The Canterbury Tales: "The Wife of Bath" has been called a misogynist story.  Do you agree with this opinion?  Why or why not?

The prologue portrays the wife of bath as a gold digger, but does not generalize this view.  It also shows how she used her 3 "good" husbands and how she deceived men in general with the help of other women.  She also goes on a tirade describing how to berate a man.  She chides men for chiding women.  The prologue also shows the wife of bath's view of men, in both a good and a bad light.  It shows how she loves to talk about herself and prefers to be the center of attention in any group.

The queen in the tale is portrayed in a fair light, even though some would perceive her question to be a trick question.  During the story, she comments that no woman can keep a secret.  This is the first example of generalized misogyny.  She then relates the tale of Midas and his wife, who could not keep a secret.  The second example of misogyny is women's desire to control their husbands, but men desire to control their wives as well, though this is ignored in the tale or assumed to be true.

This tale takes different meanings depending on the context with which it is read.  Taken in the context of the current time, the wife of bath is a strong feminist.  She does what is necessary to get what she wants.  Taken in the context of time long since past, Chaucer could be taken as a misogynist relating a tale that gives reason for hatred of women in general.