Relationships
The affair between the Wife of Bath and different spouses greatly influenced the development of her character. Of her five husbands, she admits that the first three were good mainly because they were rich, old, and submissive. Being the dominant partner in these relationships, she happily recounts how torments them. Despite the other two husbands being bad, she proudly admits to using her sexual power to make them submissive and compliant.
Liked Husbands
The Wife of Bath claims to like her first three husbands and exploits them more than she did with the other two. The wife describes them as “good” because she could easily dominate them (Chaucer 26). According to her, these three husbands bowed to her authority quickly and complied with her requests, including monetary gifts. These are the main reasons she liked and adored them.
Loathed Husband
The Wife of Bath hated her fourth husband the most. The wife confesses that she deliberately exposed him to suffering in an attempt to make him jealous. The wife longed for his attention and company but did not get any. The main reason for loathing him was that he was a reveler and had a “paramour” (Chaucer 54). Therefore, her hatred was due to his waywardness and disobedience.
Loved Husband
The wife tells us that the fifth husband, Jankyn, was her best. Although his character is not well developed in the prologue, he could beat her and was not submissive to her when they first married, but she still loved him. Jankyn is the man with whom she finds the greatest harmony. The main reason for regarding the fifth husband as her best is that he could satisfy her fully in bed.
Wife of Bath
The wife of bath seems to be a self-oriented woman obsessed with her happiness, pleasure, and interests. She exploits her five husbands to the fullest to fulfill her sexual, emotional, and financial needs. The Wife of Bath only values and adores submissive men who comply with her every request. This aspect of her character explains why she hated the husband after his happiness and pleasure.
Work Cited
Chaucer, Geoffrey, et al. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale. Cambridge University Press, 1998.