The Wife of Bath is one of Chaucer’s most famous characters. He makes her a vivid presence here in the Prologue and enlarges the portrait later in The Canterbury Tales in her own prologue to her own tale. The geographical notation “biside Bathe” is not as vague as it sounds. It meant the small parish just outside the north gate of Bath called “St. Michael-without-the-walls,” and it was probably at the door of St. Michael’s church that the Wife’s many marital encounters took place.
The Wife’s great talent is for cloth-making, and we get Chaucer’s tongue-in-cheek touch again when he asserts her superiority over the cloth-makers “of Ypres and of Gaunt,” an opinion that we suspect came straight from the Wife herself. There follows an illuminating little touch concerning her character. No woman in the parish, Chaucer says, ought to precede the Wife to the “offrynge” in church. And if any did “certeyn so wrooth was she/ That she was out of alle charitee.” We can well imagine it, and so the tone is set for the development of this boisterous, egotistical, but fundamentally very likeable character later in the Tales.
The Wife of Bath is instantly recognisable because of her distinct appearance and confident personality. Chaucer describes her as a woman with a red complexion, bold face, and large hips, dressed in fine scarlet stockings and elaborate clothes. She wears a broad hat and soft new shoes which indicate both her prosperity and her concern for fashionable appearance. Her gap teeth, according to medieval beliefs, symbolise sensuality and a passionate nature. Rather than presenting the ideal medieval woman as modest and submissive, Chaucer deliberately creates a character who enjoys displaying her individuality and self-confidence.
Two points are made about the Wife: her amorous nature and her habit of going on pilgrimages. The reference to the husbands “at chirche dore” is explained by the fact that medieval marriages were performed at the entrance of the church; since most of the service was not in Latin, the wedding group proceeded inside afterwards for the nuptial mass. But the striking thing about the line is the number of mates the Wife has had. In part the reason is economic- the Wife is a woman of property and the possessor of a commercially valuable skill. The Middle Ages were more romantic in their literature than in life, and just as a dowerless woman found it difficult to get married, so one with money found it easy. But the main reason for the many marriages is simply that the Wife enjoyed the company of men. How would a woman of the Wife’s ebullient and garrulous nature get on in marriage? Here we are told that she is “somdel deef,” but later in the Tales, we discover that this is because her fifth husband once became so infuriated with her that he beat her about the head and impaired her hearing.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Wife of Bath is her challenge to the traditional patriarchal view of marriage. Drawing on her experiences with five husbands, she argues that women should have authority over their husbands rather than remain obedient. She openly defends remarriage and rejects the medieval ideal of female chastity and silence. Unlike many female characters in medieval literature, she is outspoken, independent, and financially secure. Her views on marriage are based on personal experience rather than religious doctrine, making her one of the earliest literary figures to question conventional gender roles.
Another significant feature of the Wife’s character is her skill in argument and interpretation. She frequently quotes the Bible and other authorities to justify her opinions, and often interprets scripture in ways that support her own interests. This selective use of religious texts demonstrates both her intelligence and her determination to defend her lifestyle. Chaucer uses irony throughout her speeches, which allow readers to appreciate both her wit and her tendency to manipulate arguments for personal advantage.
There is no real inconsistency in a woman of the Wife’s worldly nature going on a series of pilgrimages to holy shrines. By the fourteenth century, the pilgrimage had become for some a social excursion as well as a religious act, a fact reflected in some of Chaucer’s other less-than-devout pilgrims. Some of the contemporary writers complain of married women going on pilgrimages, and it may well have been a device for escaping the restrictions imposed by a husband. Jerusalem was, of course, the principal destination for pilgrimages. The Wife has been there three times, where she would have been shown the white stone on which the True Cross stood, and near which the first crusaders were buried. She has also been to Rome, where the major pilgrim attractions were St. Peters, and St. Paul’s Cathedral, where the stone on which St. Paul was beheaded was said to cure the sick and maimed who touched it.
Although the Wife of Bath often appears comic because of her exaggerated confidence, Chaucer presents her as a complex and realistic human being rather than a mere caricature. She possesses both strengths and weaknesses. She is energetic, witty, courageous, and experienced, yet she can also be proud, jealous, domineering, and materialistic. This combination of virtues and flaws makes her one of the most memorable and psychologically convincing characters in The Canterbury Tales. Her lively personality continues to attract readers because she speaks honestly about love, marriage, power, and human relationships.
The Wife of Bath remains one of Geoffrey Chaucer’s greatest literary achievements. She breaks away from the conventional image of the obedient medieval woman and emerges as an independent, articulate, and self-assured individual. Her confidence, humour, practical wisdom, and willingness to challenge social conventions make her a timeless character. Even today, literary critics regard her as a significant figure in discussions of gender, marriage, and female agency in medieval literature.
