Wife of Bath Quotes

As wolde God it leveful were unto me
To be refresshed half so ofte as he!
Which yifte of God hadde he for alle his wyvys!
No man hath swich that in this world alyve is.
God woot, this noble kyng, as to my wit,
The firste nyght had many a myrie fit
With ech of hem, so wel was hym on lyve.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Solomon’s sex life becomes a hot topic for the Wife of Bath. Having multiple wives, she appears to almost envy the merrymaking he enjoyed on his wedding nights. If only God would permit her to be refreshed half as often as Solomon was, she says irreverently.
Yblessed be God, that I have wedded fyve - Wife of Bath

Yblessed be God, that I have wedded fyve;
Of whiche I have pyked out the beste,
Bothe of here nether purs and of here cheste.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Thanking God that she wedded five husbands and picked out the best, the Wife of Bath reveals what she looked for in each of them. Sexual potency ("nether purs" – scrotum) and wealth ("here cheste" – strongbox) were the two requirements. A husband had to provide her with sexual satisfaction and financial security.

For hadde God comanded maydenhede,
Thanne hadde he dampned weddyng with the dede.
And certes, if ther were no seed ysowe,
Virginitee, thanne wherof sholde it growe?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. A strong argument against virginity is put forward by the Wife of Bath. If God had condemned marriage along with the act of procreation, where would virginity come from, she asks? What she is saying is that if everyone was chase there would be virgins because there would be no people.

I woot wel that th’ apostel was a mayde;
But nathelees, thogh that he wroot and sayde
He wolde that every wight were swich as he,
Al nys but conseil to virginitee.
And for to been a wyf he yaf me leve
Of indulgence; so nys it no repreve
To wedde me, if that my make dye,
Withouten excepcion of bigamye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. In her home-spun theology and interpretation of the Bible, Wife of Bath Alison says she knows that the apostle Paul was a virgin and wished that everyone were as he. But that was just advice, and Paul gave her explicit permission to be wed again, if her husband should die, without objection on grounds of bigamy.

For wel ye knowe, a lord in his houshold,
He nath nat every vessel al of gold;
Somme been of tree, and doon hir lord servyse.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. This passage references what St. Paul said in his second letter to Timothy: "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." St. Jerome interprets this as meaning that marriage is good but virginity is better. But the Wife of Bath sees this as meaning something different, that she is one of the wooden utensils, maybe not as perfect as the gold vessel of virginity, but still very useful.

So that the clerkes be nat with me wrothe,
I sey this: that they maked ben for bothe;
That is to seye, for office and for ese
Of engendrure, ther we nat God displese.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Refuting the clerics’ argument that the genitalia are only there for urinating and identifying one’s sex, the Wife of Bath says that they are there for another more pleasurable purpose. They were also made for the sexual act of procreation when we don’t displease God.

I nyl envye no virginitee.
Lat hem be breed of pured whete-seed,
And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed.
And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle kan,
Our Lord Jesus refreshed many a man.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. It is Alison’s strong belief that her sexuality is a gift from God and she will use it as often as she can. Virginity represents perfection, let the virgins be bread of pure wheat-seed, the Wife of Bath says using a metaphor. But she does not envy virginity and is happy for wives like her to be called barley bread, another metaphor. Jesus refreshed many a man with the cheaper, simpler barley bread, likely a reference to the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

Myn housbonde shal it have bothe eve and morwe,
Whan that hym list come forth and paye his dette.
An housbonde I wol have – I wol nat lette –
Which shal be bothe my dettour and my thral,
And have his tribulacion withal
Upon his flessh, whil that I am his wyf.
I have the power durynge al my lyf
Upon his propre body, and noght he.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. At a time when men held superiority over women and the latter were dependent on men, the Wife of Bath has reversed those roles. Her husband can have sex evenings and mornings – when it pleases him to pay his debt! But sex to the Wife is a debt that a husband owes to her in marriage. It is also a way of exercising power over her husband, who is her debtor and her slave. She has the power over his body, and not he.

I have the power durynge al my lyf
Upon his propre body, and noght he.
Right thus the Apostel tolde it unto me,
And bad oure housbondes for to love us weel.
Al this sentence me liketh every deel.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Husbands are commanded to love their wives well, the Wife of Bath says quoting the Apostle Paul. By love she obviously means sexual lovemaking, as she is talking about having power over her husband’s body. Paul certainly did say in Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives." But he also commanded that wives must respect her husbands – and this Wife of Bath certainly doesn’t!

By this proverbe thou shalt understonde,
Have thou ynogh, what thar thee recche or care
How myrily that othere folkes fare?
For, certeyn, olde dotard, by youre leve,
Ye shul have queynte right ynogh at eve.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. This is a very loose interpretation of a proverb supposedly from Greek philosopher Ptolemy, stating that of all men he is the highest in wisdom who never cares who has the world in his control. The Wife of Bath claims this means that a husband shouldn’t care if his wife is having sex with others, as long as he himself is getting enough "queynte" – a vulgar word for women’s genitalia.

And after wyn on Venus moste I thynke,
For al so siker as cold engendreth hayl,
A likerous mouth moste han a likerous tayl.
In wommen vinolent is no defence –
This knowen lecchours by experience.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Finding pleasure in wine, the Wife of Bath says that wine leads to thoughts of Venus and sex. Making the connection between wine and Venus, she says rather soberingly that lecherous men know by experience that drunken women have no defense against them.

Who peyntede the leon, tel me who?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Who painted the lion, tell me who? This is about a story in the fables of Aesop, in which a lion and man debate which one of them is superior. In it an art work shows a lion overpowering a man. And who made it, asks the lion? To which the answer is, a man. The lions says that if it had been constructed by a lion, it would show the lion overpowering the man. Who holds the pen, has the power, the Wife of Bath is saying.

Of latter date, of wyves hath he red
That somme han slayn hir housbondes in hir bed,
And lete hir lecchour dighte hire al the nyght,
Whan that the corps lay in the floor upright.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Jankin carries on with his anti-feminist book readings to his wife Alison, Wife of Bath. This time about the gruesome tales of wives who had slain their husbands in their beds, and had sex with their lecher all night while their husband’s corpse lay on the floor alongside.

And happed that, allone as he was born,
He saugh a mayde walkynge hym biforn,
Of which mayde anon, maugree hir heed,
By verray force, he rafte hire maydenhed.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Tale. King Arthur has a lusty bachelor Knight who is out riding one day and happens upon a maiden walking. By force, despite all her struggles, he takes away her maidenhead (virginity), the Wife of Bath reveals – he rapes her! As knights are meant to be noble and honorable and act with chivalry and respect everyone, it is an irony that he commits such a crime.

Now ther ye seye that I am foul and old,
Than drede you noght to been a cokewold;
For filthe and eelde, also moot I thee,
Been grete wardeyns upon chastitee.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Tale. In the Wife of Bath’s story, the old hag tells the Knight that he needn’t fear being a cuckold because ugly old wives are not desirable, age being a great guardian of chastity. This is rather ironic, as older age doesn’t seem to stop the Wife of Bath desiring and having sex.
Close