Wife of Bath

One of the most vivid and enduring portraits in medieval English literature, drawn from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale present a commanding narrative voice-earthy, self-aware, and unapologetically direct. In her extended prologue, she reflects upon marriage, authority, and experience, challenging conventional interpretations of scripture and gender roles. Her tale, set within the Arthurian tradition, explores themes of sovereignty, desire, and the balance of power between men and women.

Composed in the late fourteenth century, Chaucer's depiction of the Wife of Bath remains one of the earliest sustained character studies in English literature. The combination of autobiographical confession and moral fable has secured her place as a central figure in medieval studies and in discussions of authorship, gender, and narrative voice.

Presented here as a standalone text, this edition allows focused study of one of the most frequently examined sections of The Canterbury Tales.