The character of Alison, who tells the story of the Wife of Bath in the Canterbury Tales, is one of the most complex and outspoken narrators written by Geoffrey Chaucer. His confident and sarcastic remarks are especially controversial given the social norms of the time. She is clearly a strong, independent woman, and Chaucer seems to paint her to overemphasize these qualities, sometimes a little too much. Chaucer's portrayal of Alison in the prologue of The Wife of Bath seems to reveal more about men in society than women, illustrating how surprising it is for men to see a woman treat them as they have always treated women. reflection on society's views on marriage and virginity, and Chaucer uses his voice to question how a woman should fit into these roles - or if they should at all. Lines 106-113 provide a detailed look at Alison's views and attitude towards society, indicating Chaucer's true motives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayChaucer seems to separate Alison from God as much as possible, which is especially evident in this specific passage. The words “perfection” and “perfectly” are mentioned three times in these ten lines alone, and they are all related to God, linking Him as a perfect being. He claims that God is the source of perfection in this world and seems to keep his distance from this ideal. He parts ways with this narrative by frankly stating “gentlemen, with your leave, I am not that” (Chaucer 112). Alison appears unashamed of her lifestyle, and instead freely admits to living as she wishes, valuing her own happiness over that of her husband or anyone else. This passage says a lot about Chaucer and how he views women. If Alison doesn't follow social norms, she is seen as inferior in the eyes of Chaucer, and therefore inferior in the eyes of God. It really highlights the idea that God is a perfect standard and Alison doesn't measure up. Alison places a lot of emphasis on the concept of virginity and once again compares it to perfection. He says virginity is “great perfection, and continence also with devotion” (Chaucer 106-07), where he clearly recognizes the validity of virginity in the context of religious expression. Although she is a rather bold and outspoken narrator, she does not disrespect those who wish to save their virginity until marriage, but simply says that she is not one of those people. In an age characterized by strict religious rules in society, Chaucer is writing a bold character with Alison. Talking so openly about one's sexuality, especially outside the context of marriage, was quite taboo at that time. He reiterates this idea at the beginning of the prologue by saying: “The prize is established for virginity; Take whoever can, let's see who runs best” (Chaucer 75-76). Describing virginity as a “prize” highlights the flaws of giving too much weight to the loss of one's virginity. It feels more like a race to be first, rather than finding the right person for the right reasons. Having a bold and brazen woman like Alison bring up this topic would be especially inspiring for the reader. But her promiscuity does not revolutionize the role of women in this period. Instead, he ties his power directly to his sexuality, showing how little self-worth he feels outside of this. While Alison's sexual promiscuity and confidence may paint her as a feminist figure on the surface, Chaucer's overly dramatized portrayal seems to fuel the negative stereotype. of women in this period. Women were defined by their relationship with men, ratherthan by their personal results or their autonomy. The title of the prologue, The Wife of Bath, is a perfect example of this. Instead of titling it Alison, the narrator's name, Chaucer chose to refer to her as wife first. While Alison is depicted as an independent woman, she still finds her worth and value in relationships with men. He overemphasizes his sexuality because this is the root of his self-worth, stating that “I will bestow the flower of all my age in the deeds and fruit of marriage” (Chaucer 113-114). Going directly against feminist ideals, she believes her only value lies in her sexuality. The “flower of my age” refers to fertility, which decreases as a woman ages. He knows his time is running out to be desirable and he's taking advantage of it. “The Acts and Fruit of Marriage” is simply the one thing she thinks a marriage should be about: sex. He never refers to marriage in the context of love, but rather in lust. Alison also references the Bible several times in her argument, but seems to misinterpret the text and distort it in her favor. She states that God “did not command that everyone should go and sell all they had and give it to the poor, and thereby follow him and his footsteps” (Chaucer 108-10). She is fixated on the idea that you have to be perfect to do it, as the Bible states. This is a direct summary of a Bible verse in Matthew that says, “Jesus said to him, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell all your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me'" (Matthew 19:21). But in the Bible it is clear that humanity is nowhere near perfection, and instead the idea of ​​being "perfect" is simply being closer to God's desires for humanity. humanity, for example, might seek divine perfection by being selfless and generous. Alison seems to reject these ideals simply because she clings to the idea that her actions distance herself from God. As a satirist, this says more about Chaucer's motivations than does about the character of Alison herself. For someone as bold and outspoken as Alison, she seems to be quite ignorant about the Bible, even though Chaucer gave a voice to a woman, he gave her a rather uninformed and poorly thought out voice, playing with the idea that women are. is incapable of thinking critically or understanding complex concepts. It seems like Alison is simply masking her insecurities by looking for any kind of justification for her actions. This distorted sense of self is illustrated in the story he chooses to tell. The woman in the tale is completely undesirable and old, making it difficult for the knight to desire her for marriage, further illustrating Alison's idea that a woman's body is her most prized possession. The woman was “dirty, old, and poor” (Chaucer 1220), but she still had much to offer. The knight could not look beyond her poor appearance to realize this and resented the fact that he had been forced into marriage with her. The prologue provides a profile of Alison and helps the reader understand why she chose to tell the story she is telling. Chaucer seems to take a look at society's views on women and reversal of gender roles, just as he did in the prologue. The knight was so upset at the idea of ​​marrying someone he didn't want, but this was a reality for many women during that time. Marriage was seen as a way to gain money and status, not love. By describing a prologue that shows a courageous woman in control followed by a tale that puts a man in a vulnerable position, Chaucer is attempting traditional gender roles. The Wife of Bath's prologue in Canterbury Tales serves an important function21.