Chaucer's Canterbury Tales have been narrated in almost similar cultural times where a man was a symbol of authority whiles a woman a subject to a man. Amidst such cultural restrictions, there are women who showed extraordinary characters and managed to overcome the challenges that came with a male dominated society. Feminism has been described differently in the tales yet what mattered I show they responded to the challenges that they faced. There are those who ultimately became victims yet there are also those who used their feminism to win the hearts of men around them and hence gaining favour. In this paper, we shall focus on how different women have been presented in the tales and the significance of their character in the novel.
In the wife of bath, a woman has been presented to be vulnarabe and at the same time influential. The vulnerability of a woman not only expose her to danger but also commands sympathy from the very men that defile them. For instance, when the Knight commits the offence of rape, he is subject to death unless he successfully carries out the assignment. The kin through the influence of his wife released the pardon. This is a strategy that the king’s wife used just to let the king know what women require the most. As the knight spends the whole year looking for a specific answer, he is met by different responses that almost confuse him until when he encounters an old man.
We realise from the story that of all the things that women desire, there is a great cry for them to control their husbands. This is contrary to the society in which they live in where a man has the final say (Chaucer 72). A woman is represented to be the submissive subject who needs to be protected and provided for by the woman. Women in Canterbury Tales have been brought to the level where they have to rely on a man for provision, support and protection. They are not allowed to make any decisions and have to agree to any that is made on their behalf by their men. However, through their little influences, they are able to twist some of the decisions that man make on their behalf. The queen managers to influence the decisions of the kind and even demand conditions on how the assignment should be done. This hence defiles the feminist nature required where a woman has to simply agree on what her man says.
Virginity has also been presented to be a precious commodity for a woman who will not just want to lose it. This has been revealed in the story of Emily as well as The Second Nun's Tale. Even though Emily is surrounded by three young man, if given a chance, she would not want to be married and dimply maintain her virginity. Her quest is so vital that she decides to seek divine intervention on the same. However, the fact that her request was denied reveals that the position of a woman in such a society was not to remain single but have the protection of a man. However, contrary to the requirements of the society where the decision on whom to marry lies with a male figure, Emily is in a position to influence the kind of man that he would be married to.
This story reveals two scenarios where Emily has no choice on her decision to get married yet she can have a say on the kind of man that she would be married to. She is not rushed into marriage by the men around her but in fact seduced to make a choice of whom she wanted. Virginity is used to represent purity and dignity of a woman. It is always the desire of every woman to mature up into an adult and ultimately have the privilege to determine when and with whom to give her virginity. It is hence disgusting when a woman is made to give out her virginity forcefully and to a person that she does not like. However, women at times have to face such challenges just like the woman who was raped by the Knight.
The Second Nun's Tale takes us through a religious perspective of a woman who has devoted herself to the service of God. Contrary to what most culture commands, a woman is supposed to be under the care of a physical man and not any spiritual being. Even though women needed to pay allegiance to a spiritual being, this did not make them escape from the marital responsibilities at hand. There were however some religions where a woman could choose to serve God and not be subject to any man. This is a tale of a young virgin who dared his husband to touch her and subsequently face the punishment of her angel. This does not drive the man away but curiously dares her to show him the angel.
This is a technique that is yet used by a woman to draw a man closer to God. It is quite interesting to note that a woman understands the greatest need of a man which is dominance and sex (Jordan, James & Mary 42). The fact that a man is not afraid of challenges as long as they earn them what they want. The young man in The Second Nun's Tale was so much determined to touch the woman that she was not afraid of meeting the angel. This ultimately changes the life of a man who even though does not get the exact thing that he wanted from the man, but he gains intimacy with God. This was not enough for the woman who knew that the man would still come back with his selfish demands. She counters this by transforming other people through him and at the same time ensuring that he died before accomplishing his mission.
Women in Canterbury Tales are hence strong objects of change. It appears as if life has taught them to outlive their weaknesses and find clever ways of escaping the dominance that men subject them to. The wife of Beth, the second nun’s tale and Emily’s stories are perfect examples of women who mastered their weaknesses and used them to deliver themselves from a cruel society (Chaucer 54). This has a significance in societies that are mostly recognized as male dominated. In most cases, the male is simply theoretically dominant to a woman, yet a woman silently and uses her sexuality to influence every decision that a man makes. It is simply a matter of bringing a man to that level where he can listen to you. Probably, the biggest responsibility that a woman has towards a man is to ensure that they are at that point where they can speak to them and make them understand. Once such a goal is achieved, it is easier to influence their decisions.
A woman may have been culturally denied a voice and capacity to speak and lead, yet she was given the skill to tame a woman. It is rather obvious from the story that men simply behave how they behave because they have women in their lives. The case would have been different if there were completely no women in the society. This implies that the respects and dominance that they claim to have simply come from the women in their lives. It will therefore only require women to give them what they supposedly want and they will dance to their tune (Chaucer 88). From the tales, it is rather obvious that it is only a foolish woman who fails to recognize and master her weakness and is unable to tame her man that will ultimately suffer.
Despite the challenges that they face, women can always make the best out of their lives and influence positive change. They however simply need to know how to address the issues that men bring their way. Realising that they love to dominate through challenges, giving them such challenges will ultimately help them win their way through life. After all is said and done, a man will ultimately be subjected to a woman just as much as a woman subjects herself to a man.
Works cited
Chaucer, Geoffrey, Katherine Davies, and Tom L. Burton. The second nun's tale. Chaucer Studio, 2003.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The canterbury tales. Broadview Press, 2008.
Jordan, Robert M., James I. Wimsatt, and Mary Carruthers. "The Wife of Bath." Publications of the Modern Language Association of America (1979): 950-953.
