God is a woman: Female Autonomy in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

Under the shining moonlight in a dark green forest, the sparking embers of a warm fire pierce through the darkness, casting flickering shadows on the faces of those gathered around. The air hums with the low murmur of conversation, the soft clinking of bottles, and the crackling of fire while the scent of roasting meat fills the night. Horses snort softly in the background, their silhouettes blending with the thick forest as if drawn to the moment’s warmth. In the center of this gathering, a woman seated on the largest log leans forward, her voice commanding attention as she begins her tale. We can easily imagine this woman as the Wife of Bath, bold and assertive, whose presence challenges the silence expected of her gender. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, she is no ordinary storyteller; she carries the weight of oppression, multiple marriages, and a deep understanding of the social norms she defies. Along with Alison, the young and crafty wife of a carpenter from the “Miller’s Tale”, these two women set the stage for Chaucer’s development of a feminist perspective in a society with restricted female autonomy. The Wife of Bath applies her experience and outspokenness to assert her independence, while Alison uses her youthful charm and wit to navigate and manipulate the male-dominated world. Through his portrayal of female characters, Chaucer explores feminist themes, depicting women who assert control over their narratives, even while appearing to conform to patriarchal standards. He introduces these contradictions to illustrate the delicate balance the Wife of Bath and Allison must strike between conformity and rebellion, using subtlety and strategy to conceal their true motives and gain power. By employing hermeneutics, these characters transform criticism and stereotypes into tools of empowerment, highlighting the text’s underlying proto-feminist message. 

The characters of the Wife of Bath and Alison reflect the feminist ideals embedded in Chaucer’s work, disputing misogynistic ideologies and offering a progressive view of female autonomy and authority. In his “General Prologue” to the novel, Chaucer provides a glimpse of his unique perspective on the power of women through the Wife of Bath. In contrast to the typical portrayal of women during this period, the Wife of Bath is characterized by traits commonly associated with men: “Bold was her face, handsome.…she had thrice been to Jerusalem….skilled in wandering….easily on an ambling horse she sat….on her head a hat as broad as a buckler or shield...” (Chaucer 15). Words like “bold” and “handsome” and references to skilled wandering and constant travel all signal masculine characteristics. However, Chaucer’s description of her appearance and role as a traveler suggests that he views her as possessing the same abilities as a man. Chaucer’s description of the Wife of Bath’s easy riding on a horse symbolizes courage, skill, and freedom, reinforcing the idea that women are equally capable as men. Unlike Alison, who is described by the men as a colt they wise to ‘ride,’ the Wife of Bath's riding is a symbol of her control over her own destiny, rejecting any notion of being an object to be controlled or conquered. Furthermore, her hat, described as broad as a shield, can also be interpreted as her armor when defying patriarchal criticism. Through the Wife of Bath’s portrayal, Chaucer challenges gender norms, hinting at his feminist perspective and belief in the equality between men and women. Chaucer further illustrates the Wife of Bath’s feminism in her argument against the belief that women should not marry multiple times, saying, “Show me a time or text where God disparages or sets a prohibition upon marriages expressly, let me have it!” (Chaucer 260). By invoking religious figures, she turns the argument back on the men who use biblical scripture to criticize her. She also references King Solomon’s numerous marriages, highlighting the hypocrisy of condemning women while praising men for the same actions. This portrayal of the Wife of Bath reveals Chaucer’s awareness of social biases constricting women and his hopes to help present a more liberal view. While the Wife of Bath declares her authority through intellectual and religious arguments, Alison expresses hers through a more personal act of defiance. Alison rejects the advances of other men, asserting her right to pursue her desires: “‘You go away,’ she answered, ‘you Tom-fool! There’s no come-up-and-kiss-me here for you. I love another and why shouldn’t I too?’” (Chaucer 102). Chaucer allows Alison to take control of her love story, refusing to become an unwilling male conquest. Though Nicholas, Allison’s suitor, ultimately wins her over, it is by her own choice, challenging the stereotype of women as mere objects of desire. Through this act of agency, Allison asserts her autonomy, reinforcing her ability to shape her own narrative, which Chaucer himself encourages. Chaucer’s depiction of the Wife of Bath and Alison’s power over their lives suggests a subtle yet significant support for feminism, undermining the hierarchy of men over women by highlighting their ability to assert control over their relationships and decisions, challenging patriarchal norms and asserting their autonomy. 

