Wife of Bath Quotes

Good afternoon, classmates. After gathering a small set of quotes for my final paper, I felt like it'd be polite to share a select few with all you who are studying for the final. So without further ado, I present to you the best of the Wife of Bath:

On Solomon and his wives:

“Sholde lete fader and mooder and take to me.

But of no nombre mencion made he,

Of bigamy, or of octogamye;

Why sholde men thane speke of it vileynye?”

Lo, here the wise kyng, daun Salomon;

I trowe he hadde wyves mo than oon.

As wolde God it leveful were unto me

To be refresshed half so ofte as he!

Which yifte of God hadde he for alle his wyvys!

No man hath swich that in this world alyve is.

God woot, this noble kyng, as to my wit,

The firste nyght had many a myrie fit

Wit ech of hem, so wel was hym on lyve.

Yblessed be God that I have wedded five!” (31-44)

On Genitals:

“Glose whoso wole, and seye bothe up and dou

That they were maked for purgacioun

Of urine, and our bothe thynges smale

Were eek to knowe a female from a male,

And for noon oother cause – say ye no?” (119-123).

On controling her husbands:

“By sleighte, or force, or by sm maner thyng,

As by continueel murmur or grucchyng.

Namely abedde hadden they meschaunce:

There wolde I chide and do hem no plesaunce;

I wolde no lenger in the bed abyde,

If that I felte his arm over my side,

Til he had maad his raunson unto me;

Thanne wolde I suffer hym do his nycetee” (405-412).

On Jankyn:

“And ever shall, until my dying day.

But in our bed he was so fresh and gay,

And therewithal he could so impose,

What time he wanted use of my belle chose,

That though he’d beaten me on every bone,

He could re-win my love, and that full soon” (497-502)

“After that day we hadden never debaat,

God helpe me so, I was to hym as kynde

As any wyf from Denmark unto Ynde,

And also trewe, and so he was to me” (822-825).

The Ending of her Tale:

“A thousand tyme a-rewe he gan hire kisse,

And she obeyed hym in every thing

That mighte doon hym plesance or liking.

And thus they lyve unto hir lyves ende

In parfit joy; and Jhesu Christ us sende

Housbondes meeke, yonge, and fresh abedde,

And grace t’overbyde hem that we wedde;

And eek I praye Jhesue shorte hir lyves

That noght wol be governed by hir wyves” (1254-1262).

I hope all this helps. Good luck tomorrow.