In the opening of her tale, the Wife of Bath refers to the “prayers and charitable desires

English 4 Semester 1

Unit 2 – The Canterbury Tales: Exploring Motivation through Satire

“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” Reading Check Questions

Directions: Answer ten of the following questions. Question number 11 is required; you may choose nine additional questions to answer.

1. In the opening of her tale, the Wife of Bath refers to the “prayers and charitable desires . . . of holy friars.” What evidence in the opening paragraph proves that the friar is NOT a pure and holy person?

• What is the setting of this story?

• What crime does the knight commit in the beginning of the tale?

• Who punishes the knight, and what is his punishment?

• How long is the knight given to find the answer to the question?

• Possible answers are given to the knight as he searches for the answer to the question.  List five possible answers.

• What details suggest that the old wife that the knight encounters in the forest is magical?

• What does the old woman make the knight promise before she reveals the answer to the question?

• What is the answer to the question “what is it that women most desire”?

1. What is the knight forced to do as a result of his promise?

1. The knight accuses his wife of being poor, old, and ugly.  For each of those traits, identify one reason why the wife says the trait is not bad:
   1. a.    poor / lower class –

• old –

• ugly –

1. What choice does the wife offer her husband?

1. What does he decide, and how does this decision connect back to the punishment he received from the queen? (In other words, did he learn anything from his quest?)  Explain.

1. Think back to Chaucer’s description of the Wife of Bath.  Why would this tale be appropriate for the Wife of Bath to tell?

1. The knight’s disrespect for his wife is based on his belief that she is poor, old, and ugly.  Are people discriminated against for these characteristics in our world?  Give an example for each trait:  poor, old, ugly.