Analytical Experiment: Draft One/Outline

Emma Pacheco

Professor Flack

English 6

26 November 2012

Rough Draft#1

Power that Women Hold in The Duchess of Malfi

Intro: During the Seventeenth century women were seen as inferior to men and usually had extreme restrictions on what they could or could not. Yet, because of works such as Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath” allowed an opportunity to criticize the realities that women had to face and allowed more control in their lives. Although the shift was small, there were more authors that began to show the realities of gender relationships and women’s very complex roles that started to develop some type of empowerment; however, females had to work harder to maintain control over their lives. As demonstrated in John Webster’s, The Duchess of Malfi, the protagonist struggles against her violent and possessive brothers and tries to display control over her own life in a more passive manner. Although people can display power in different ways, there was a difference in the way that men and women were able to attain power based on the expectations of their gender.  For instance, women in a patriarch society were expected to be submissive and were not allowed to speak their minds. However, the women in The Duchess of Malfi, illustrate different ways power is explored whether it was through their own will or through lustful passive or active, which opened up a new way on how women are viewed not only in drama but also in society.

Paragraph 1: Duchess and her display of power and how she maintains it through her strong will and rebelling against her brothers. Deviating against the norm by deciding her own marriage and concealing it.

The story deals with the Duchess being subjugated by her brothers who seemed to restrict her to marry after becoming a widow.  However there are themes of social and sexual mobility as discussed in Fred Wigham’s article “Sexual and Social Mobility in The Duchess of Malfi” that “Upon [the Duchess’] husband's death she entered a new realm of freedom from male domination, the only such realm open to Jacobean women, and it is this transformation that directly enables her outlaw marriage” (171). Since she became widowed so young, she expressed her marital freedom to marry again, but the second time was out of love. She gains more confidence and can explore different reasons to love and choose to marry out of her class. Even though she claims that she will never marry, her brother the Cardinal exclaims “So most widows say; / But commonly that motion lasts no longer / Then the turning of the hourglass”(1.3.12-14). Basically, acknowledging that women staying widows and maintaining what was seen as a respectable image was a disappearing norm. keeping their reputation has completely changed and they realize. This addresses

-Paragraph 2: Julia’s character and the difference in display of power through sexual means but it still deviates from the norm during this time period.

However, that is not the only way that power is demonstrated in the Duchess of Malfi such as the mistress of the Cardinal, Julia. Through her licentious nature she tries to rise up by being married to As explained in Fred Wigham’s article ““Self-giving will of another sort, practiced by Julia, deflects the judgmental charge of lasciviousness away from the duchess” (172).  Illustrating a different type of power to have control on the men they have. Julia seems to be the opposites because she uses her sex as a way of gaining only remains loyal to one man after he agrees to marry her.

Paragraph 3: Cariola also deviates from the norm and goes against the role of a caretaker by following the role of being obedient servant but instead does it at “self-giving” doing out of her own will

            In addition to Julia displaying power, one must not forget the Duchess’s caretaker Cariola who also deviates away from the norm of obeying every word she attests to female self-direction the Duchess’ secret marriage and assisting the Duchess in her own decisions for a life of self-control.

Paragraph 4: Having a mind of their own but using their social class power to do what they want.
Paragraph 5: Men’s easier ability to raise in social class such as Antonio  rise. Cardinal’s and Ferdinand’s tyranny.

Conclusion:

Overall all these women display different forms of control either over their lives and decisions but it is a great deviation from the norm during the Jacobean era. Even each of them tried to maintain their own power, but this greatly revolutionized a new way of thinking in terms of…

Paradise Lost Book 7 Group Presentation

Emma Pacheco and Brenda Lopez
Professor Flack
English 6

      
Book 7 and Summary of Fredson Bowers "Adam, Eve and the Fall in "Paradise Lost"

Characters:

• Urania- Muse of Astronomy used to describe "heavenly" theme of the story.

• Raphael- is the messenger and was invited to eat with Adam and Eve but he was also there to describe the creation of the world.

• Adam - Asking questions on how man and the world was created.

