The Black Widow's Act

As the Wife of Bath told her story, two word came to mind: black widow. The image the character of the Wife tries to give, is that of an independent, powerful and strong-minded woman but all I see is a greedy, manipulative and emotionally anesthetized hag. She obviously doesn't marry for emotional purposes (although so far into the book no marriage has been for the right reasons) but for money, self-assurance and control.

She brags about her rebelliousness regarding her virginity, that even though everybody else seems to think of it is a crucial matter, she doesn't give it any importance. The woman was definitely ahead of her time.

And for all men who complain that women are complicated I found it surprising how wise and eloquent the Wife is at summing it up for you fools: "We women have, if I shall not lie, in this matter a curious fantasy: note that whatever thing we may not easily have, we will cry all day and crave for it." (515-519). Amen.

I honestly don't know what to think of her, I believe she's a bluffer but at the same time she does demonstrate that her life experiences have brought her a lot of wisdom. Reading back on this blog I realized I was all over the place and didn't really establish an argument... which I usually do. But not this time.