Contrasting the initial hints of feminist ideals in his portrayal of the Wife of Bath and Alison, Chaucer investigates the complexity of gender interpretation. Through a hermeneutical framework, he examines how female characters navigate personal liberty while simultaneously appearing to comply with societal gender norms. This duality reflects the conflicting interpretations of femininity within a patriarchal society: on one hand, women must be submissive and passive, embodying roles of wife and mother; on the other hand, they subtly exhibit traits of power, cunning, and independence when navigating the constraints of that same society. Chaucer presents these varying interpretations of gender narratives to illustrate that conformity and rebellion are not mutually exclusive; rather, they coexist as strategies that women use to assert influence in their limited social status. He emphasizes that challenging gender norms often requires working within those standards. The Wife of Bath exemplifies this complexity by embodying both power and negative prejudices associated with women: “…I wrecked their peace, innocent as they were, without remorse! For I could bite and whinney like a horse and launch complaints when things were all my fault…” (Chaucer 268-269). On one hand, this passage portrays the Wife of Bath as wielding power in her marriages, fighting back when dissatisfied, and manipulating circumstances to her advantage. The comparison of herself to a horse, a symbol of power, courage, and control in biblical texts, suggests the dominance the Wife of Bath has. However, this same passage can also align with patriarchal stereotypes of women as destructive, unruly, and scheming. By “wrecking the peace” of her husbands, she could be embodying the role of a “homewrecker,” reinforcing traditional male views of women as troublesome. In this duality of interpretation, Chaucer suggests that while the Wife of Bath asserts influence in her marriages, she must still navigate marital power dynamics as a strategy to challenge the patriarchy. This complicates the reader’s understanding, showing that the path to female empowerment is not straightforward but layered and strategic, much like Chaucer’s writing itself. Furthermore, he demonstrates that “subtlety is strength,” as female characters often adopt the appearance of weakness to conceal their motives and feign compliance to gain more rights within a restrictive society. Chaucer deepens his theme of duality by having the Wife of Bath use God’s will to defend her rejection of societal ideas like chastity and virginity, claiming, “…God bade us all to wax and multiply” (Chaucer 259). She cleverly uses this biblical command to argue that virginity, while valued by society, is not a requirement for virtue as to wax and multiply, one can not be a virgin. However, Chaucer subtly reinforces traditional gender roles by framing the Wife of Bath’s argument within the gender parameters of procreation, implying that women;s primary purpose remains tied to marriage, childbearing, and nurturing. Although the Wife of Bath advocates for personal freedom, her reasoning remains tied to patriarchal expectations, continuing the pattern of conflicting interpretations Chaucer weaves throughout the text. Chaucer further expands on these conflicting interpretations through the character of Alison. Desired by many for her youthful beauty, Alison is married to a much older carpenter who fails to fulfill her emotional needs, leading her to engage in an affair. When Nicholas, a lodger, confesses his love for her, she reciprocates, “…swearing she’d love him, with a solemn promise to be at his disposal…” (Chaucer 91). On the surface,  Alison appears to embody the role of an adulteress by betraying her husband, reinforcing patriarchal stereotypes of women as unfaithful. The phrase “at his disposal” suggests Alison’s lack of agency as a woman, implying that her lover, Nicholas, will dominate their relationship and that Alison will become “his.” However, this interpretation overlooks an additional layer of complexity. Allison’s decision to leave her unsuitable husband for someone who better aligns with her desires can be an act of courage, asserting her right to choose love on her terms. By crafting her narrative, Alison defies the female expectations of her time, revealing her strong-willed character. Chaucer’s nuanced portrayal, upholding male-centered values yet subtly criticizing them, reveals the depth, contradictions, and multifaceted nature of women challenging societal expectations: their complexity in navigating societal roles, their power to influence relationships and circumstances, and their agency to reclaim their narratives and assert independence. of women challenging societal expectations. Throughout The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer employs hermeneutics of gender duality to provoke nuanced debates about the relationship between gender and power. He highlights how women in a patriarchal society navigate the tension between conforming to societal expectations and resisting them. By reflecting the contradictions of his time, Chaucer emphasizes how women skillfully combine both compliance and defiance to assert agency within restrictive social structures.