• The Son- Messenger and actually is the human extension of God who is given the task of creating the world in six days. The Son basically shapes the world. (Change up from the biblical story of Genesis)

• God- Commands The Son on how to create the world.

Paradise Lost Book 7 Summary

·         In the beginning, John Milton makes another reference to a Greek mythologist named Urania.  The narrator uses her in order to have her help him return to heaven.

·         The narrator, Milton, is asking Urania to protect him even though he knows that they are both surrounded by evil. He mainly asked his muse to protect him from being killed like Orpheus (the "Thracian bard"), who was torn to pieces.  Similar to the song, Milton “fears that a similar “barbarous dissonance” unleashed by the Restoration will drown out his voice and threaten his life” (Footnote 7). The importance of this is that Milton, although extremely republican, he admits his fear of being afraid of the change that will possibly impact his opinion about religion.

·         Milton also references Beelerophon, angered the gods and he fell due to Zeus’s orders where he “wandered alone and blind until his death”(7.18 also see footnote 4)

·         Raphael, whom I now think is the narrator tells Adam and Eve all of this, but they want to know more about how earth was created, why God created it and more history about it because curiosity influences him to know. Adam “led on, yet sinless, with desire to know / what nearer might concern him” (7. 61-62). Adam’s interest shows his innocence because he wanted to know every aspect to human and earth life, but of course once he learned more, his interest lead to his so called sinful action.

·         So basically Raphael tells Adam that God knows of Satan’s fall and plan so he will have his Son create another universe.

·         Interestingly, Adam’s “question about God’s actions before the Creation was often cited as an example of presumptuous and dangerous speculation, especially when, as here, it implies mutability in God. But in Milton’s Eden, error that is not deliberate is not sinful” (Footnote 9 pg2065). Raphael goes on to tell Adam what Jesus constructed and on what days.

·         All of which is referenced in the bible in the book of Genesis, but the differences are keen to show Milton’s connection with nature and Greek mythology:

• First day: God divides night and day, “Again th’ Almighty spake: ‘Let there be light / High in th’ expanse of heaven to divide / the day from night” (7.339-341).
•  Second day: he creates the "firmament,"(which is like the atmosphere that acts as a buffer between the waters on the surface of the earth and the heavens).
• Third day:creates dry land; mountains emerge as various forms of water (streams, etc.) make their way to the sea. God names the huge bodies of water "seas" and orders that grass, trees, and vegetation come forth.
• Fourth day: he creates the sun, moon, and stars to make the divisions between night, day, and the seasons clear.
• Fifth day: he creates reptiles, birds, and whales; the animals multiply by reproducing offspring.
• Sixth day: He creates the "beasts" of the earth, such as cattle, lions, tigers, and others. Seventh Day: Jesus rests and blesses the seventh day as holy.

• In Milton’s version of the seven days, he has Raphael, the “affable Archangel” explain it to Adam and Eve,  while in the bible God is the one who talks about the seven days of creation. The reason Milton used Raphael to explain the creation of the seven days is to make him more relatable to people.
• Also, in Milton’s version, he seems to have had Jesus, God’s son, create everything, but God received the credit, while in the Book of Genesis, God was the one to create everything.
• Interestingly, in Milton’s version, Jesus speaks for God because he was not there at that moment. With this, Milton exemplifies God’s hierarchal status quo as he has his son speak for him, while in the bible, God speaks for himself.
• Something else that is noteworthy is the fact that Besides the fundamental order of the days and what was made in each day, I noticed that Milton references the earth as a female, “her universal face with pleasant green, / […] her blossom smelling sweet” (7.316- 319).
• The fact that he does that connects his ideas of the Greeks. 

Book 7: Quote Analysis

1.) “This  garden, planted with the trees of God, / Delectable both to behold and taste; And freely all their pleasant fruit or food / […] but of the tree / Which tasted works knowledge of good and evil, / Thou may’st not; in the day thou eat’st, thou di’st; / Death is the penalty imposed, beware” (7.538-545). ***

-Here God warns Adam and Eve about the forbidden fruit and be says they have all this food to eat, but they cannot eat fruit from that tree because if they do then they will be punished; this threat brings up the idea of free will, and whether it existed for Adam and Eve and whether it exists for humankind. I would say that it can exist as long as one does not allow religion to influence one’s freedom because one can be as free as one can be.

