Laugh for a Change

By Shawn McCowan

People today often ask why they should read ancient literature. The reason? Because authors such as Geoffrey Chaucer still have something to say to our generation.

The medieval writer Geoffrey Chaucer didn’t know the modern children’s author Dr. Seuss, but Chaucer knew, as the children’s humorist knew, that “From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere” (Seuss). Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in 1392 to show that in every walk of life, there are humorous characters who can teach something of value. Chaucer's poem uses the power of speech to comically break down the social hierarchies in the medieval Great Chain of Being, revealing that no matter what one's social status is, everyone has faults that must be amended because the day of judgment comes for all. In the poem, thirty-one pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral agree to a storytelling contest to pass the time as they go from “here to there.” The winner, the one who tells the most amusing or instructive tale, gets a free dinner compliments of the rest of the company. The satiric “Prologue” and frame format set the stage for the funny stories that follow. Everyone loves a good story. Of the twenty-four tales told, the Wife of Bath’s tale is the most instructive. While many readers think Chaucer’s other stories, such as “The Clerk’s Tale” about Chanticleer and the Fox, have moral value and are hilarious, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is the most instructive for three reasons: it shows the dangers of the abuse of power; it teaches the things that truly matter in a person; and it reveals the key to happiness in marriage.

In a comic plot twist, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that an abuse of power leads to serious consequences. In fact, it is the knight who first demonstrates an abuse of power and must suffer the punishment for it. The knight sees a young maiden in the forest, and rather than use his power to protect her, he violates her (Chaucer 223). The knight is obviously more powerful than the young maiden, and according to the chivalric code, he is bound to use his power to protect those who are defenseless. Instead, he ignores this code. Because he demonstrates an abuse of power, he must suffer the consequences. Queen Guenivere rules that he must embark upon a quest to determine “what thing it is that women most desire,” or he will lose his head (Chaucer 223). As a result of his actions, he is forced on a quest to find an answer that is seemingly unattainable. In a hilarious and ironic reversal, now it is he who must submit to the power of women, who alone can provide him with the answer he needs. As the knight learns, choosing to use power to hurt others leads to serious consequences.

The Wife of Bath’s tale is also instructive because it teaches the spiritual truth that the quality of a person lies within. The knight learns specifically to value people not based on their nobility, wealth, or appearance, but upon the image of God within them. When he is despondent about following through with his promise to marry the old hag who has given him the answer to save his life, the old woman teaches the knight that nobility is not imparted according to a “station in life,” but instead that it “comes from God alone” (Chaucer 235).  Ironically, it is the poor, wise old woman who reveals the knight’s flaws in thinking about power, wealth, and beauty. In this time period, people believed that God determined where they were in the Great Chain of Being and if they were higher up, it was because of God’s blessings. The knight believes, as most medievals did, that God demonstrates his blessings upon people by giving them power, riches, and beauty. Because the old woman has none of these things, the knight is depressed that he must join her lower station in life. When she teaches him what is truly valuable he, along with Chaucer’s reader, begins to remember the truth of the scripture, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Through her highly spiritual tale, the Wife of Bath teaches listeners about the characteristics that truly matter in a person.

Finally, the Wife of Bath, although she has had none herself, inadvertently teaches what it takes to have a happy marriage. Although she describes her own five terrible marriages in her comic and lengthy prologue, the characters in her comedy find happiness in each other by the end of the tale.  When the knight is despondent about her appearance, the old woman questions the knight whether he would rather have a wife who is old and faithful or a wife who is beautiful and unloyal. After some thought, having heard her wisdom regarding the importance of godly character, he declares, “I put myself under your wise control” (Chaucer 239) and submits to her decision. In turn, she becomes both beautiful and faithful to him, “and she obeyed him in everything” (Chaucer 239). This section of the story shows that despite the examples of the Wife of Bath’s terrible marriages, there is hope for a happy marriage. It is possible when a couple, instead of trying to gain power over one another, learns to submit to one another to make each other happy. In the story, the knight gives in to the desires of the old woman, and the old woman gives in to the desires of the knight. Paul writes about this principle in Ephesians where he exhorts wives to respect their husbands and husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:22,25).  Although it is a comedy, the tale from the Wife of Bath is instructive because it reveals the key of mutual submission that is desperately needed today for marriages to succeed. 

Clearly, the Wife of Bath should win the storytelling contest and the dinner. By far, the most instructive story in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is the one she tells because it shows the consequences of the abuse of power, it shows what truly matters in a person, and it shows how to have a successful marriage. Today, many people think that reading ancient literature such as The Canterbury Tales could not possibly help them in any way. They may think that a medieval author such as Chaucer could never understand the issues of our time. They are wrong. People today should read Chaucer’s Tales because from there to here, and here to there, foolish people are everywhere. Chaucer’s stories still matter because the issues of power, character, and marriage are issues that transcend time and impact our culture even today. Men and women are still struggling for power in gender wars. Social influencers portray that the only thing that matters is clothes, hair, money, or the number of “likes” one has. Marriages are failing at such an alarming rate that young people today are saying, “Why bother?” But there is hope. When people abuse power, when people misunderstand what truly contributes to good character, and when people mess up their marriages, they can open Chaucer, look at their folly reflected in the mirror of his tales, and laugh. And when the laughter is over, they can begin to change. 

Works Cited

“1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV - - Bible Gateway.” Www.biblegateway.com, www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+16%3A7&version=NKJV.

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales/Geoffrey Chaucer; Edited by A. Kent Hieatt and Constance Hieatt; Selected, with Translations, a Critical Introduction, and Notes by the Editors. Bantam Books, 1986.

“Ephesians 5:22-25 NKJV - - Bible Gateway.” Www.biblegateway.com, www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5%3A22-25&version=NKJV. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Theodor Seuss Geisel. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. New York Beginner Books, 2009.