wife of bath essay questions

Throughout ‘The Wife of Bath’s Prologue’, Chaucer uses imagery to enhance our understanding of the Wife’s character and principles. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue” deconstructs misogynist rhetoric proposed in texts such as Valerie, Theofraste, and Against Jovinian (Chaucer 673-83).

Why or why not? The Wife of Bath, with the energy of her vernacular and the voraciousness of her sexual appetite, is one of the most vividly developed characters of ‘The Canterbury Tales’.

How is the Wife of Bath both like and unlike the other female characters Chaucer portrays over the course of this text? Who are some of the other characters that have played a significant role in the Wife of Bath's life? In the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer presents two characters’ conflicting views on marriage and whether or not marital happiness can be achieved. Select a subject to preview related courses: The topics in this section encourage students to put the Wife of Bath in context with the broader work of The Canterbury Tales and the setting in which they were written. They will develop theories and back them up with specific textual evidence. (while she was taking a pilgrimage to Jerusalem), 2. How does she perceive fairness and unfairness, and how does she handle things that she sees as unfair? and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you. GradesFixer.com uses cookies. (Once the knight lets her be in charge, when he gives her the choice of having her be beautiful or ugly, she is satisfied and becomes beautiful and good at once), 1.

This question asks you to compare the characterization of the Wife of Bath to any of the other characterizations in the Tales. What can we learn about her character and perspective from the more violent episodes in the overall story she tells? Test Optional Admissions: Benefiting Schools, Students, or Both? This is a great way to review crucial material in preparation for a test, or to find ideas for an essay. Explain the meaning of the “flour” and the “bran.” (These refer to the Wife of Bath’s allure. Top School in Richmond, VA, with a Marketing Degree, Fireman: Firefighting Job Outlook and Career Profile of a Firefighter, Be a Psychology Professor: Career Information and Requirements, Associate of Applied Science AAS Legal Office E-ministration Degree Overview, Online Education Programs for Aspiring Cabinet Makers Program Info, Master of Business Administration MBA Life Sciences Degree Overview, Master of Science (MS): Computer Information Systems Degree Overview, Ancient Greek & Roman Literature Essay Topics, UExcel Political Science: Study Guide & Test Prep, Intro to Criminal Justice: Help and Review, NY Regents Exam - Global History and Geography: Tutoring Solution, Criminal Justice 101: Intro to Criminal Justice, 11th Grade Writing Poetry: Homeschool Assignment, 12th Grade Literary Text Analysis: Homeschool Assignment, 12th Grade Novel Study: Homeschool Assignment, 12th Grade Staging a Play: Homeschool Assignment, 12th Grade Poetry Analysis: Homeschool Assignment, Quiz & Worksheet - History of Education During the Progressive Era, Quiz & Worksheet - The Space Race's Impact on Education in the US, Quiz & Worksheet - History of School Desegregation, Quiz & Worksheet - Jim Crow's Impact on Education, Quiz & Worksheet - The Impact of the Freedmen's Bureau on Education, CPA Subtest IV - Regulation (REG): Study Guide & Practice, CPA Subtest III - Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR): Study Guide & Practice, ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner: Study Guide & Practice, Inferences, Predictions & Drawing Conclusions in Reading Passages, The Role of Economic Institutions & Governments In the Economy, Parent's Guide for Supporting Stressed Students During the Coronavirus Pandemic, Writing and Classifying True, False and Open Statements in Math, An American Childhood: Summary, Themes & Analysis, Difference Between Asymmetric & Antisymmetric Relation, Pharmacological Management of Immune System Disorders, Identifying Variables That Influence Nursing Practice & Outcomes, Calculating an S Corporation's Ordinary Business Income for Federal Income Tax Purposes, Quiz & Worksheet - Segunda Carta de Relacion by Hernan Cortes, Quiz & Worksheet - Scientific Calculators & Exponents, Quiz & Worksheet - Nitration Process & Results, Quiz & Worksheet - History of King Saul of Israel, Flashcards - Real Estate Marketing Basics, Flashcards - Promotional Marketing in Real Estate, Information Systems for Teachers: Professional Development, CLEP American Government: Study Guide & Test Prep, Middle School US History: Homeschool Curriculum, Ohio Assessments for Educators - Physics (035): Practice & Study Guide, Quiz & Worksheet - El Nino, La Nina & Walker Circulation, Quiz & Worksheet - Contemporary Criminal Sentencing Types & Goals, Quiz & Worksheet - Writing and Balancing Chemical Reactions. What are some of the answers that the knight receives as he goes around England looking for the answer to his challenge? 1. After reading 'The Canterbury Tales', test your knowledge on The Wife of Bath with these practice questions. After the knight rapes the beautiful maiden, what is his sentence? "The Wife of Bath is Chaucer's most completely drawn character." One way to help your students move in closer to the tale of the Wife of Bath is to have them write essays about it. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is a highly celebrated piece of British poetry of 14th century. Show how her life experiences have come to make her into the person she is. By writing essays, students will have t… (This is the “book of wicked wives” that tells the tales of the most dishonest wives of all times, including the story of Eve in Eden, the betrayal of Samson at the hands of Delilah, and Agamemnon’s slaying at the hands of Clytemnestra.).

