Geoffrey Chaucer Stance on Feminism - 1254 Words

The investigation into whether or not Geoffrey Chaucer was ahead of his time in terms of his views on feminism has been up for debate for hundreds of years. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue is just one solitary example of the complicated nature of Chaucer’s belief system. On the one hand, we have many strong female characters that despite still being extremely dependant on the men in their lives, know what they want out of life. From a contrasting point of view, readers see a group of men, including Chaucer as the writer himself, making fun of the very nature of women as a whole. Is this really how Chaucer felt towards women, or is the prologue of The Wife of Bath’s Tale simply a parody of the opinions of his time? When questioning Chaucer’s†¦show more content†¦The side that uses her wiles to get multiple husbands. It is mentioned that she is looked down upon by different men in society for having married five times. The first time she was married was at twelve, to an elderly men. This arrangement was likely made by her father, but she used the situation to her advantage. She uses her body and sex in order to get money or land from her husbands; never stopping when it comes to using guilt to trick them into handing over their fortunes. The second side of Alyson is that of the doting wife. She enjoys being married and even welcomes the thought of marrying a sixth time if the right man were to come along (45). She and her husbands argued sometimes, like in the instance with the Clerk, but she enjoys marriage nonetheless. There is also a third side to Alyson. This side is strong and willful. She stays with her fifth husband despite the fact that she can still feel the bruises he had left on her body ages ago (505-508). Despite what the Catholic church or society might have to say about the matter, Alyson does not consider herself to be the property of any of the men in her life. She also believes that if a woman enjoys sex, than sh e should be able to have it when she wants. It is the husband’s obligation to go along with her wants. Alyson meets the Clerk, her fifth husband, while her fourth one was still alive. The relationship starts off rocky as she lies to him about dreams she has where heShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Women In The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1035 Words   |  5 Pagesyears ago. Geoffrey Chaucer first explores this in his famous collection of stories The Canterbury Tales. In Chaucer’s tales, he explores the situations of multiple individuals of varying backgrounds in the medieval time period. Each character tells a story that reveals some aspect of their morality and personality. Quite often, their tale also reveals their opinion of a certain overlying subject; such is the case with many character’s opinions of women and their place in society. Chaucer has commonlyRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucer s The Wife Of Baths1171 Words   |  5 Pages Sh ort Creative Essay Draft The Prologue to the Wife of Baths Tale is a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer s that provides a satirical insight on the experience of Alice, the wife, and her response to autocratic judgement. The prologue takes a stance against the view of women and uses the life style of Alice as a way of dismantling stereotypical ideology of women. The very beginning of the poem Alice is stated to have five husbands. This is especially unconventional because of the timeRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucer s The Canterbury Tales1781 Words   |  8 Pagesspectrum, those who do support equality are known as feminists. Geoffrey Chaucer, who is by some considered a proto-feminist writer, is one of the few writers of this time to go against the crowd and speak up for what women wanted. However, because of strict laws in this time, outwardly going against the majority could cost him his life, so instead he expressed his ideas through writing. In his infamous poem, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer portrays his feminist idea ls through the Wife of Bath. AccordingRead MoreAnalysis Of Geoffrey Chaucer s The Time Of Women 1760 Words   |  8 PagesGeoffrey Chaucer is a defining figure throughout Medieval European literature, Throughout time women have been placed in a subjugated position. Men have placed themselves as the leaders but to contest the unfairness in rule feminism became a movement. Feminism is the movement, ideal set that women and men should be equal to each other in all ways. This includes socially, lawfully and any other way that would make the society better. In the time of Chaucer, the roles of women were very rigid and