How is satire presented in the ‘Wife of Bath’?
Lines 371-412 and 773-825
Undeniably, Chaucer makes heavy use of satire (through the satirical actions and attitudes of Alisoun)
as a means of critically examining the entrenched power imbalances of a 14 th century patriarchal
society. In a rigid society where women were relegated to mere political pawns, arguably satire
becomes the only viable means through which Chaucer can begin to dismantle accepted societal
values. Through satire, Chaucer is able to subtly explore the flaws and hypocrisies of misogynistic
expectations without overtly confronting order. Thus, satire emerges not merely for humour but as a
powerful tool for critiquing oppressive societal expectations.
Chaucer uses satire to depict the unrealistic expectations and attitudes that men unjustly impose upon
women. In the extract, Alisoun’s diatribe becomes an expression of satirical exaggeration: she mocks
the relentless, domineering masculine discourse that seeks to subdue women. The anaphora “thou
liknest eek wommenes love to helle […] thou seyes right as wormes,” satirically highlights Alisoun’s
repeated resentment and frustration of the overwhelming masculine view that women were dangerous
and destructive; this is a view also exemplified in Theophrastre’s ‘The Golden Book on Marriage’
which described women as ‘scolds’. Chaucer exaggerates, thus uses satire, to accentuate how
entrapping these ideals can be. In fact, the dehumanising “a fair woman but she on chaast […] gold
ring in a sowes nose,” (on lines 784) satirically symbolises the harsh societal judgement of women
who do not conform to strict moral codes and expectations for chastity. Simultaneously, this hyperbolic
simile accentuates female oppression (through the animal imagery of ‘sowe’) mirroring legislation like
the Law of Baron and Feme that argued women were mere objects and could not obtain their own
legal identity. Thus, through satire, Chaucer highlights how these dehumanising expectations relegate
female identity, often leading to intense frustration. In fact, Jankyn’s “The Wicked Wives,” becomes a
satirical example of these overwhelming degrading masculine ideas. The book which “he knew of mo
proveres […] in this world,” symbolises the intense patriarchal judgement and perception of women as
villainous; this mirrors the prevalent anti-feminist literature like Marbod of Renne’s argument “women
[…] the corrupt offshoot, evil root.” Yet, rather than conform to these views, the apostrophe “in myn
herte was and pine?” reveals Alisoun’s suffering and emotional pain, in contrast to the perception of
her being evil. Thus, through Jankyn’s persisted “I saugh he wolde nevre fine,” Chaucer satirically
highlights the absurdity and toxicity of these masculine viewpoints. Satire becomes a tool for Chaucer
to expose the flaws of these expectations as he suggests it is not women who are wicked, but rather
the oppressive expectations that catalyst their suffering. Chaucer’s publication of “The Legend of
Good Women,” (which was a contrast to ‘The Wicked Wives’) actually praises the virtues of ten
women, delineating his person praise and respect for women. Hence, satire (rather than to be
humours) exposes the innate corruption of these patriarchal attitudes accentuating how rather than
uphold order, they are catalysing toxicity.
1
Lines 371-412 and 773-825
Undeniably, Chaucer makes heavy use of satire (through the satirical actions and attitudes of Alisoun)
as a means of critically examining the entrenched power imbalances of a 14 th century patriarchal
society. In a rigid society where women were relegated to mere political pawns, arguably satire
becomes the only viable means through which Chaucer can begin to dismantle accepted societal
values. Through satire, Chaucer is able to subtly explore the flaws and hypocrisies of misogynistic
expectations without overtly confronting order. Thus, satire emerges not merely for humour but as a
powerful tool for critiquing oppressive societal expectations.
Chaucer uses satire to depict the unrealistic expectations and attitudes that men unjustly impose upon
women. In the extract, Alisoun’s diatribe becomes an expression of satirical exaggeration: she mocks
the relentless, domineering masculine discourse that seeks to subdue women. The anaphora “thou
liknest eek wommenes love to helle […] thou seyes right as wormes,” satirically highlights Alisoun’s
repeated resentment and frustration of the overwhelming masculine view that women were dangerous
and destructive; this is a view also exemplified in Theophrastre’s ‘The Golden Book on Marriage’
which described women as ‘scolds’. Chaucer exaggerates, thus uses satire, to accentuate how
entrapping these ideals can be. In fact, the dehumanising “a fair woman but she on chaast […] gold
ring in a sowes nose,” (on lines 784) satirically symbolises the harsh societal judgement of women
who do not conform to strict moral codes and expectations for chastity. Simultaneously, this hyperbolic
simile accentuates female oppression (through the animal imagery of ‘sowe’) mirroring legislation like
the Law of Baron and Feme that argued women were mere objects and could not obtain their own
legal identity. Thus, through satire, Chaucer highlights how these dehumanising expectations relegate
female identity, often leading to intense frustration. In fact, Jankyn’s “The Wicked Wives,” becomes a
satirical example of these overwhelming degrading masculine ideas. The book which “he knew of mo
proveres […] in this world,” symbolises the intense patriarchal judgement and perception of women as
villainous; this mirrors the prevalent anti-feminist literature like Marbod of Renne’s argument “women
[…] the corrupt offshoot, evil root.” Yet, rather than conform to these views, the apostrophe “in myn
herte was and pine?” reveals Alisoun’s suffering and emotional pain, in contrast to the perception of
her being evil. Thus, through Jankyn’s persisted “I saugh he wolde nevre fine,” Chaucer satirically
highlights the absurdity and toxicity of these masculine viewpoints. Satire becomes a tool for Chaucer
to expose the flaws of these expectations as he suggests it is not women who are wicked, but rather
the oppressive expectations that catalyst their suffering. Chaucer’s publication of “The Legend of
Good Women,” (which was a contrast to ‘The Wicked Wives’) actually praises the virtues of ten
women, delineating his person praise and respect for women. Hence, satire (rather than to be
humours) exposes the innate corruption of these patriarchal attitudes accentuating how rather than
uphold order, they are catalysing toxicity.
1
