Hypothesis

lusty bacheler

Chaucer likes to describe people like this, apparently. He thinks that "lust" is a pretty visible, physical thing, and he portrays both the Wyf and the Squire in that sort of way.

God sende hem soone verray pestilence! 1264

In summary: A knight rapes a woman he sees walking from the river. Queen Guinevere says his punishment is finding what women most desire in one year, or he’ll get beheaded. The knight questions women everywhere, but none of them give the same answer. After a year, he goes back to King Arthur’s court. On the way, he finds a ring of 24 fairies dancing. They disappear and are replaced by an ugly old hag. She agrees to tell the knight what women most desire if he promises to grant her anything she desires. He agrees. She tells the knight women want to rule over their husbands and lovers. The queen says he’s right, and then makes him fulfill his promise by marrying the hag. After marriage, the knight doesn't want to consummate because she’s old and ugly. The hag gives him a speech about advantages of poverty and old age, then gives him a choice: her, old and ugly but a good and faithful wife, or her, young and beautiful but no other good qualities. The knight lets her choose. Because her husband has given her sovereignty, she agrees to be young, beautiful, and a good wife. They live happily ever after.

The Wyf of Bath is still a little salty that the Miller named the cheating wife in his story after her. She basically says that women run the relationships and spends a good portion of her tale having the hag berate her husband for being a shallow, selfish person. We also learn that the Wyf has had five husbands, so if anyone knows about love, apparently, it's her, and the Miller can just shut his trap.

Ye, certeinly, quod he, no wonder is. 1105

He's really being straight up: "I'm not happy I married you because you're ugly and old." He doesn't deny it, and she almost seems to find it amusing.

Is this the lawe of kyng arthures hous? 1089

"Is everyone in King Arthur's court like this?"

So wel ye myghte bere yow unto me. 1108

Basically saying "you might as well be nice to me, because I can actually solve the problem if you're nice."

Ther nas but hevynesse and muche sorwe. Page 87 1079 For prively he wedded hire on the morwe, 1080 And al day after hidde hym as an owle, 1081 So wo was hym, his wyf looked so foule. 1082 Greet was the wo the knyght hadde in his thoght, 1083 Whan he was with his wyf abedde ybroght; 1084 He walweth and he turneth to and fro. 1085 His olde wyf lay smylynge everemo, 1086 And seyde, o deere housbonde, benedicitee! 1087 Fareth every knyght thys with his wyf as ye? 1088 Is this the lawe of kyng arthures hous? 1089 Is every knyght of his so dangerous? 1090 I am youre owene love and eek youre wyf; 1091 I am she which that saved hath youre lyf, 1092 And, certes, yet ne dide I yow nevere unright; 1093 Why fare ye thus with me this firste nyght? 1094 Ye faren lyk a man had lost his wit. 1095 What is my gilt? for goddes love, tel me it, 1096 And it shal been amende, if I may. 1097 Amended? quod this knyght, allas! nay, nay! 1098 It wol nat been amended nevere mo. 1099 Thou art so loothly, and so oold also, 1100 And therto comen of so lough a kynde, 1101 That litel wonder is thogh I walwe and wynde. 1102 So wolde God myn herte wolde breste! 1103 Is this, quod she, the cause of youre unreste? 1104 Ye, certeinly, quod he, no wonder is. 1105 Now, sire, quod she, I koude amende al this, 1106 If that me liste, er it were dayes thre, 1107 So wel ye myghte bere yow unto me. 1108 But, for ye speken of swich gentillesse 1109 As is descended out of old richesse, 1110 That therfore sholden ye be gentil men, 1111 Swich arrogance is nat worth an hen. 1112 Looke who that is moost vertuous alway, 1113 Pryvee and apert, and moost entendeth ay 1114 To do the gentil dedes that he kan; 1115 Taak hym for the grettest gentil man. 1116 Crist wole we clayme of hym oure gentillesse, 1117 Nat of oure eldres for hire old richesse. 1118 For thogh they yeve us al hir heritage, 1119 For which we clayme to been of heigh parage, 1120 Yet may they nat biquethe, for no thyng, 1121 To noon of us hir vertuous lyvyng, 1122 That made hem gentil men ycalled be, 1123 And bad us folwen hem in swich degree. 1124 Wel kan the wise poete of florence, 1125 That highte dant, speken in this sentence. 1126 Lo, in swich maner rym is dantes tale: 1127 -- Ful selde up riseth by his brances smale 1128 Prowesse of man, for god, of his goodnesse, 1129 Wole that of hym we clayme oure gentillesse; -- 1130 For of oure eldres may we no thyng clayme 1131 But temporel thyng, that man may hurte and mayme. 1132 Eek every wight woot this as wel as I, 1133 If gentillesse were planted natureelly 1134 Unto a certeyn lynage doun the lyne, 1135 Pryvee and apert, thanne wolde they nevere fyne 1136 To doon of gentillesse the faire office; 1137 They myghte do no vileynye or vice. 1138 Taak fyr, and ber it in the derkeste hous 1139 Bitwix this and the mount of kaukasous, 1140 And lat men shette the dores and go thenne; 1141 Yet wole the fyr as faire lye and brenne 1142 As twenty thousand men myghte it biholde; 1143 His office natureel ay wol it holde, 1144

1079-1144: Basically, the knight marries the hag and then goes into hiding because he's ashamed about how ugly his wife is. He's not happy when he gets into bed with her and he tosses and turns all night. She just lies there, smiling, and asks him if all husbands treat their wives this way. She reminds him she saved his life and has never wronged him. Why won’t he treat her right on the night of their wedding? The knight tells her that it’s because she’s ugly and old. The hag says she can fix that in three days if he treats her better. She then gives him a really long lecture about thinking that rich people are better than poor people. She calls him arrogant, saying that real men are the ones who do the right thing even when nobody is watching. Gentility comes from God, not money.

Notes: The hag spends so long telling off her husband for being a horrible gentleman that it’s a wonder she even wanted to marry him in the first place. If she knew he would treat her like this, why bother? Did she want his wealth or something?

There are connections between the tale's prologue and the tale itself. The tale illustrates how "necessary" it is for women to rule over their husbands. The Wyf of Bath herself has had five, so she’d know, right? She basically said in the prologue that she speaks from experience, so can we infer that one of her husbands said things like this to her and she fixed it by lecturing him?

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