The Wife of Bath

In the Wife of Bath's prologue when she is explaining about how she has had five husbands, she brings attention to the fact that she has never heard about there being a certain number of husbands one can have. Another fact she discovers is that men only have interpreted the Bible in a way that suits them, and whatever they believe. She also brings to attention that God says to increase and multiply, and there is not one time that he says where bigamy or ocotogamy is a sin or a scandal. She then goes on to say how King Soloman had more than one wife, and he was not looked down upon because of it. She brings up how to marry is no sin, because according to him, because it is better to marry than to burn. She then states that we were given organs accordingly, male or female, in order to be together, and increase the human population, which is what God had in store. In this, she is arguing against the Medieval Church, who is saying that virginity takes the prize. She also brings to attention that it says that a woman has power over her husband's body, and he over hers.
Let's shine some light on some of the major fallacies in this story. There are several, but I am going to describe two of the main ones. First is the fallacy of how many men women were allowed to marry. This is found in lines 13-27:

"That only once in life should I be wed. 

And listen what a sharp word, too, was said

Beside a well by Jesus, God, and man, 

In a reproof of the Samaritan:

'Now you have had five husbands,' Jesus said, 

'But he who has you now, I say instead,

Is not your husband.' That he said, no doubt,

But what he meant I haven't figured out;

For I must ask, why is it the fifth man 

Wasn't husband to the Samaritan?

How many men was she allowed to wed? 

In all my years I've never heard it said

Exactly how this number is defined;

Men may surmise and gloss how it's divined, 

But I expressly know it's not a lie"

The second fallacy is one that states that marriage is a means for sexual desires. It is found in lines 142-159:

"I don't begrudge them their virginity;

They're bread from finest wheat, so it be said, 

And us wives be known as barley bread.

And yet with barley bread, as Mark can tell,

Was many a man by Jesus nourished well. 

In such estate as God calls each of us

I'll persevere. I'm not fastidious,

In wifehood I will use my instrument

As freely as my Maker has it sent.

If I hold back, God bring me misery!

My spouse shall have it day and night, when he 

Desires he may come forth and pay his debt. 

I'll have a husband--I'm not quitting yet--

And he will be my debtor and my slave, 

And in the flesh his troubles will be grave

As long as I continue as his wife;

For I will have the power all my life over his body, I and never he." 

When asked to consider a song that the Wife of Bath might like, the song "Man I Feel Like a Woman" by Shania Twain immediately comes to mind. It is a song about a strong and independent woman who lives life by her own terms and follows her own rules. It's an empowering song, one that makes most girls want to stand up and scream it from the top of their lungs for everyone to hear. I think it is a perfect song that describes the Wife of Bath because she pretty much does whatever she wants, and doesn't care about the opinion of others. 

"Let's go girls! Come on. 

I'm going out tonight-I'm feelin' alright

Gonna let it all hang out

Wanna make some noise-really raise my voice

Yeah, I wanna scream and shout

No inhibitions-make no conditions

Get a little outta line

I ain't gonna act politically correct

I only wanna have a good time

The best thing about being a woman

Is the prerogative to have a little fun

Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy-forget I'm a lady

Men's shirts-short skirts

Oh, oh, oh really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style

Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction

Color my hair-do what I dare

Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel

Man! I feel like a woman!

The girls need a break-tonight we're gonna take 

The chance to get out on the town

We don't need romance-we only wanna dance

We're gonna let our hair hang down

The best thing about being a woman

Is the prerogative to have a little fun

Oh, oh oh, go totally crazy-forget I'm a lady

Men's shirts-short skirts

Oh, oh, oh really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style

Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction

Color my hair-do what I dare

Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel

Man! I feel like a woman!

The best thing about being a woman

Is the prerogative to have a little fun (fun, fun)

Oh, oh oh, go totally crazy-forget I'm a lady

Men's shirts-short skirts

Oh, oh, oh really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style

Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction

Color my hair-do what I dare

Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel

Man! I feel like a woman!

I get totally crazy

Can you feel it

Come, come, come on baby

I feel like a woman!"

Another question I am asked to consider is one that asks what celebrity reminds me most of the character of the Wife of Bath. I am choosing Ashley Tisdale while playing the role of Sharpay Evans in the popular Disney Channel Movie High School Musical. Tisdale does a great job of portraying a spoiled rotten brat who gets everything she could possibly want. She never gets in trouble, and could probably get away with robbing a bank. The Wife of Bath is similar because she strongly believes that it's either her way or the highway, and no one else's opinion matters but hers.