2). "The earth was formed, but in the womb as yet / Of waters, embryon immature involved / Appeared not: over all the face of earth" (7. 276-78). ***

-This quote also connects with Greek myth characters, Gaea(earth), and Uranus(ruler of heaven and sky) and how they had sexual relations. Also, how the earth is viewed as something where new life can be born.

3). “Thou with eternal Wisdom  didst converse, / Wisdom thy sister, and with her didst play". - According  to the footnote, Milton “describes “eternal Wisdom” as a daughter of  God (personification of his wisdom) and devises a myth in which the Muse  of divine poetry […] originating from God (7. 9-10).  

-According to the footnote, Milton “describes “eternal Wisdom” as a daughter of God (personification of his wisdom) and devises a myth in which the Muse of divine poetry […] originating from God (7. 9-10). To an extent, this can be seen as sexism where the stem of God is wisdom, but also contradictive because women where personified with passion rather than intellect.

4). "Fermented the great mother to conceive / Satiate with genial moisture" (7. 281-82).

By describing the mother Earth in such a sensual manner, Milton draws parallels to the pagan beliefs, such as Gaea (Mother Earth) and how she is the embodiment of fertility she is the mother of all creation. Using this description not only gives us the description of the "firmament of the waters," but also the expectation her duty to be fruitful and uphold her purpose in the universe.

5.) "In Chaos, and the work begun, how soon / Absolved, if unforbid thou may'st unfold / What we, not to explore the secrets ask / Of his eternal empire, but the more / To magnify his works, the more we know" (7.93-97)

-This parallels the way that pagan beliefs of the creation occurred. For instance in Greek mythology, Earth was bred out of Chaos which was very similar to the way that God created the earth which was out the Chaos that was below the Heavens. Therefore, this shows the relation between the old pagan beliefs and new Christian ideologies.

6.) "That earth now seemed like Heav'n, a seat where gods might dwell, / Or wander with delight, and love to haunt / Her sacred shades" (7.328-331).

-The main point of this quote is to show how heaven may seem perfect, but it is only as perfect as God wants it to be, and since there are no temptations for the Gods in heaven, then they dwell in their so called free will”.

7.) During the sixth day and the creation of Adam and Eve "When God said, / 'Let th' earth bring forth soul living in her kind, / [...] / The earth obeyed, and straight / Op'ning her fertile womb teemed at a birth / Innumerous living creatures" (7.450-455).

-The theme of obedience and reproduction in most cases is used with the detailed description of the Earth as the fertile being that gives birth to all the living creatures on earth. In addition, Mother Earth is parallel to Eve by also having to show her submissiveness by obeying the word of God and following the rules to her purpose.

8.) "'Let us make now man in our image, man / In our similtude, and let them rule / [...] / and over all the earth, / And every creeping thing that creeps the ground'" (7.519-523).

-The significance of this quote is that it shows how God wanted mankind to be, which is like him, but the irony is that one cannot be as perfect as God because he pre destines ones fate.

9.) "thee that day / Thy thunders magnified; but to create / Is greater than created to destroy"(7.606-607).

-In other words, this quote exemplifies the nature aspect of God’s creation, but also shows how it is better to create something than to destroy.

10.) Who seeks / To lessen thee, against his purpose serves / To manifest the more thy might his evil / Thou usest, and from thence creat'st more good" (7.613-616).

-The importance of this is that one cannot change what ones purpose is because God has already decided what will happen. Also, in the attempt to do something evil, good will come from it because it is all a part of God’s plan. 

