The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Tale Appearances Quotes
How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used the line numbering found on Librarius's online edition.
Quote #1
But certeinly, er he came fully there,
Vanysshed was this daunce, he nyste where.
No creature saugh he that bar lyf,
Save on the grene he saugh sittynge a wyf –
A fouler wight ther may no man devyse.
(1001 – 1005)
The ugly woman's appearance after a mysteriously vanished dancing ring of ladies clues us in to the fact that we've stumbled upon the loathly, or ugly, lady, a figure from Celtic folklore whose job is to test the hero and who, in that folklore, symbolizes the sovereignty of the land.
Quote #2
'For though that I be foul, and oold, and poore,
I nolde for al the metal, ne for oore,
That under erthe is grave, or lith above,
But if thy wyf I were, and eek thy love.'
(1068 – 1072)
The lady's declaration here is kind of heart-wrenching; she reminds us that no matter what one's appearance or years, most people desire love and its trappings.
Quote #3
I seye, ther nas no joye ne feeste at al;
For prively he wedde hir on a morwe,
And al day after hidde hym as an owle,
So wo was hym, his wyf looked so foule.
(1084 – 1088)
A noble wedding in a romance is typically the occasion for a narration of a great and elaborate spectacle. The beauty of his wife was a source of pride for the husband, who wanted everybody to see her as it enhanced his status. The fact that this husband "hidde hym as an owle" demonstrates not only his shame, but the fact that he wants to hide himself and his wife from view, which upsets the conventions of both romance and courtly life.
Quote #4
'Thou art so loothly and so oold also,
And therto comen of so lough a kynde,
that litel wonder is though I walwe and wynde.
So wolde God, myn herte wolde breste!'
(1106 – 1109)
Henceforth we have only learned of the lady's loathsomeness and age, suggesting that the knight's accusation that she's lowborn comes from his disgust at these other qualities. This assumption reveals an arrogance on his part for which his wife duly takes him to task.
Quote #5
Now, ther ye seye that I am foul and old,
Than drede you noght to been a cokewold;
For filthe and elde, al so moot I thee,
been grete wardeyns upon chastitee.
(1219 – 1222)
This passage recalls one in the Wife of Bath's Prologue where she claims her husband decries marriage to a young, attractive wife because it will be impossible to keep other men from having sex with her. Recall that there, in contrast to the implication of this passage, ugly wives were also undesirable – in that case because they were thought to be like spaniels jumping on the first man they could find.
Quote #6
'Chese now,' quod she, 'oon of thise thynges tweye:
To han me foul and old til that I deye,
and be to yow a trewe humble wyf,
and nevere yow displese in al my lyf.'
(1225 – 1228)
This passage draws upon the lady's argument above about the benefits of having old, ugly wives. That passage implied that it is only natural for ugly wives to be faithful, because they can't find anyone else willing to have sex with them.
Quote #7
Or elles ye wol han me yong and fair,
And take youre aventure of the repair
That shal be to youre hous, by cause of me,
Or in som oother place may wel be.
(1229 – 1233)
This passage is a little curious because, despite the way the choice the lady offers the knight is often read, she doesn't guarantee that as a beautiful young woman she will necessarily be unfaithful to the knight. Instead, she's basically telling him he'll have to take his chances. This is what the phrase "take youre aventure" means.
Quote #8
'Kys me,' quod she, 'we be no lenger wrothe,
For, by my trouthe, I wol be to yow bothe!
This is to seyn, ye, bothe fair and good.'
(1245 – 1247)
The lady's promise to the knight here is his reward for choosing the correct answer, but it's also a rebuttal to the antifeminist notion that a beautiful wife can not remain faithful to her husband.
Quote #9
'And but I be to-morn as fair to seene
As any lady, emperice, or queene,
That is bitwixe the est and eke the west,
Dooth with my lyf and deth right as yow lest.'
(1251 – 1254)
This statement from the loathly lady draws upon the somewhat classist notion that noble women were more beautiful than poor ones. There's probably some historical truth to this idea, however, since rich women were more likely to have access to health care, hygiene, and beauty treatments to enhance their physical appearance.
Quote #10
And whan the knyght saugh verraily al this;
That she so fair was, and so yong therto,
For joye he hente hire in hise armes two.
(1256 – 1258)
Notice that there's no condemnation of the knight for being unable to love his wife for what's 'on the inside.' This might reflect a medieval idea that the appearance of a person is revealing of what's on the inside.