Canterbury Tales Wife of Bath Quotes

In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon
That to the offrynge bifore hire sholde goon;
And if ther dide, certeyn so wrooth was she
That she was out of alle charitee.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Wife of Bath views herself as the most important woman in her parish church. So much so that no other woman dares to go to the altar steps in front of her. If by chance they did, they would incur her wrath and she would forget God’s commandment in their case, "Love thy neighbor."

Hir coverchiefs ful fyne weren of ground;
I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound
That on a Sonday weren upon hir heed.
Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed,
Ful streite yteyd, and shoes ful moyste and newe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The-larger-than life Wife of Bath wears fine textured scarves on her head when going to mass on Sunday that the Narrator says must weight ten pounds. Her expensive stockings are of the finest scarlet red and her shoes soft and new. She wears clothes to reflect who she is: confident, bold and powerful.

And thries hadde she been at Jerusalem;
She hadde passed many a straunge strem;
At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne,
In Galice at Seint-Jame, and at Coloigne.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Alison the Wife of Bath is well traveled and has gone on many pilgrimages, along the Way of Saint James to Galicia, to Jerusalem, Rome and Cologne. This devotion may convey the impression that she is a religious woman, but we later learn that she likes to be socially seen and her pilgrimage tourism has nothing to do with religious piety.

She koude muchel of wandrynge by the weye.
Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye.
Upon an amblere esily she sat,
Ywympled wel, and on hir heed an hat
As brood as is a bokeler or a targe;
A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large,
And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe.
In felaweshipe wel koude she laughe and carpe.
Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce,
For she koude of that art the olde daunce.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The final lines describing the Wife of Bath are very sexually suggestive. She is gap-toothed, sits easily on her horse, wears a wimple overskirt over her broad hips, and sharp spurs on her feet. She is able to give first hand advice on matters of love, Chaucer tells us, going on to describe her sexual expertise with a dance metaphor: For she knew the old dance of that art.

Experience, though noon auctoritee
Were in this world, is right ynough for me
To speke of wo that is in mariage;
For, lordynges, sith I twelve yeer was of age,
Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve,
Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. The Wife of Bath Alison says that she is a believer in experience rather than written authority. Having been married since the age of twelve and having had five husbands, she feels she is well qualified to speak on the woe that is in marriage. This is really ironic as most of the woe was inflicted by Alison on her suffering husbands! It also makes her something of a hypocrite when she says marriage brought her nothing but woe, and then goes on to thank God for having five husbands.

But me was toold, certeyn, nat longe agoon is,
That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onis
To weddyng, in the Cane of Galilee,
That by the same ensample taughte he me
That I ne sholde wedded be but ones.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. In the time of Chaucer it was common enough thinking that a widowed woman should not marry again, but devote herself to celibacy or convent life. And the Wife of Bath says she has been told that since Christ went but once to a wedding, he taught that she should be wedded but once.

How manye myghte she have in mariage?
Yet herde I nevere tellen in myn age
Upon this nombre diffinicioun.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. A firm advocate of marriage, the Wife of Bath has had five husbands. So she cannot understand how Jesus can reprove the Samaritan woman at the well for having married five times, telling her the fifth man was not her husband. How many might she have in marriage, asks the Wife of Bath, insisting she has never heard a definition of this number.

Men may devyne and glosen, up and doun,
But wel I woot, expres, without lye,
God bad us for to wexe and multiplye,
That gentil text kan I wel understonde.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Alison the Wife of Bath is sometimes viewed as the voice of the independent, liberated woman of her time. She challenges the male view on women’s relationships and marriage. She disputes the interpretation of the Bible that she should marry only once, saying that men interpret religious texts to suit their own views. Defending marriage as a legitimate life choice, and her own five marriages, she quotes God’s commandment in the Bible: "Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28).

Eek wel I woot, he seyde myn housbonde
Sholde lete fader and mooder and take to me.
But of no nombre mencion made he,
Of bigamye, or of octogamye;
Why sholde men thanne speke of it vileynye?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. The hypocritical double standard applied to men and women in the area of relationships and marriage is attacked here. The Wife of Bath argues that the five men who each in turn were allowed by God to ask for her hand in marriage and God made no mention of number, of marrying two or marrying eight. So why should men then speak evil of her for marrying them.

Of fyve husbondes scoleiyng am I.
Welcome the sixte, whan that evere he shal.
For sothe, I wol nat kepe me chaast in al.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Setting out her education record, the Wife of Bath’s says that she has five husbands’ schooling! And she welcomes the sixth, whenever he may appear. Does that amount to a Doctorate in Marital Affairs? In the Wife’s world of sexual morality, keeping chase (abstaining from sex) is not an option for her.

Whan myn housbonde is fro the world ygon,
Som Cristen man shal wedde me anon.
For thanne th’ apostle seith that I am free
To wedde, a Goddes half, where it liketh me.
He seith that to be wedded is no synne;
Bet is to be wedded than to brynne.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. In her argument for the right to another Christian man when husband number five dies, the Wife of Bath cites the Bible and Saint Paul. In 1 Corinthians 7:9, he says: "Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." We don’t think Paul would agree with her interpretation of his views on sexual morality.

And whan that I have toold thee forth my tale
Of tribulacion in mariage,
Of which I am expert in al myn age –
This is to seyn, myself have been the whippe –
Than maystow chese wheither thou wolt sippe
Of thilke tonne that I shal abroche.
Be war of it, er thou to ny approche.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. After the Pardoner interrupts Alison, worried because he is about to be married, he is told by her to shut up and have another drink. Using the metaphor of a cask of wine for marriage, the Wife of Bath says that when she, an expert on the tribulation in marriage, has told her tale, then will he be able to make up his own mind on whether sip from that cask or not.

