The Tragic Figure of the Wyf of Bath.

Author / Editor
Salter, F. M.

Title
The Tragic Figure of the Wyf of Bath.

Published
Transactions Royal Society of Canada 48, no. 2 (1954): 1-14.

Description
Describes a strong strain of morality in Chaucer's writing and emphasizes his "reticence" in expressing it. Then explores tragic dimensions of WBPT, focusing on Wife's early marriages (in comparison with May's and January's in MerT), her memory of her fourth husband, the rape motif of WBT, the loathly lady's gentilesse "sermon," and the end of the Tale. Concludes that what the Wife wants is children.

Alternative Title
Presidential Address: The Tragic Figure of the Wyf of Bath.

Chaucer Subjects
Wife of Bath and Her Tale
Merchant and His Tale