In "The Wife of Bath's Prologue" from The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer addresses

the themes of textuality and gender violence through the voice of the Wife of Bath, a bold
and outspoken woman who challenges societal norms surrounding gender roles, marriage,
and sexuality. The prologue provides a rich exploration of the interplay between gender,
power, and violence in medieval society, while also highlighting the ways in which literary
texts both reflect and challenge cultural ideas about women.

1. Textuality and Authority

The Wife of Bath's prologue is a complex exploration of textuality—how texts (especially

Challenging Patriarchal Texts

The Wife of Bath is acutely aware of the gendered nature of authoritative texts. She
frequently references the Bible, especially passages that have been historically used to
control women's bodies and behavior. For instance, she directly confronts St. Paul’s writings
about marriage, particularly his claim that it is better to remain celibate than marry (1
Corinthians 7:7), and twists his argument to justify her own actions and beliefs about
marriage. She argues that the Bible does not explicitly forbid polygamy and uses her multiple
marriages as evidence of her legitimate authority over her own body and choices. Through
her subversion of male-authored texts, the Wife of Bath demonstrates the malleability of
textual authority and the ways in which gendered texts can be reinterpreted by women.

Personal Text as Counter-Narrative

In a sense, the Wife of Bath constructs her own "text"—her personal narrative—as a
counterpoint to the dominant patriarchal narrative. By writing her own story and using her
personal experience to challenge patriarchal authority, she creates a new textuality in which
women can claim authority over their own bodies and relationships. Her use of her personal
history as a rhetorical tool allows her to assert herself as an autonomous subject, resisting
the submissive role that women are often expected to take in both religious texts and social
structures. In this way, the Wife of Bath both constructs and deconstructs the textual
authority that traditionally subjugated women.

2. Gender Violence and Power Dynamics

The prologue also provides a clear portrayal of the gendered power structures that govern
relationships in the medieval world, including the ways in which violence (both physical and
emotional) plays a role in gendered dynamics. The Wife of Bath is forthright about her sexual
and marital experiences, revealing that she has wielded power in her relationships—often
through manipulation, emotional control, and sexual leverage.
The Violence of Marriage

The Wife of Bath acknowledges that marriage, as it was traditionally conceived in medieval
society, often involves an inherent imbalance of power, in which men dominate and women
are expected to submit. She describes her first three marriages as a way of gaining material
wealth and power, noting that she used her sexuality to manipulate her husbands and get
what she wanted. However, she also openly admits that her marriages were not without
violence. She recounts how her first three husbands were "good men" but ultimately
submissive to her desires, while her fourth husband, who is described as cruel and abusive,
brings to light a different kind of violence: emotional and psychological abuse. His cruel
treatment of her leads her to plot ways to dominate him emotionally, which involves
controlling his behavior through manipulation, coercion, and strategic acts of defiance.

The Conflict of Power

Despite her admission of the ways in which she has used her sexuality as a tool of power,
the Wife of Bath also exposes the vulnerability women experience within the institution of
marriage. The experience of violence, whether physical or emotional, is central to her
understanding of power dynamics between men and women. The Wife’s use of the word
“maistrie” (mastery or dominance) throughout the prologue underscores the idea that women
can only truly find happiness in marriage if they gain control over their husbands. Her belief
in mutual mastery in marriage leads her to see marriage as a battleground for power, where
violence—whether subtle, emotional, or overt—is one tool used to assert control.

Her fifth husband, Jankyn, exemplifies the violent dynamics at play in marriage. He is both
cruel and manipulative, using his authority as a husband to control the Wife of Bath’s
actions. However, she eventually gains the upper hand by seizing control over the marital
relationship, marking a shift from her previous passive acceptance of male authority to an
active assertion of power through sexual and emotional leverage. By reclaiming her agency,
the Wife of Bath reveals that violence is not merely an expression of male dominance, but
also a response to the patriarchal structures that define women as subjects to be dominated.

3. Sexuality as Power and Resistance

The Wife of Bath is keenly aware of the intersection between gender, sexuality, and power.
She uses her sexual experiences to assert dominance over her husbands, turning a
potential source of submission into a tool for control. She has often used her sexual power to
manipulate her husbands, maintaining control over their wealth, actions, and behavior.
However, while the prologue may present the Wife as a manipulator, it also subtly critiques
the gendered violence embedded within the institution of marriage and the ways that
women’s sexuality is constrained by societal expectations.

Sexuality as a Counter-Narrative

For the Wife of Bath, sexuality becomes a counter-narrative to the dominant patriarchal
structures that aim to repress and control women. She flaunts her sexuality openly and
without shame, using it as a form of resistance to the chastity ideals promoted by the church.
By rejecting the common perception that women’s sexual desires are inherently sinful or
subordinate to male control, she challenges the broader societal construction of women as
passive, chaste, and obedient. Instead, her sexuality is framed as a tool for asserting her
power and agency, making her an unconventional and provocative figure in the context of
medieval gender relations.

4. Conclusion: Textuality, Gender, and Violence

In "The Wife of Bath’s Prologue," Chaucer portrays the intersections of textuality and gender
violence, emphasizing the ways in which women can both engage with and subvert
patriarchal texts to assert authority over their bodies and lives. Through her manipulation of
religious and social narratives, the Wife of Bath reveals the violent structures that govern
gender relationships, both within the context of marriage and society at large. While the Wife
of Bath uses manipulation and power dynamics to navigate these structures, her narrative
also highlights the inherent violence in the unequal relationships between men and women,
challenging the reader to question the power relations embedded in marriage, sexuality, and
authority. Ultimately, Chaucer’s portrayal of the Wife of Bath serves as a critique of the
patriarchal systems that enforce gender violence, while also presenting a woman who
actively resists and redefines her role in these structures.