Critical Article: Fredson Bowers "Adam, Eve and the Fall in "Paradise Lost"

Article summary: 

• Fredson Bowers analyzes John Milton's description of the fall and how is made believable by using detailed description of the fall of Satan, Adam, and Eve

•  He explores the question "What cause led Adam and Eve to the Fall?" which he describes that is more than just Satan, but that the Fall could have been predestined by God based his decision and their lack of free will (264). 

• Bowers explores the difference in gender roles of the perfect marriage by showing that Eve is the epitome of "passion," while Adam is supposed to be the act of "reason" and is seen as the superior one in the relationship (Bowers 265).

• He goes on to analyze the influences of the old myth of creation based on the Gods and the universe by stating that "creation of mankind as perfect globes or spheres, which were split apart to form man and woman" (Bowers 265).Basically they both need each other in order to survive and one has to be the "Giver and receiver, receiver and giver, male and female, join to form the circle of perfection in obedience to universal laws, neither complete in itself but together forming a unified whole" (Bowers 265).  This shows the parallels between the Greek myths towards the Christians view that Milton seems to be greatly influenced by. 

• Bower describes Milton's description of the fall and the pride that Eve has as she awoke from her slumber.

• Describing the concern that Adam has of Eve's dreams begins to foreshadow the independence that Eve is growing as well as her distance to Adam's control. As Adam begins to question his purpose and his own creation in the Garden of Eden he begins to lose sight of his responsibility that was bestowed up him which was being Eve's guide in the garden. Bower illustrates the difference of their purpose and their own creation set up a hierarchical chain which sees the woman below the man.

• As Adam begins to describe Eve's beauty to Raphael, feeding into her vanity; Raphael began to warn Adam of the dangers of pride/vanity: "She will not respect his values if he himself does not respect them. If he will not lead, she cannot follow" (Bowers 266).  Basically there is this expectation that the woman is inferior and if the man is not strong enough hold onto his values, they cannot expect for the woman to stay under his control.

• Bower puts emphasis on the seven deadly sins; however, Pride was seen as the worst one and if someone gave in to pride "all the other sins would inevitably follow" (267). Unfortunately, since Eve gave in to her pride because of the persuasive words of Satan during her dreams she eventually was tempted to eat from the Tree of Knowledge.

• Adam has a misconception of their "perfect creation" thinking they are invincible to evil and Bower analyzes the reason for Raphael's visit to "warn Adam that though he is created perfect, he was not created immutable" (268). Basically showing that we still have our flaws even though we are born as the perfect being, but as we learn about the world and there is a freedom of choice then we will never always remain perfect because by influence we have the opportunity to change. This opens Adam's mind to the possibility of falling because just as Satan was created perfect and was able to fall from paradise, so can they.

• Eve eventually realizes the structure of their relationship as she listens more to Satan and Adam gets scolded by Christ and the Archangel. Bower points out that after their communication was affected and "the moment after [Adam]  demands her obedience he proceeds to make Eve a free agent and reverses their hierarchical order by allowing her to make the crucial decision on which the fate of mankind is to depend on" (270). By not following reason and making the decision for herself whether she was considered to have the "pants” in the relationship
• Overall, Bower analyzes both characters contribution to the Fall, but mostly puts the majority of the blame on Adam by stating that "Adam is more guilty than Eve because he fails in his divinely appointed task as her protector, head, and guide. Under the stress of personal emotion [...] he turns his back on what he knows to be right judgment" (273). Although Milton's Adam wasn't the Satan's object to deceive like Eve was, however he fails as her protector which led to the seduction or temptation of Satan leading to the Fall. Adam not being able to keep her in line and being overcome by her beauty and passion made him fall from his line of superiority, taking them out of their paradise. 

Important Quotes:

1). "But, significantly, she is in the shade, not in the broad and truth-revealing sunlight" (Bowers 266).

-In my opinion, the reason why Eve wakes up in the darkness is because her purpose is not as great as Adam, which could be seen as foreshadowing since she is the one that "rebels". In other words, her actions were predestined by God; one that is born into darkness will resume/ continue to walk down a dark path metaphorically speaking.

2). "When Adam protests that an imbalance has taken place in their creation by which her beauty has been made too powerful in its effect on his intellect" (Bowers 266).

