The Wife of Bath's Tale Summary

The Wife of Bath's Tale is yet another odd tale of Chaucer's collection in Canterbury Tales. The tale begins by describing the British Isle, which was once a place of elves and faeries. Now, it has been overrun by friars and other political and ecclesiastical leaders, who go through the country raping women.

One lustful knight is travelling and finds a beautiful maiden among Kng Arthur's people. He is so overcome with lust and the ability to do as he pleases, he rapes her. He is discovered and it is decided that he shall be executed. However, the queen among other ladies of Arthur's court intervene, pleading that his life be spared. It is then decided that he shall go out and discover what it is that all women truly desire, and if he fails to do so, he shall be executed.

The knight sets out, unsure of where to begin, he goes around asking women of different regions, towns, shires, and cities, what is it they most desire. All of them gave different answers. He continued to do this for sometime before giving up, and finally making a return journey to Arthur's court to receive justice.

On the return journey, the knight comes across a group of dancing women. Upon approach, they vanish, and instead, an old hag stands before him. The knight still explains his dilemma, and she insists that she can help, but in return she, the knight must do as she wishes. As his final attempt at saving his own life the hag returns with him to Arthur's court.

She speaks in front of Arthur's court, on the knight's behalf, saying that all that women desire is to have complete control over their husbands. All the women in the court agree with this statement. The hag however, requests that the knight marry her. The knight is horrified but reluctantly must agree to as she says.

After several days of being married to this old woman, the knight is encaptured in immense sadness. He vocalises his discontented spirit with his old wife and she asks if he'd rather have an faithful ugly wife, or a promiscuous beautiful wife. Unsure, the knight lets the hag decides, and thus provides her with control: what it was she truly desired. She immediately turns into a faithful and beautiful wife.