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Similarities Between The Wife Of Bath And Modern Women

2009 Words9 Pages

Brooklyn Bailey
Mrs. Jackson
British Literature
3 March 2023
“Wife of bath” and the Modern Women

Throughout time women have been fighting for their rights to be seen, heard, and treated as equally, and it was not until the last fifty to one hundred years that women were able to be taken a little more seriously as individuals. However, throughout history, dating back long ago there is countless stories of women tying to claim their freedom, one such story this can be seen in is Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath”. “The Wife of Bath” is a story that was written a long time ago but still reveals modern elements and modern-day characters. One character in particular, Alison, is proven to be different from other people of her gender and …show more content…

Not only her thoughts and beliefs show her as a modern character but the actions she partakes in and the way she is written by the author suggest her to be more open about herself rather than staying confined to normal societal gender roles and norms. Chaucer’s focus on the wife of bath involves painting her face and body in a sexually suggestive manner (The Historical Perception of the Wife of Bath). By him doing this he is pointing out the suggestive actions she takes by just being herself, since even her body is considered sexual. Allison is a woman who believes in great power for herself “she is a strong willed women who herself gets what she wants when she wants it.” (The Historical Perception of the Wife of Bath) This a representation of a modern-day female character because it points out determination and the idea of not needing nor wanting a man to take what you want in life. Allison owns her sexuality and sensuality by saying herself that she uses it to her advantage “she is described as knowing “all the remedies of love” since she is so experienced with men”. (The Historical Perception of the Wife of Bath). This makes her stand out from other female characters of the time by her not only being recognized as getting her way with men but she boast about it herself. Allisons character discusses how she can and how she does manipulate men to get what she wants from them. While she is wise …show more content…

Geoffrey Chaucer’s depiction of Allison, The Wife of Bath, is segway that opens the potential for women and their control and shows what they are capable of. The relation of this to modern female characters today is presented in the story by showing determination and capability to adapt and use what you know to get ahead and the ability for women to prove themselves as more than a housewife. The idea surrounding women and their involvement in society is blurred by this tale of a women proving her point of women’s true desires as she strives to point out. All of these characteristics are present from a story even though that it was written in between thirteen eighty-seven and fourteen hundred it is still a story with characteristics of a modern-day female

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