English IV
Wife of Bath’s Tale
Name_________________________________
Wife of Bath’s Prologue
1. How many husbands has the Wife of Bath had? What is her attitude about these relationships? What double
standard about “appropriate” behavior for men and women is exposed in the first hundred lines of The Wife of
Bath’s prologue?
2. What is the Wife of Bath’s attitude about sex? What does she mean when she says that she’ll “wed where she
wishes”?
3. What makes films like Cameron Diaz’s “The Sweetest Thing” (2002) and Kristin Wiig’s “Bridesmaids” (2011) both
funny and unusual? Do you believe women actually think/talk/act this way? If you are a woman, do you actually
think/talk/act this way?
4. What does the Wife of Bath mean when she talks about her husband’s “paying their debt” to her? Do we typically
think of women expressing these kinds of thoughts? Why or why not?
5. What does the Wife of Bath mean when she says “a wise woman will always attempt to win love where she has
none”? Is this true? Why or why not?
6. What is the Wife of Bath’s proposal for how one should win arguments with their spouse and stay out of trouble? Do
you think this approach works? Why or why not?
7. What did husband number four do to the Wife of Bath that hurt her? How did she pay him back for this?
8. Why did the Wife of Bath love Jankin (husband number five) the best? How is this typical human behavior?
9. What things were unusual about the Wife of Bath’s relationship with Jankin? Think in terms of what made them
very different people and the way that they treated each other.
10. What kinds of misogynistic messages were contained in the books read by Jankins? Why do you think men would
read such books?
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
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What is the Knight’s crime in the Wife of Bath’s tale? What are the immediate consequences of this crime for him?
What are some of the things that the Knight is told women really want? Which of these things seem true to you?
What deal does the Knight make with the old woman when he finds her?
What does the old woman reveal that women really want? Is this true?
What is the Knights ultimate punishment for his crime? Is this justice for what he had done? Why or why not?