The Worthy Wyf

Based on class discussion concerning both “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” and “The Clerk’s Tale”, I have been forming some thoughts on the limited powers afforded to women in the context of The Canterbury Tales as a whole.
In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” chivalry is used by female characters as a tool to manipulate men. Though in some respects the old woman who marries the knight is ultimately forced to conform to his standards and contemporary norms to form a happy marriage, she does manage to use the mode of the knightly quest to secure for herself a noble husband. While he gets what he wants in terms of a beautiful and faithful wife, she also gets what she (presumably) wants in the way of a noble, courageous, and courteous husband. In this manner, the chivalric ideal of duty not only brings the two together, it places the knight in a position where the task of maintaining her as a wife becomes not only dutiful, but desirable. Though the tale is told by a woman, it is certainly possible that Chaucer is simply using the Wife of Bath as a mouthpiece to express not necessarily what women want, but what they deserve within the context of a conventional medieval social structure. Women should not expect a husband like the knight unless they first meet “knightly” standards. Just because the old woman is able to use chivalry in a subversive way to entrap the knight in a marriage, does not mean she will not have to give ground in order for the marriage to be happy.
In “The Clerk’s Tale” we also see the same idea in practice. By entering into a marriage with a man above her social status, Griselda is achieving a sort of ideal, but not without consequences. She must also prove her worthiness by remaining constant and patient through the trials inflicted on her by Walter. Though Walter’s behavior may be decided less chivalrous than the knight’s, this tale still shows that a woman must meet certain criteria before her marriage can meet the needs of both her and her husband.
Based on the themes of these two tales, I think it can be safely stated that a woman’s primary mode of agency in The Canterbury Tales is the establishment of a proper role within established framework. If a woman can prove herself beautiful, loyal, and constant, she has far greater hope of establishing further authority than she would otherwise.