make decisions on her own behalf. As the story progresses, and the night must discover what women desire the most, he learns that what women want most is their own sovereignty; to be able to make decisions on their own behalf. This poem expresses the natural desire for freedom in the lives of ordinary people.
Feminism:
- The Wife of Bath’s Tale advocates for feminism, as the entire story relates to the importance of females living and making their own personal decisions, free of the influence of men. For example, when the knight is initially sentenced to death, the Queen proposes a better punishment, giving the knight the opportunity to change his character while learning from his mistake. The purpose of this is to present the idea that females should have a say in decision making, rather than solely the me.
- Feminism is a very prominent theme in the poem The Wife of Bath’s Tale. The message of the story states that women and men should have equal rights and women should be able to make their own decisions. In reference to the story, the knight lets his wife choose if she wants to remain old and ugly or if she wants to transform into a young damsel. This highlights the fact that women are entitled to make their own decisions.
Principles:
- The main principle in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is gentility. The definition of gentility was thought to be a quality of a person where the male would do noble deeds and behave virtuously. The big question in the poem is if gentility is something that is inheres in the offspring of a certain class, or if it done by one’s actions.
Poverty:
- The loathly lady in the poem goes into a long speech about the virtues of poverty. Just like her rant on gentility, she tries to convince the Knight that people who are poor can still be rich. The easiest way she does this is by pointing out the things that poor men have that rich men lack.
Wealth:
- It seems that wealth is a main idea that is quite important to the characters in this poem. Those with more money are regarded much higher, in that the Knight often mentions how he wishes his wife weren’t poor. Also, when asking around the key question “What do women want most?”, the knight discovers that some women answer with “rich array.” This is due to the period of time in which the poem takes place, as those who displayed their wealth through materialistic items were looked highly upon. The wife of bath, however, exhibits humbleness when she states that she would prefer to be the Knight’s wife than to have all the silver and gold in the world, therefore appreciating love above wealth. When arguing with her husband, the wife explains that Jesus Himself chose to live in poverty. Therefore, the overlying theme exhibited is that wealth represents the superficial aspects of life.
Religion:
- Throughout the poem, there are frequent remarks regarding religion and its importance at this time. When the characters express intense emotions such as happiness, or grief, they will often make reference to God, therefore confirming that Christianity plays a large part in this poem. At one point, the wife states, “The High God, in Whom we believe, say I, in voluntary poverty lived His life.” This quotation is enhancing the fact that making reference to Jesus was powerful enough to sway one’s opinion.
Destiny:
- Since near the beginning of the poem, the characters are very absorbed in the journey one must take to decide their fate. In the beginning, the King hands the knight’s life in the Queen’s hands, in which she essentially gives him a goal he must complete in order to live. Towards the end, the knight hands his own life to his wife, as she decides their fate. Therefore, it seems that the fate of the knight is determined solely by the power of female characters.
Appearances:
- Appearances play a large part in the plot of The Wife of Bath’s Tale mainly because the poem centres around the transformation of an old and ugly lady into a beautiful young woman. Most poems with this theme generally are about how the main character learns to appreciate people for their personality as opposed to their physical appearance. However, this poem is about how a knight learns to give up sovereignty to his wife. During the middle ages (the time period in which this poem was written), women did not have any rights and they acted as slaves to their husbands. However, The Wife of Bath’s Tale contradicts this ideology as the knight lets his wife make some decisions for herself. All in all, one of the themes of The Wife of Bath’s Tale is that men should let women make their own decisions even if it will sacrifice their social appearance.
Old Age:
- The theme of old age in the poem The Wife Bath’s Tale, revolves around the old and ugly lady. Near the end of the poem, the loathly lady saves the knight from his death by providing him with the correct answer to the question: what is it that women desire most? As a result, the poem suggests that old age makes one wise and useful. However, it does not make one suitable to marry a young bachelor, which is why the old lady transforms into a young damsel.