Chaucer's The Wife Of Bath

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 passed hem of Ypres and of Gaunt, In al the parissh wif ne …

…her purpose. She doesn't see anything immoral about having five husbands because she is able to reinforce this belief with examples from the Bible. Therefore, in her eyes her beliefs and actions should be acceptable because they could be justified. Chaucer's characterization of her physical traits soon effects the sincereness of her religious dedication. She is not necessarily a bad person, but ahead of her time as a women and set in her own beliefs.