Marriage and the Role of Women in the Wife of Bath's Prologue The Canterbury Tales, begun in 1387 by Geoffrey Chaucer, are written in heroic couplets iambic pentameters and consist of a series of twenty-four linked tales told by a group of superbly characterized pilgrims ranging from knight to plowman. The characters meet at an inn, in London, before traveling to the shrine of St Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The Wife of Bath is one such character. He bases both his story and his prologue on marriage and adds humor and intrigue to the tales, as he is lively and very often speaks crudely. Her role as the dominant woman contrasts markedly with others in the tales, as the formal and proper prioress represents the argument for virginity, while the wife supports the state of marriage. Women were very much perceived as second-class citizens in the 14th century, were rarely educated and had little status in society. In contrast, the two female characters in the book come from areas of society where it was possible for women to have influence, probably since these characters would be of greater interest to its readers. The prioress was undoubtedly the most powerful person in the convent, and the Wife's position as a weaver would have earned her respect and power, although it is implied that she achieved this through other means. Through his wife Chaucer shows how women achieved authority through marriage, using the humor typical of modern mother-in-law comedy. His ironic approach shows how the Wife controls her husbands, terrorizing them so that each was "fully happy" when she "spoke to hem faire". The reason for the Wife's cruel treatment after marriage was that she no longer needed to "win her love, or do... middle of paper... ant in the modern church. The aspects of marriage depicted in the prologue of The Wife of Bath is heavily focused on sexual pleasure and wealth. Her description shows that the struggle for power causes conflict, casual violence and abuse as she justifies her lifestyle and fights for female equality despite no fidelity, love. or trust as deception and affairs that seem to be the order of the day The Wife of Bath's description of married life is very comical, which she seems to appreciate especially if it achieves fulfillment at best an entertaining battleground for independence, wealth, and the pleasures of the flesh Works Cited: Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: The Norton Anthology: English Sixth Edition, Vol, 1993.