canterbury tales views on marriage
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Geoffrey Chaucer's perceptions of marriage
In Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" many different attitudes and perceptions of marriage are explored. Some of these ideas are very traditional, such as that discussed in the Franklin's Tale and the Clerk's tale. Others are more liberal such as the marriages portrayed in the Wife of Bath's Tale. While several of these tales are rather comical, they do indeed give the reader a representation of the attitudes toward marriage at that time in history. Marriage in Chaucer's time meant a sacred union between two people. The Canterbury Tales show many abuses of this sacred bond by both spouses which furtively assert Chaucer's viewpoint.
The Wife of Bath obviously has a rather carefree attitude toward marriage. The Wife speaks directly from her experience of marriage, while her tale is presented as a kind of model illustration of her theories. She has married, while young, three wealthy older husbands; her fourth husband, closer in age to herself, resisted all her attempts to dominate him. But her most bitter struggle has been with her fifth husband, though ultimately, she got the better of him...