A02- Key quotes for The Wife of Bath's prologue

Question	Answer
First Line: Prologue "Experience, though noon auc-... "To spek of the... Purpose: "As taketh no agrief of that I seye...	"Experience, though noon auctoritee/ Were in this world, is right ynogh for me." "To spek of the wo that is in mariage...sit I twelve yeer was of age." "As taketh no agreif of wat I seye; For myn entente is nat but for to play."
Argument for having 5 husbands "God bad us for to...	"God bad us to wexe and multiple/ that gentil text kan I wel understonde." Even though she has no children... Twisting the Bible People believed that marrying more than one man was bad, should be loyal to one person.
Manipulating Authorities- power of language. "Lo, here, is the wise king, daun Soloman; I trewe...	"Lo, heere, is the wise king, daun Soloman; I trewe he hadde wives mo than oon." Does not mention that he was judged and punished by God. Is Chaucer doing this to empower her or undermine her intellectual abilities? Or does she represent the questioning happening at the time- Great Schism 1367
Modern adaptation BBC TV series 2010	Wife of Bath= Beth (Julie Walters) Janekin= Jerome She has an affair with Jerome, who is 30 years younger, but very happy together.
The Wife controversial arguments against Virginity (opposite to Annabella) "I pray yow, telleth me... "And certes, if ther were no seed ysowe... "Virginitee is... "I wol use myn ins-...	"I pray now, telleth me. Or where commanded he virginitee?"- Direct adress to the audience. Embarrassing/ shocking/ entertaining that she is talking so freely. "And certes, if ther were no seed ysowe/ virginitee, thanne wereof should it growe?" How would people be here...This can happen only with one partner! "Virgintee is greet perfeccion" "I wol use myn instrument as freely as myn Makere sent."
Assertions, often using double negatives "That am... "I nil envye.... "Ne would I nat of him corrected be."	"That am nat I"- a virgin "I nil envye no virginitee." "Ne would I nat of him corrected be."
The 14th Century Marriage Debt "Why should men elles in hir bookes sette... "Til he had maad his raunson unto me...	"Why should men elles in hir bookes sette/ that man shal yelde his wyf hire dette?" How would he make his payment without his...! "Till he had maad his raunson unto me, Thanne wol I suffre him do his nicetee." A04- Owed each other sexually defined in 1 Corinthians.
"Maistrie" and "Soveraynetee" "Upon his flessh, whil that I... "This is to seyn, myself have been the... "But sith I hadde him...	"Upon his fleesh, whil that I am his wfy/ I shal have the power duringe al my lyf." Sexual dominance- like Giovanni? "This is to seyn, myself have been the whippe." "But sith I had him holly in myn hond" 1st Husband- in her hand.
Deception "Ye wise wives, than kan und-...Thus shulde ye ...and... on honde." "The peyne I dide hem and the...	"Ye wise wives, that kan understonde. Thus shulde ye speke and bare hem wrong on honde." - Preaching that woman should deceive their husbands. "The pene I dide hem and the wo, ful guiltelees, by Goddes sweet pine! (By the lord's blessed agony)
Description of Janekin (Much like Giovanni's description of Annabella) "For his crispe heer, sh-....	"For his crispe heer, shininge as gold so fyn." Material good, potencially?
Goes against the power men had in such a patriarchal society "Thou shalt nat bothe, though that thou were wood,...	"Thou shalt nat bother, though that were wood, be maister of my body and of my good." Cant have both!
Women= Cats "Thou seydest this, that I.... Beautiful women take pride in their appearance "It the cattes skin be slik and gay...	"Thou seydest this, that I was lyk a cat;" "If the cattes skin be slik and gay;she ol nat dwelle in house half a day." If she had been given nice clothes, which she hasn't, (bitter) she would do it before the break of dawn!
Womens' love likened to hell/ fire imagery -Argument that love is destructive "Thou liknest eek wommenes love to hell... "Thou liknest it also to wilde fyr; the moore it brenneth... "Right as wormes shende a tree...	... to bareyne lond, ther water may nat dwelle" ...the moore it hath desire to consume everything" ...right so a wyf destroyeth hire housbounde."
What she gets out of husbands "And thus of o thing I avaunte me,	"And thus of o thing I avaunte me, atte ende I hadde the bettre in ech degree."
