Part one of term paper
In the varied group of pilgrims assembled by Chaucer, the Wife of Bath most simply represents a woman of the time. Unlike the Prioress and her nun companion, who are the only other women on the pilgrimage and who represent other things, her sole purpose is to just be a woman. Chaucer says of her, "Of cloth-making hadde swich an haunt, She p ...

Part two of term paper
... at her most eloquent and her most basic (Jones, pp. 1). The Wife of Bath is essentially a conformist and though her behavior at times may seem out of hand, her needs are really quite normal. Put simply, she likes men and does not like sleeping alone. She tries hard to fulfill these needs but as far as Chaucer tells she had remained faithful to each of her five former husbands when they were alive. She flirts and is familiar with men but she nowhere does she actually advocate sex outside marriage ...