Warm-up 10/01 Respond to the questions: Do you think two people are destined for each other? Or do you people choose the person they love? Why/why not? Could a happily married person have gone back and married someone else and be equally happy? Why/why not? What ultimately brings people happiness? Explain.

Choice: The Ultimate Happiness Wife of Bath Choice: The Ultimate Happiness

Opening Lines "Experience, though no authority/ Were in this world, would be enough for me/ To speak of woe that married life affords.” Why are these lines radical? Her authority is above all else; not only is her authority above all else she makes the claim that choosing and creating your own life, and how you want it to be, despite what kind of life it is, that’s what will bring you happiness; CHOICE is the ultimate happiness; she is a gross character who has been through a lot but she is HAPPY because she has CHOSEN the life she wants; this flies in the face of medieval thinking significantly; this is a world where women have NO choice (woman has to give all her possessions away right when she marries, so the wife of bath is saying that learning how to dominate your man is crucial and look out for yourself); then you will be happy

Opposite World Marriage is misery Women have power Knights aren’t chivalrous No authority but one’s own Experience is authority Religious figures are unsafe Moral life doesn’t bring happiness Following your own way brings happiness

-skilled in making cloth -constantly the center of attention OBJECT (The tale and WOB character is a warning against letting women have power.) INSTRUMENT (The tale is showing that the fear of what might happen when women have power is irrational.) Wife as Superficial -Somewhat deaf -skilled in making cloth -constantly the center of attention -No one ever dared upstage her -her hose were red (a very suggestively passionate color) -her garters were tight -her shoes new -face is also described as bold and handsome, if tinged slightly red -traveled to exotic places -married five times (with other youth in between) Wife as Foolish -does not take the church fathers seriously; dismisses their arguments -thinks experience is more important than book knowledge Wife as Moral -first to the offering in church -3 religious pilgrimages -wise through her experience -faithful to her husbands, always -sociable and enjoyable Wife as Wise -has a lot of experience to teach from -puts holes in the arguments of the major thinkers of the day (i.e. the church fathers)