Commercial Imagery "For al is... " With empty hand men may... "For if I wolde selle my b...c...I koude walke as..." Likens her ageing to bread "The flour is goon, ther is namoore to tell...	"For al is for to selle." "With empty hand men may no haukes lure." "For if I wolde selle my bele chose, I kolde walke as fressh as a rose." (Fresh as a rose = nice clothes) "The flour is goon, ther is namoore to tell; the bren, as best I kan, now moste I selle."
Stereotypical men- Angry when things do no go there way- Giovanni and Soranzo "For thogh he looked as a... yet he sholde he faille of h-...	"For thogh he looked as a wood leon, yet he faille of his conclusion." If he cant say he argument get as angry as a lion.
Wife about Janekin "Now of my fithe housbonde wol I tell... "But in our bed he was... "My fithe housbounde, god...	...God lete his soule nevere come in helle!" ...So fresh and gay" "My fithe housbonde, God his soule blesse! Which that I take for love and no richesse."
Janekin is 'dangerous' for her- treat her badly "I trowe I love him best, for that he... "Who wolde were, or who wolde suppose, the...	"I trewe I loved him best, for that he was of his love daungerous to me." "Who wolde were, or who wolde suppose, the wo that in myn herte was, and pine?"
She gave Jakekin her heart "That al myn herte I... ...He was, I trewe,...	"That al myn herte I yaf unto his hoold. He was, I trewe, a twenty winter oold." She say she has a "Coltes tooth"- fondness for young men.
Astrological Influences (like Giovanni and Fate) "I had the prente of... "For certes I am al... and myn hert is...	"I hadde the prente of seinte venus seel." "For certes, I am al venus in feeling, and myn hert is Marcien." A04- Believed in the influence of the Gods Uses the gods as a justification of her lust Venus= Emotions and Love Mars= Strength and determination
She doesn't take Janekin for his money "For that I take for... "I took no kep, so that he liked me,...	"For that I take for love and no richesse." "I took no keep, so that he liked me, how poore he was, ne eek of what degree."
The wife gives all her possessions and land to him (opposite to before but willingly) Because he "had wedded me with greet solempnitee... she	"And to him yaf I al the lond and fee that evere was me yeven therifoore."
How the wife reacts when he "Smoot me ones on the list" "For that..., that of the strook...	"For that I rente out his book a leef, that of the strook myn ere wax al deef."
Jankekin and his misogynistic book of authorities "book of wikked wives" "For which oft-... "He hadde a book that... for his desport he...	"For which often times he wolde preche, and me of old romain geestes teche." He hadde a book that gladly, night and day, for his despot he wolde rede always" (Desport= entertainment"
Triple negative about Janekin never speaking about a women positively "Ne of noon ...	"Ne of noon other woman never the mo."
Eve and wickedness "Lo, here express of.... ...The womman was...	"Lo, here express of womman may ye finde... ...that womman was the loss of al mankinde."
Janekin view of a 'nagging' woman 'Bet is,' quod he, 'thyn habitacioun be with a...	'Bet is,' quod he, 'thyn habitacioun be with a leon or a foul dragoun, than with a womman usinge for to chide.' Is that just a woman having an opinion? Woman are below men in society?
Janekin- Lion imagery After she has torn the page out of the book "And he stirte as dooth...	And he stirte as dooth a wood leoun, and with his feeste he smoot me on the heed."
When he hits her the Wife gets her way, by playing week and innocent (opposite to what she is trying to be?) "O, hastow slain me...?' I seyde, 'And for my land ...? Er I ..., yet wol..."	"O, hastow slain me, false theef?' I seyde, 'And for my land thus hastow mordered me? Er I be dead, yet wol I kisse thee." Rhetoric questioning and emphatic language Tricking and deceiving him to get all her money back...illustrating the points Janekin made about deceitful woman.
She had 'conquered him' through "Mai...and sov...	"By Maistrie, al the soverainetee,"
She makes Janekin "He yaf me al... to han the gov- and of his ho-..." "Brenne his...	"He yaf me al the bridel in myn hond, to han the governance of hous and lond, and of his tonge, and of his hond also." "Brenne his booke"

Next up

A02- Key quotes for The Wife of Bath's prologue

Description

Resource summary

Similar

	Created by charlottedarling almost 10 years ago