Application/Analysis Level Questions – These questions measure whether or not students can take their knowledge about the story and apply it in higher-level thinking.

1. Do you think the Wife is completely drawn? What is the answer to the knight’s quest? Types of Cloud Coverage & Effect on Climate, Immunocytochemistry vs. Immunofluorescence, Companies That Offer Tuition Reimbursement, How to Assign a Study.com Lesson to Your Students, FTCE Professional Education Test: Passing Score, How to Use Study.com to Improve Your Grades, Tech and Engineering - Questions & Answers, Health and Medicine - Questions & Answers, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. All Rights Reserved.

All rights reserved. The “flour” refers to the allure that younger women have; the “bran” refers to the spicier aspects of sensuality that come with age). The Bible is an infinitely plastic text. ; How successful, in your view, is the Wife's attack on ant-feminism in her Prologue? 2020 © gradesfixer.com. What does Chaucer show about the story's plot by structuring the text in this unique way?

Evaluation/Synthesis Level Questions – These questions measure a student’s ability to form judgments using the text and to generate creative responses.

This lesson provides a series of essay topics that will help your students analyze the plot and nature of this tale. What is the effect? In both the Book of Margery Kempe and the “Wife of Bath’s Prologue” in the Canterbury Tales, the female protagonists manipulate clerical discourse to challenge the male dominated institutional church and create new spaces for women in the late Middle Ages. What has she learned from her experiences with other people, and how have different relationships made her into the person she is?

Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree. (She and her fifth husband, Jankyn, got in a fight when she ripped three pages out of his “book of wicked wives” and punched him in the face, and he smacked her on the head. Does the knight give the hag the answer that he wants, because he believes it, or because he knows that she wants to be in control, and is simply answering strategically? courses that prepare you to earn What are the roles of violence and oppression in the narrative that the Wife of Bath offers? Do you think that being in control of a relationship is what women want most? The topics in this lesson will help your students better understand the Wife of Bath. All rights reserved Gradesfixer ™. When did the Wife of Bath’s fourth husband pass away?

Canterbury Tales Wife of Bath- Chaucer portrays the Wife of Bath as if she is a hypocrite, although, beneath the words, there is a great deal of wisdom involved. However, Chaucer’s exploration of passion and whether lust and... “wife of Bath’s Prologue” as a New Look Onto Traditional Female Roles in the Medieval Church, Analysis of the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Chaucer’s Imagery in the Wife of Bath’s Prologue, The Importance of Values in the Pardoner's Tale and the Wife of Bath's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer, and Morte D'arthur by Thomas Malory, Universal Truths in Wife of Bath by Geoffrey Chaucer, Equality and Power: Marriage in the Franklin’s Tale and the Wife of Bath’s Tale, Problems of Marriage Obligations in the Wife of Bath, The Wife of Bath: Analysis from the Biblical Viewpoint, Righteous Individual in the "wife of Bath’s" Tale, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale’: How Masculine Characters Should Look Like, Chaucer’s ‘wife of Bath’s Tale’ as a Revival of Marie De France’s ‘lanval’, An Analysis of the Moral of Two Tales from Geoffrey Chaucer's the Canterbury Tales: the Pardoner's Tale and the Wife of Bath, Female Stereotypes and Their Role in the Wife of Bath, Can a Married Couple Be Happy: the Wife of Bath. What are some of the particular ways that the Wife of Bath addresses themes of injustice? All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. imaginable degree, area of Get the unbiased info you need to find the right school. While few teachers require students to read every tale in this classic text, most will spend some time focusing on the tale of the Wife of Bath. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.

(money, sex, humor, honor, flattery, freedom, jovality are all answers), 5. If not, why not - and which character is better fleshed out?

What is the purpose of Valerie and Theofraste in the story? In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer sets up a rich and unexpected portrayal of The Wife of Bath, which is already well established by the beginning of her prologue to her tale. The Wife of Bath’s tale begins by introducing a knight who commits a disgraceful sin when he decides to rape a woman. Why do you think that the Prologue to the Wife of Bath's tale is so much longer than the actual story? What is the relationship of the Wife of Bath to religion? Get access risk-free for 30 days, It either implies that the Wife of Bath is a moral and Christian member of society or, more literally, that she in... Long before enlightened women of the 1960’s enthusiastically shed their bras, in an age when anti-feminist and misogynistic attitudes prevailed, lived Geoffrey Chaucer. Copyright © 2020 Bright Hub Education.

What stands out to you about the ways sex and sexuality are portrayed within this tale? Services. (Answers will vary).

What price does the knight pay for having the elderly hag save his life?

What is her own perspective on this theme, and what do you discern to be Chaucer's perspective? ‘The Wife's Prologue has little thematic connection with her Tale'.How far do you agree? Compare and contrast the plot of the Wife of Bath's tale with the plot of one other tale you have read from. 's' : ''}}. Some Students Don't Have a Choice, Schooling Students Across the Country: The Posse Foundation Expands Their Reach. 1. Clio has taught education courses at the college level and has a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal