The Preamble and Tale of the Wife of Bath by Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer was a medieval English poet who is often regarded as the father of English literature. He wrote “The Canterbury Tales,” a collection of stories told by pilgrims on a journey to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. One of the most famous tales in the collection is “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” which is preceded by a prologue or “preamble” that introduces the character of the Wife of Bath and her views on love and marriage.

In the preamble, the Wife of Bath presents herself as a worldly and experienced woman who has been married five times and has had numerous other relationships. She argues that women should have control over their bodies and their sexuality, and that marriage should be based on mutual love and respect rather than dominance by either partner. She also criticizes the views of the medieval church regarding the sinfulness of sex and the inferiority of women.

The tale that follows the preamble is a story about a knight who is punished for raping a young woman by being sent on a quest to discover what women most desire. Through his journey, the knight learns that women desire sovereignty over their husbands and that love and respect should be mutual in marriage.

Both the preamble and the tale are notable for their frank and often humorous portrayal of female sexuality and the complexities of love and marriage. They offer a window into the social and cultural attitudes of medieval England and continue to be widely studied and admired by scholars and readers alike.