The Wife of Bath's Tale: Big Lesson from Chaucer here I have to champion
**I wrote a longer version of this post here, but hit a button this (frustrating blog site) didnt like and all was erased...so, here's a somewhat shorter version:
I have to disagree with some posts re the sentence and clemency given the knight in the end. Chaucer here, as opposed to John Gower's 'Florent' tale, is generously giving us (mostly men) a larger lesson to ponder. He allows the rapist to be educated and subsequently redeemed not merely to give a criminal a year's vacation and in the end a hot wife and restored respect; this is a lesson to show us all, esp men, what can happen when women are given the "reigns", the power of decision-making, the sovereignty, to offer their wisdom of care in deciding what's best for society as a whole. Yes sovereignty in the home with their men, but this is a great day for women! Because what is highlighted here is women's skill and ability to render, patient, thoughtful, gracefully intelligent and carefully crafted JUDICIAL PRUDENCE! Rather than the often used "knee jerk" eye for an eye mentality men in power so often resort to. Guen and her "cohort, the Hag/Fairy Queen construct a "lesson" that gives society not only a better man who can teach other men that might not otherwise listen to a women's perspective--men teaching, modeling good behavior, is a better delivery because unfortunately too often men only listen to other men. Chaucer says, we need good men to mentor the other idiots!
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