-Adam feeds into Eve's pride/vanity by protesting that he cannot think clearly enough and listen to reason because Eve is to pretty and that affects his judgment. Exploring the idea that Adam was not able to maintain control of his actions, and indirectly puts blame on God for making her to beautiful for his own well-being.

3.)"Man is created perfect, if by perfection one does not imply such enforced will to good either by external pressure or by internal composition as to remove the element of free choice from the question of obedience" (Bowers 264).

-Although man was created perfect, they are still seen as changeable due to choices or options that arise from external influences. Whether good is what is influencing the way people act, if you remove the option of free-will, man will become obedient.

4.) "Satan's evil did not originate in an imperfection of creation but was instead triggered by his acceptance, or approval, of non-good, the alternative to good" (Bowers 268).

-Satan realized that there was an opposition to good and since he was very angry with God for casting him out of Heaven, he decided to go on the side of opposition. In order to rebel against Him, Satan decides to go against anything that is good and shows the decision on how he takes his Fall from Heaven. Although we may be born perfect, because of the choices we make, we can end up straying from the path that is usually deemed acceptable in society. Sort of illustrating the idea of a "rebel without a cause."

5.) "It follows, then, that if Adam was not deceived when he ate the fruit, he was not deceived when he gave Eve permission to leave him to encounter Satan" (Bowers 273).

-Here is where Bowers seems to say that Adam was not the one to rebel first, but he still failed at his purpose, which was to be Eve's guide.

6.) "The fall occurs when reason, stronger in the person of Adam, relinquishes its sovereignty over judgment, or decision, to passion, which is stronger in the person of Eve" (Bowers 265).

-This shows the differences in roles that and offers an explanation as to why the Fall occurs when Adam puts his love for Eve over the love for God which is supposed to be absolute. By giving up his responsibility he becomes one of the main reasons that they suffer and have to leave the Garden of Eden.

7.). "The purpose of the whole dream is to engender pride, a sense of discontent with her hierarchical relation as subject to Adam" (Bowers 267).

-After Satan began to tempt Eve, she understands the structure of their relationship and as she gains more knowledge she refuses to be underneath in the relationship which shows the first rebellion against that human do against the word of God.

Works Cited

Bowers, Fredson. "Adam, Eve, and the Fall in 'Paradise Lost.'" PMLA 84.2 (1969): 264-73. Print.

AE Project Preliminaries

1.) Introduction: 

-During the Seventeenth century women were seen as inferior to men and usually had extreme restrictions on what they could or could not. Yet, because of works such as Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath” allowed an opportunity to criticize the realities that women had to face and allowed more control in their lives. Although the shift was small, there were more authors that began to show the realities of gender relationships and women’s very complex roles that started to develop some type of empowerment; however, females had to work harder to maintain control over their lives. As demonstrated in John Webster’s, The Duchess of Malfi, the protagonist struggles against her violent and possessive brothers and tries to display control over her own life in a more passive manner. Although people can display power in different ways, there was a difference in the way that men and women were able to attain power based on the expectations of their gender.  For instance, women in a patriarch society were expected to be submissive and were not allowed to speak their minds. However, the women in The Duchess of Malfi,  illustrate different ways that they display power whether it is passive or active, opening a new way on how women are viewed not only in drama but also in society.

2.)Quote Analysis:

1.)    “So I through frights and threatening will assay / This dangerous venture. Let old wives report / I winked and chose a husband” (1.3.54-6).

-This shows her first rebellion towards her brothers, but also illustrates her independence and willfulness to get what she wants. Even behind their backs she makes sure that she does what she wants.

2.)    "Be not amazed; this women of my counsel/ I have heard lawyers say, a contract in a chamber/ Per verba de presenti is absolute marriage"(1.5.177-79).

-basically, this starts to demonstrate to go through with her decision but she is finding the loophole in marrying secretly so now one contest it she makes sure there is a witness. She displays her intelligence and sidesteps her brother’s plot to keep her oppressed from remarrying for their selfish reasons.

