Was Chaucer a sexist?
It has been said that the legendary author, Geoffrey Chaucer, was a sexist. He has been criticized for his writings in The Canterbury Tales, that he treats women poorly and degrading. On numerous occasions he makes women look very "loose," and willing to do anything for a man. On the other hand Chaucer shows how he is a non-sexist on many occasions. He makes women have power like a queen. He allows these women to make choices and to choose punishments. They are allowed to decide either if a man should die or if their lives should be spared. Chaucer also allows women to have choices. He allows women to choose who they would want to have sexual relations with, and to actually out smart the other sex. The following stories will discuss how Chaucer is a non-sexist in "The Merchant's Tale," "The Wife of Bath's Tale," and "The Reeve's Tale." In "The Merchant's Tale," Chaucer shows women being very smart and free. For example, May has the freedom to be with whoever she wants to be with. She initially is with January for a period of time. She later grows a love for January's squire, Damian. She "chooses" to have sex with Damian while she makes January suspect nothing. "For certainly if you could r
In "The Miller's Tale," Chaucer shows women with a choice of who to have sexual relations with. For example, Allison is in a position where she can make men do anything. On her own desires she makes John, her husband, Nicholas, an Oxford student, and Absalon, a parish clerk, do anything she wants. Allison for instance, has numerous sexual relations with Nicholas. She has Nicholas convinced that he will never be caught by John because he is much smarter then him. "Unless I have my will for you I'll die of secret love- O, darling, do! O love-me-all-at-once or I shall die!" ("The Miller's Tale" p. 91). Nicholas believes his love is true for her, but in reality she is using him for sexual pleasures. The next example is Allison using Absalon for her own amusements. She embarrasses him greatly by inviting Absalon to come up to her window, so she can give him a kiss. Absalon closes his eyes while Nicholas sticks his buttocks and passes gas on poor Absalon. These are typical events that show how much control Allison has over men. In "The Wife of Bath's Tale," Chaucer shows women with power and ability to make important decisions. In "The Wife of Bath's Tale," a man commits a crime. He has raped a woman, and he now must face his punish
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Approximate Word count = 842
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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