Ultimately, Chaucer’s use of hermeneutics extends beyond its duality of interpretation to how female characters actively reinterpret societal judgements. By reshaping criticism and negative stereotypes into narratives of empowerment, these women challenge traditional expectations and assert their agency within a male-dominated society. Rather than being passive recipients of prejudice, these women actively engage with the criticisms they receive, turning what society sees as weaknesses into sources of strength. The Wife of Bath, often criticized for her marital history and absence of virginity, reframes this criticism not only to defend herself but also to advocate for the value of all women, regardless of their chastity. She declares, “…not every dish and vessel’s made of gold, some are of wood, yet earn their master’s praise...” (Chaucer 261). By comparing virginity to gold and impurity to wood, she acknowledges societal preferences while still emphasizing that gold and wood both possess significant value. While gold may appear more precious, wood is essential and often even more practical. This analogy takes on a more profound significance when considering the Christian symbolism of wood; Jesus, known as “the carpenter’s son,” is thought to have often worked with wood, transforming it into objects of greater value. By aligning herself with Jesus’ use of wood as his “chosen material” (and, by extension, impure women as his “chosen women”), the Wife of Bath reinterprets the criticism against her and argues that society should likewise recognize the worth of all women, especially those not deemed “pure.” Moreover, the Wife of Bath also reinterprets a patronizing tale about women, transforming it into a lesson that allows her to question the patriarchy and male authority. Her fifth husband often read her stories of “evil” women who terrorized their husbands, victimizing men and demonizing women. One such tale was about Pasiphae, the Queen of Crete, who had an affair with the Cretan Bull. While reading this tale, her husband exclaimed, “…her horrible lust. How could she do the thing!” (Chaucer 278). However, this story conveniently fails to acknowledge that Poseidon cursed Pasiphae to fall in love with the bull because her husband had failed to fulfill a promise to the gods. The tale places all the blame on Pasiphae, concealing the men’s role in her actions. The Wife of Bath challenges these stories that villainize women, questioning why men are not held accountable for their actions. She reclaims these narratives, turning them into lessons that fuel her to fight for women’s rights. Later in the tales, the Wife of Bath boldly confronts her husband in the act of rebellion, tearing pages from his misogynistic texts: “…I suddenly grabbed and tore three pages out where he was reading, at the very place, and fitted such a buffet in his face that backwards down into our fire he fell” (Chaucer 279). In this moment, the Wife of Bath rejects the oppressive stereotypes embedded in these tales, symbolically shredding the narratives that have long blamed and punished women in these male-centric reinterpretations. Moreover, the Wife of Bath’s choice to rip out three pages explicitly carries a deeper meaning, possibly tied to Christian symbolism. In Christian theology, the number three represents the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By deliberately targeting three pages, the Wife of Bath seems to challenge the patriarchal interpretations of religious institutions, questioning the restraints that have confined women. These acts of defiance illustrate how the Wife of Bath engages in hermeneutics that transcends basic interpretation, reinterpreting, reshaping, and challenging criticism and stereotypes to craft narratives of empowerment.

Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales offers a nuanced exploration of the feminist perspective, revealing the complexities of gender roles in medieval society. Despite seeming to yield to societal norms, female characters subtly assert their power and reshape their narratives. Chaucer highlights this interpretive tension to show how the Wife of Bath and Alison use nuanced strategies to establish dominance while concealing their true intentions behind a deceptive facade. With the help of reinterpretation, these women defy stereotypes, embracing criticism as a tool to construct their own stories. This intricate portrayal of gender dynamics resonates today, reflecting ongoing struggles for gender equality and the subtle ways individuals navigate societal expectations. By examining these characters of The Canterbury Tales, modern readers can find parallels in their lives, underscoring Chaucer’s timeless message of the journey for female agency and the power of controlling narratives. Under the dimming moonlight, as the forest settles into silence, the pilgrims prepare to continue the journey to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. The warmth of the fire fades, leaving only a few glowing embers. Yet, one woman lingers by the dying flames, her gaze fixed on the dazzling night sky. The outline of horses fades into the shadows, and bottles of alcohol litter the ground, but she remains, lost in thought. In this moment, she does not just dream of her own life but envisions a future where her daughter—and all women—might thrive along their chosen paths, no longer bound by the expectations of men or society. This is the world she dreams of—a time where female autonomy is no longer rebellion, but the natural order.

Works Cited 

Chaucer, Geoffrey, and Nevill Coghill. The Canterbury Tales. Penguin Group, 2008.