How did the knight change in the Wife of Bath?

The only development of the knight’s character comes at the end of the tale, when he accepts his wife’s arguments and realizes what he has done wrong. However, even then he is manipulated by her into giving her what she wants (which is the power to make decisions).

What did the knight learn in the Wife of Bath?

The tale concerns a knight accused of rape, whose life shall be spared if in one year he discovers what women most desire. He eventually turns to an ugly old witch who promises him the answer that will save his life if he will do the first thing she asks of him.

What was the Wife of Bath known for professionally?

During Chaucer’s time, women were defined by their relationships to men rather than according to her own accomplishments. In many ways, the Wife of Bath is a professional wife because she has been married multiple times and is a self-proclaimed expert in marriage.

How would the Wife of Bath be portrayed in today’s society?

The Wife of Bath would be portrayed in today’s society as a gusty, “can-do” woman. In The Canterbury Tales, she manages to end up a well-to-do widow who can do what she wants, including marrying a younger man for love, not money, for her fifth marriage.

Does the knight gain a better understanding?

The knight definitely has a much better understanding of what women want and value. This is proven towards the end of the story.

How is the knight in the Wife of Bath’s tale different from the way knights are usually portrayed?

How is the knight in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” different from the way knights are usually portrayed? He commits a terrible crime and later he insults the old woman after she has saved his life. Which of the following is an example of consonance? What warning does The Wife of Bath give at the end of the tale?

What lesson does the knight learn?

The knight is probably meant as a symbol of all men in a tale whose point seems to be that men need to be taught to listen to women’s desires and yield sovereignty to them. The knight eventually learns his lesson, although it takes him a while.

What is the result of the knight’s decision?

What is the result of the knight’s decision? He lives happily ever after with the old woman. He remains married to the old woman and eventually learns to appreciate her.

What combination of qualities makes the knight so admirable?

What combination of qualities makes the Knight so admirable? His idealism/love of ideals, impressive military career, and his gentle manner.

What two choices does the old woman give the knight?

She offers the knight a choice: either he can have her be ugly but loyal and good, or he can have her young and fair but also coquettish and unfaithful. The knight ponders in silence. Finally, he replies that he would rather trust her judgment, and he asks her to choose whatever she thinks best.

How is the Wife of Bath a feminist?

She is a former faculty member of the Humanist Institute. Of all the narrators in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” the Wife of Bath is the one most commonly identified as feminist—though some analysts conclude instead that she is a depiction of negative images of women as judged by her time.

What does the Wife of Bath’s prologue tell us about how marriage affected these opportunities or limitations?

In her prologue, Chaucer’s Wife defends marriage against religious teachings that claim that it is inferior to celibacy, maintaining the association of marriage with sex but embracing a more modern perspective that sexual pleasure is a virtue and rejecting the idea that wives should always obey their husbands.