The Masculinity In The Wife Of Bath's Tale

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Fairy tales are what gives us imagination and a key to unlock a whole new magical world. It is what drives our creativity and our crazy thoughts in our minds, ever since we were little children getting stories read by our parents. The Wife of Bath basically manipulates her husbands into giving in to whatever she desires and more, making them feel powerless and ridding them of their masculinity. The Wife of Bath's tale features many of the Characteristics typically found in a fairy tale, but exudes her opinion, that a happy marriage is one in which the wife has complete power over her husband. One characteristic of a fairy tale is that they usually begin with a setting that takes place "long, long ago" or in a region "far, far away" land.…show more content…
After the knight gets the answer from the old crone, he presents it to the court as promised and is pardoned for speaking the correct answer which is "power over their husbands." Since the old crone was the one to give him the answer, he then has to do whatever she requests, which is to marry the disgustingly homely, elderly crone. Throughout their forced marriage, they always argued over big and the little things. Until one day, he was just tired of arguing and listening to her nagging about poverty that she gives him an ultimatum; you can either have me how I am now, old and ugly, yet be loyal and faithful, or you can have me young a beautiful, yet be unfaithful and full of deceit, it is your choice. After he thought long and hard about his decision, he then said "My lady, my love, my dearest wife, I leave the matter to your wise decision. You make the choice yourself, for the provision of what may be agreeable and rich in honor to us both, I do not care which; whatever pleases you, suffices me," written in lines 406-411 in the purple literature book. Thus, winning her complete power over him, transforming her from a hideous, ancient crone to a beautiful, youthful woman, making their marriage a happy marriage. So he learned that all he had to do was simply give all the control to his wife and let her make all the decisions and he just listen to them, and behold a perfect, delighted marriage would be born upon
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