Wife of Bath
Jayla
Part 1
Occupation
A housewife. But did not look afetr her children/ if she had any.
Need for occupation?
After marriage the young women would become under the control of her husband. Aslo producing a male heir was considered very vital.
Social standing?
The wife of Bath social standing was high class because the help of her rich husband(s).
Characters day to day life
The day to day life would be centered around castles or Manors. Much of her time was spent on overseeing the househlod. But she would have to take over all her husbands duties if her husband is absent.
http://www.lordsandladies.org/daily-life-noblewoman-middle-ages.htm
Details Chaucer does not include
Reading inbetween the lines you can find that hes saying that women and men should be eqaul and that there nothing wrong with women remarring like men.
Mrs. Riley
Modern day occupation
Her modern day occupation would be maybe a "Real Housewife". She's looking for a rich husband and she has married before for money.
Mrs.Riley
Part 2
Paraphrase each line of the prologue describing your character.
The author basically was saying that the Wife of Bath was very beautiful. She was obivioulsy on the richer side. She was a strange yet giving women. She enjoyed traveling. She loved to weave cloth because she was good at it. The Wife of Bath loved the thought of love and money.
http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-canterbury-tales/general-prologue/page_12.html
Which lines in the prolouge best describe your character's physical appearance?
When the author said "She wore a hat that was as wide as a shield, sharp spurs, and a pleated cloak over her legs to keep the mud off her dress. She also wore tightly laced red stockings and comfortable new shoes, and her kerchiefs were made of high-quality fabric. In fact, the ones she wore on her head every Sunday were so nice they must have weighed ten pounds."
http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-canterbury-tales/general-prologue/page_12.html
Which lines describe his/her personality?
I think the author was trying to describe her personality as needy, fondness, tender, yet insane.
http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-canterbury-tales/general-prologue/page_12.html
Which specific words add to your understanding of the character's personality?
Maybe lustful, money hungry, self-assured, honorable, and ambitious.
http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-canterbury-tales/general-prologue/page_12.html
List at least 5 examples of spelling variations from middle to modern English
- scathe= harm
- coverchiefs =A covering for the head
- amblere= pacing horse
- bokeler = buckler, small shield
- streite= Narrowly; strictly; straitly
http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-canterbury-tales/general-prologue/page_12.html
Part 3
What is Chaucer's opinion toward this character?
I think he is saying that the Wife of Bath was a gold digger, who had many relationships. She was in love with the thought of "love"(money). All and all he basically said that she is a money loving leach.
http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-canterbury-tales/general-prologue/page_12.html
What specific lines or words tell you this?
When Chaucer says "She’d lived an honorable life and had married five times, not counting her other boyfriends she’d had when she was young—though there’s no need to talk about that now...She rode her horse well and knew a lot about traveling because she’d been to so many foreign places...She could tell lots of stories, especially romantic ones, because she was an old pro when it came to love."
http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-canterbury-tales/general-prologue/page_12.html
What word choices require an understanding of vocabulary from the time period?
For sure if you don't know what or who "The Wife of Bath" is then you will not understand the story. Also if you don't read in between the lines you could be lost. If you don't know the time period you would be a little confused. You would also need to do a little research on the wife of bath to understand Chaucer's summary.
http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-canterbury-tales/general-prologue/page_12.html