A wys womman wol bisye hire evere in oon
To gete hire love, ye, ther as she hath noon.
But sith I hadde hem hoolly in myn hond,
And sith they hadde me yeven al hir lond,
What sholde I taken keep hem for to plese,
But it were for my profit and myn ese?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. A wise woman will be constantly busy to get herself loved when she is not, says the Wife of Bath. But since she had her first three husbands wholly in her hand and they had given her all their land, why should she go out of her way to please them? Unless it was for her profit and pleasure, of course! These comments speak to Alison’s greed.

I governed hem so wel, after my lawe,
That ech of hem ful blisful was and fawe
To brynge me gaye thynges fro the fayre.
They were ful glad whan I spak to hem faire,
For, God it woot, I chidde hem spitously.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. In describing her manipulation of her first three old and rich husbands, the Wife of Bath says she controlled them according to her law, so that each was happy to purchase fine things for her at the fair. They were also glad when she spoke to them pleasantly, because she admits she cruelly scolded them. She is being very ironic saying that they were happy to follow her rules and be nagged mercilessly.

Now herkneth hou I baar me proprely,
Ye wise wyves, that kan understonde.
Thus shulde ye speke and bere hem wrong on honde,
For half so boldely kan ther no man
Swere and lyen, as a womman kan.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Calling on wives to listen to her carefully, Alison suggests that they use manipulation and aggression to get their own way with husbands and show that they are in charge. Women are better at lying and swearing than men, and they should accuse husbands wrongfully and put them in their place. The Wife of Bath has to be one of the most immoral characters in The Canterbury Tales.

A wys wyf, if that she kan hir good,
Shal beren hym on honde the cow is wood,
And take witnesse of hir owene mayde,
Of hir assent.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. A smart wife will be able to deceive her husband and convince him of anything and call her maid as a witness, advices the Wife of Bath. Just fool him by swearing "the cow is wood" (the chough is crazy), she says, referring to the story of the talking bird that tells the husband about his wife’s unfaithfulness.

Sire olde kaynard, is this thyn array?
Why is my neighebores wyf so gay?
She is honoured overal ther she gooth;
I sitte at hoom; I have no thrifty clooth.
What dostow at my neighebores hous?
Is she so fair? Artow so amorous?
What rowne ye with oure mayde? Benedicite!
Sire olde lecchour, lat thy japes be!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue.
In her battle of the sexes, the Wife of Bath replays how she exercised control of her three old husbands. She harangues her husband, showing contempt for him and challenging his male authority. She complains that one neighbor’s wife is better dressed than she and looked up to by all. She queries why her husband is spending so much time at her neighbor’s house and also whispering to her maid, calling him a lecher and suggesting he is lusting after them.

Thou seist to me it is a greet meschief
To wedde a povre womman, for costage;
And if that she be riche, of heigh parage,
Thanne seistow that it is a tormentrie
To soffre hire pride and hire malencolie.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Merciless nagging is one of the main ways the Wife of Bath dominated her first three old husbands. In this passage she badgers them for saying it is a misfortune to marry a poor woman because of expense. And lectures them for complaining about rich women of high birth because of their pride and melancholy.

Thou seyst som folk desiren us for richesse,
Somme for oure shap, and somme for oure fairnesse,
And som for she kan outher synge or daunce,
And som for gentillesse and daliaunce;
Som for hir handes and hir armes smale;
Thus goth al to the devel, by thy tale.
Thou seyst men may nat kepe a castel wal,
It may so longe assailled been overal.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Pity the Wife of Bath’s first three husbands. Here she replays how she railed at them for saying that men desired women for their money, their shape, their beauty, because they could sing or dance, or they came from a good family and flirted a lot. That all goes to the devil, the husbands say, there is always some reason a wife is going to cheat – no castle wall can stand up to constant attack. Of course it’s all fiction and the Wife is making it up, pretending to her husbands that they said these things while they were drunk. All so that this aggressive, medieval feminist can ensure the woman has sovereignty in a marriage.

And if that she be foul, thou seist that she
Coveiteth every man that she may se,
For as a spanyel she wol on hym lepe,
Til that she fynde som man hire to chepe.
Ne noon so grey goos gooth ther in the lake
As, seistow, wol been withoute make.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Referring to ugly women as dogs, the Wife of Bath says that an ugly woman is viewed as coveting every man she sees, leaping on them like a spaniel until she finds some man to take her. Ugly women may lack mates, but they have passion and desire a mate. No drab grey goose goes to the lake to be without a partner, Alison says, using an animal metaphor to make her point.

Thow seyst we wyves wol oure vices hide
Til we be fast, and thanne we wol hem shewe –
Wel may that be a proverbe of a shrewe!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. The Wife of Bath accused her first three husbands of drunkenly saying that wives hid their vices, until they had trapped their man into marrying them. And then they showed them. That’s the proverb of a scoundrel, she lashed at them. But she is lying in order to control her husbands, as they didn’t say any of these things.

Thou seist that oxen, asses, hors, and houndes,
They been assayed at diverse stoundes;
Bacyns, lavours, er that men hem bye,
Spoones and stooles, and al swich housbondrye,
And so been pottes, clothes, and array;
But folk of wyves maken noon assay,
Til they be wedded – olde dotard shrewe! –
And thanne, seistow, we wol oure vices shewe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. According to the Wife of Bath, her first three husbands complained that, unlike with purchasing a farm animal, clothing or item of houseware, a husband cannot test out a wife until they are wedded. And then, her husbands said, the wife will show her vices. But they never actually said this, she makes them think they did during a drunken session.
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