3.)     “For know, whether I am doomed to live or die, / I can do both like a prince” (3.2.68-69).

-The Duchess once she knows she is going to die, she proclaims her bravery by comparing herself to a prince. Even to the death for making her own decisions, she believes in asserting her authority and not being submissive.

4.)    “Why should only I, / Of all the other princes of the world, / Be cased up, like a holy relic? I have youth / And a little beauty” (3.2.134-137).

-As she continues to call herself a prince to her brother Ferdinand she illustrates the new view of women empowerment which she asserts her authority and her dislike i such restrictions. 

5.)     “Dispose of my breath how please you, but my body / Bestow upon my women will you?” (4.2.206-07).

-After the executioner ask if she is ready to die, she responds without fear and tells him to take her breath as he pleases, but she still gives him an order as her life is coming to an end.

3.)Critical Article: Fred Wigham’s “Sexual and Social Mobility in The Duchess of Malfi”-Analyzes different themes such as the use of sexual and social mobility but focuses on the "Anthropological kinship theory" to understand  the theme of “brother-sister incest,” in regards to Ferdinand and the Duchess.  In addition to that, it discusses the plays theme of social mobility, specifically focusing on Antonio and Bosola’s rise on the socioeconomic ladder. It gives a different viewpoint from the anthropological perspective that addresses the "social-structural relations come into view among Ferdinand's incestuous inclination, his sister's cross-class marriage, and Antonio's and Bosola's upward social mobility” (Abstract).  Wigham also focuses on the women’s different display in power including Julia, Cariola and the Duchess and how they deviate from the traditional expectations of a “woman’s duty”. He compares the importance of these topics by comparing these characters with other stories of the same time period.

1.)     “The duchess is excessively exogamous: fettered in Ferdinand's enclosure, she seizes self-definition by reaching out not only past the interdicted purity of her family but beyond the frontiers of her class, to marry her admirable steward” (141).

-Because the Duchess feels confines by her brother’s possessive and restricting rules regarding her class and sex, she seeks a way to rebel against those norms and creates her identity of a strong independent woman by marrying in secrecy outside of her class as well as “tainting” the name by not remaining a widow after being told to.

2.)    “Upon [the Duchess’] husband's death she entered a new realm of freedom from male domination, the only such realm open to Jacobean women, and it is this transformation that directly enables her outlaw marriage.” (171).

- Since she became widowed so young, she expressed her marital freedom to marry again, but the second time was out of love. She gains more confidence and can explore different reasons to love and choose to marry out of her class.

3.)    “Julia contrasts with the duchess insofar as the duchess's project does not aim at self-subjecting relational identity but itself founds substantial identity in the normatively masculine sense”(172).

-Julia the mistress of both the Cardinal and Bosola is a completely different illustration of power because she subjects herself to the men she is with and sacrificing her body to illustrate her power. However, the Duchess is completely different because through her noble actions she uses her wits and not her sex to get what she wants but instead demonstrates what was considered a masculine trait where she is true to her word and loyal to the very end.

4.)    “Self-giving will of another sort, practiced by Julia, deflects the judgmental charge of lasciviousness away from the duchess” (172).

- Again demonstrating illustrating a different type of power to have control on the men they have. Julia seems to be the opposites because she uses her sex as a way of gaining only remains loyal to one man after he agrees to marry her.

5.)    “Issues of female self-determination and mobility across class lines, both social and sexual, had of late come to be commonplace in London”(173).

-It took a while before feminist ideologies where women decided to control their abilities in their socio-economic status or their choice in marriage, but because of many stories it gave a new ideology for female’s roles in society.

Analysis of Politics in Geoffrey Chaucer's -The Wife of Bath

          Writing was an essential revolutionary tool to describe the era and try to express the realities of controversies such as religion, gender, and many other issues. During the Middle Ages there was a norm the pilgrims were made up of three social groups or “estates” nobility, church, and commoners (238). However, as explained by the Norton Anthology, during the late fourteenth century there was an introduction to a new growing middle class and that these three basic social roles became more “complex, interrelated, and unstable social strata among which birth, wealth, profession, and personal ability all played a part in determining one’s status in the world that was rapidly changing economically, politically, and socially (238). Basically, this shows the immensely changing culture that many writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer were a part of, and how they were able to expand on new avenues to explore the new ideas of social order and the changing from old to new beliefs specifically in social class and gender.

