Geoffrey Chaucer's "Tales of Marriage"

Paper Summary:

This paper relates that the Wife of Bath introduces herself as the authority on marriage and marital life, commenting on the social and legal position of women in marriage and daily life and, rather than rejecting scriptural authority, she appeals to logic, rejecting too strict interpretations of scriptural rules and commandments. The author points out that, during the Middle Ages, it was widely believed that the highest type of chivalric love was incompatible with marriage, but The Franklin boldly challenges this view by pointing out that love can be consistent with marriage; indeed, without love, marriage is doomed for failure. The paper relates that the main virtue of 'The Franklin's Tale" is the noble spirit, which is seen throughout it, and the idea that love, patience, and forgiveness are the true essence of love and marriage.

Table of Contents
Introduction
The Wife
The Merchant
The Franklin
Discussion and Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The Wife of Bath is one of the strongest characters in "The Canterbury Tales". Headstrong, loud and opinionated, she represents a major struggle against the degradation of women and the taboos against female sexuality. She presents many strong arguments against rigid religious rules for chastity and monogamy, using Biblical examples, such as the tale of King Solomon, to show that the Bible does not actually condemn sexuality, even outside of marriage."

More papers on Geoffrey Chaucer's "Tales of Marriage":

• Book Review # 110008 : "Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales"
• Analytical Essay # 18725 : "Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales."
• Analytical Essay # 23058 : "The Wife of Bath"

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