The theme of the Wife of Bath's Tale is that to gain sovereignty means to give it up. I'm a little confused by this theory. How does her prologue and tale illustrate this point?
The Wife of Bath Gaining Sovereignty
The theme of the Wife of Bath's Tale is that to gain sovereignty means to give it up. I'm a little confused by this theory. How does her prologue and tale illustrate this point?
Well, as I see it, it's quite simple. At the time, sovereignty in marriage was held exclusively by men. Women had no rights whatsoever after they got married (they even lost their possessions at the hands of their husbands). Alice struggles to change this. She wants women to hold the baton. Wives should have power over husbands and make the decisions. She claims that women are more practical and better prepared, thus they will make better decisions, and the couple will be happier. Consequently, men would profit by giving up sovereignty. They wouldn't have power, but they would be better off.
Does this make any sense to you?
Regards,
Ale
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