One of the authors that I feel expressed the conditions of the social order during the Middle Ages was Geoffrey Chaucer through his pilgrim narratives in his work, The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer seemed to be greatly affected by the transition of a new emerging social class, politics of marriage, and the expression of the church. Throughout the majority of his pilgrim’s prologues and narratives, Chaucer gives a satirical approach to addressing the issues with society; specifically, in The Wife Of Bath where he attacks the expected gender norms of society. However, we are given an introduction to the norms of social class in “The General Prologue,” where Chaucer introduces us to the pilgrims and the order they will tell their stories are based on rank and whoever held a higher rank would go first. For example, the importance of rank is illustrated when the teller said “Me thinketh it accordant to resound / To telle you al the condicioun/ Of eech of hem, so as it seemed to me, / And whiche they were, and of what degree, / And eek in what array that they were inne: /And at a knight thane wol I first biginne” (37-42.244). By going in the order of the social rank addressed .he showed the expression of the time and therefore he began with a knight because he was the highest rank in the room. But, Chaucer did deviate away from it when the stories were being told. For instance, the Miller in a drunken state interrupts the monk who was supposed to go after the Knight interrupting to tell his story about a cuckolded man; therefore, deviating away from the social rank that is expected during this time period. Although there were many specific social norms from the church, Chaucer seemed to address the controversies and tried to illustrate the realities of the social classes during the Middle Ages.

Although The General Prologue gave us an introduction, the story revolving about "The Wife of Bath" truly was influenced by the misogynistic ideology that was greatly influenced by the church and its view on women’s role in marriage and in society. Chaucer took the opportunity to address the realities and the freedom that a woman should enjoy as well as the man. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale describes her five marriages and the control that she had on all of them. Although her last husband gave her more trouble than the other ones, she still appreciated her freedom to remarry and enjoy the pleasures of marriage. Her story expresses the general idea that “happy wife is a happy life” and by having “sovereienetee” (1044.305) to get what she wants and that is all women want in a marriage; some type of control. This satirical narrative allows the character to address the ridiculous stereotypes of women during this time period who were seen as evil but should remain virgins, while men were allowed to have any pleasure they wanted because they are seen as the dominant one in the relationship. The Wife of Bath exclaims that she has “Experience, though noon auctoritee / Were in this world, is right ynough for me / To speke of wo that is marriage:” (1-3.282). Basically she uses her experience with five husbands to describe the realities of marriage and deeming herself a reliable source to show the reality of marriage and shine light on the misogynistic world that has been preached for decades by the clerks. Describing her sexual freedom she shocks many of the pilgrims but explains her right to enjoy her sex like any man should. Therefore, this helps open the door to a less conservative view towards women and allowing more freedom.

Although she is reinforcing some of the stereotypes, she explores the ridiculousness of them as well. She shows how unfair it is for society to judge a woman and believe the stuff written by men because it has a bias source. Society basically goes off judging women based on what the church has said. The Wife of Bath even describes the inequality of these stereotypes by exclaiming, “By God, if women hadden written stories, / As clerke han within hir oratories, / They wolde han written of men more wickednesse / then al the merk of Adam redresse” (699-702.298). Essentially, if woman had the opportunity to express themselves and judge men equally, they would illustrate much more male wickedness then the men could try to defend and be able to redeem themselves. This story takes an opportunity to explore the reality of gender and marriage versus the one imposed by the church.

Overall, there are so many types of politics that influenced the work of Chaucer which he eventually addressed in his writing. Whether it was the politics of marriage, social class, or of religion, there is a great affect that the church created the division of classes, so being influenced by society’s norms he wrote satirically about the issues to express the controversy behind many of the expectations held by the Church.