The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale Contents
- The Prologue: introductory comments
- Part one: l.1 'Experience' - l.76 'Cacche whoso may'
- Part two: l.77 'But this word' - l.134 'To purge uryne'
- Part three: l.135 'But if I seye noght' - l.162 ' Al this sentence'
- Part four: l.163 'Up sterte' - l.192 'For myn entente'
- Part five: l.193 'Now sires' - l.234 'Of hir assent'
- Part six: l.235 'Sire old kanyard' - l.307 'I wol hym noght'
- Part seven: l.308 'But tel me this' - l.378 'This know they'
- Part eight: l.379 'Lordinges, right thus' - l.452 'Now wol I speken'
- Part nine: l.453 'My forthe housebonde' - l.502 'He is now in the grave'
- Part ten: l.503 'Now of my fifthe housebond' - l.542 'Had told to me'
- Part eleven: l.543 'And so bifel' - l.584 'As wel of this'
- Part twelve: l.585 'But now, sire' - l.626 'How poore'
- Part thirteen: l.627 'What sholde I seye' - l.665 'I nolde noght'
- Part fourteen: l.666 'Now wol I seye' - l.710 'That women kan'
- Part fifteen: l.711 'But now to purpos' - l.771 'Somme han kem'
- Part sixteen: l.772 'He spak moore' - l.828 'Now wol I seye'
- Part seventeen: The after words l.829 'The frere lough' - l.856 'Yis dame, quod'
- The Wife of Bath's Tale: Introductory comments
- Part eighteen: l.857 'In the' olde days' - l.898 'To chese weither'
- Part nineteen: l.899 'The queen thanketh' - l.949 'But that tale is nat'
- Part twenty: l.952 'Pardee, we wommen' - l.1004 'These olde folk'
- Part twenty-one: l.1005 'My leve mooder' - l.1072 'And taketh his olde wyf'
- Part twenty-two: l.1073 'Now wolden som men' - l.1105 'Ye, certeinly'
- Part twenty-three: l.1106 'Now sire, quod she' - l.1176 'To lyven vertuously'
- Part twenty-four: l.1177 'And ther as ye' - l.1218 'I shal fulfille'he Holocaust and the creation of
- Part twenty-five: l.1219 'Chese now' - l.1264 'God sende hem'
- Reaction to the Wife's Tale
- Themes in The Wife of Bath's Tale
- The struggle for power in The Wife of Bath's Prologue
- The 'wo' that is in marriage
- The portrayal of gender in The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
- Desire and The Wife of Bath's Tale
- Is there justice in The Wife of Bath's Tale
- Social criticism in The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
- Marriage and sexuality in The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
- Mastery in The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
- Debate, dispute and resolution in The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
- Tale and teller in The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
The relationship between Church and society
Social involvement
The influence of the Church throughout medieval English society was enormous – it regulated almost every area of daily life. Many institutions and practices that are organised by secular, as well as religious, authorities today were entirely run by the Church:
- Schools and universities
- Hospitals
- Provision for the poor and old
- Many civic and social organisations in towns and villages.
This influence was frequently beneficial, seeking to promote care for others, but could also be abused, sometimes for personal gain, as in the case of the Pardoner.
Ideas shaped by the Church
One of the characteristics of the period was the dominance of the Church over every aspect of life and thought. The Church's teachings and practices profoundly affected the way in which medieval people saw the environment, human society, history, politics, morality and their own individual place in the world.
The significance of sermons
Though richer people might own prayer books, knowledge of the Christian faith came, above all, from preaching and teaching, week by week from parish priests. In the virtual absence of English versions of the Bible, it was in sermons that people learnt Bible stories, as well as aspects of Christian history such as saints' lives and the basic doctrines and moral principles of the faith.
The audience of The Wife of Bath's Tale would have been well informed about beliefs and religious structures, assumptions and practices. They would therefore have responded naturally to references which today may need explanation and footnotes.
The prevailing religious outlook in Chaucer's day
The religious outlook that medieval citizens took for granted differs in many of its emphases even from that of a devout and well-informed Christian today. People were extremely concerned with the fate of their soul after death. They took seriously the doctrine that everybody would be judged by God when they died. A Christian would be allocated a place in heaven, whereas a non-believer would end up in hell. Therefore there was great emphasis on the need for penitence over wrongdoing and forgiveness of sins. This would make it possible for a Christian soul to be in a fit state to receive God's grace and the hope of eternal life with God.
Other important elements in medieval Christian teaching and practice included:
- Virtuous living
- Avoiding sin
- Charity towards others.
However, their importance was still dwarfed by the efforts the Church made to try to ensure that everyone understood the importance of confessing their sins. Death, and thus judgement, were ever present realities in the medieval mind.
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