The Canterbury Tales: “The Wife of Bath’s Tale (p. 184),” Study Guide
1. In lines 7-21, the narrator introduces the subject of her tale—marriage and its many difficulties. What personal opinion
and experiences does she also reveal?
2. In lines 22-25, what understanding of women does the Pardoner hope to gain from the Wife of Bath’s tale?
3. In the frame story of The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath and the Friar have an ongoing quarrel. In what way does
the Wife of Bath’s digression in lines 39-56 reflect this dispute?
4. In lines 57-63, how does the opening of the Wife of Bath’s tale illustrate an extreme case of a man who has
no understanding of women?
5. In lines 57-86, is the king’s decision, that the knight should die for his crime, fair?
6. What is the knight’s original punishment and his revised punishment? Who comes up with the revised punishment?
7. Review lines 57-88. What characteristics of the Wife’s narrative style appear in the story’s introduction?
8. What is the narrator’s opinion of flattery in lines 101-110? Consider what this view suggests about her personality.
9. In lines 101-124, the knight finds many different opinions on understanding women’s one desire. What are they?
10. Summarize the events of the Midas tale, as told by the Wife of Bath.
11. Reread lines 128-158. In what way does the Wife of Bath digress, or wander, from her story about the knight? Explain
what purpose this interruption might serve.
12. What agreement does the knight make with the old woman?
13. In lines 181-216, according to the old woman, what is the key to an understanding of women?
Which words best describe the Knight? Find textual evidence to support.
14. Consider why the Wife of Bath speaks directly to the other pilgrims in lines 249-58. What effect might this digression
have on her audience?
15. In lines 282-300, according to the Wife of Bath, what gives a man the distinction of being a great gentleman? Why
does the old lady feel it necessary to explain her ideas about gentility to the knight?
16. In lines 285-294, the old woman offers a lengthy rebuttal to the knight’s complaints. Why might the narrator place her
focus on the old woman and not the knight at this point in the story?
17. What was the knight like at the beginning of the tale? How does he treat the old lady who is now his wife? What does
this show about his character? Has he absorbed the meaning of his answer to the queen’s question, yet?
18. In lines 322-358, why does the old woman launch into a speech against the knight? What arguments does the old
woman use to put the knight to shame?
19. Why does the old woman’s speech (lines 285-394) go on for so long?
20. Reread lines 341-382. What reasons does the old woman give to demonstrate that poverty is not shameful? What does
she say are the advantages of being poor?
21. Reread lines 341-352. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is full of many literary allusions, especially in the old woman’s
rebuttal to the knight. What are some of these allusions and how do they help characterize both the old woman and the
Wife of Bath?
22. In lines 346-388, is the old woman helping the knight to gain an understanding that goes beyond “what women most
desire”?
23. Reread lines 395-411. What choice does the old woman present to the knight after her long speech? What is his
decision? What does his decision show about his character at this point in the story and what type of character is the
knight (round, flat, static, or dynamic)?
24. Reread the last paragraph. What is the Wife of Bath’s attitude toward husbands who are controlling or misers
(“niggards”)? Cite details that helped you draw this conclusion.
25. What does the Wife of Bath’s tale suggest about her own marriages?
26. Was the Wife of Bath ahead of her time or behind the times with regard to her attitude toward gender roles in the 14 th
century?
27. Did the Wife of Bath succeed in telling a tale that “gives the fullest measure/ Of good morality and general pleasure”
(“The Prologue,” lines 817-18).
28. In what ways does the relationship between the knight and the old woman change during the course of the story? Is the
conclusion of the story satisfying?
The Canterbury Tales: “The Pardoner’s Tale (p. 170),” Study Guide
1. In lines 16-22, in what way is the Pardoner’s choice of the topic of avarice for his tale a sign of his corruption?
2. The Pardoner convinces people to buy certificates of forgiveness by reciting his moral stories. What can you predict
about the characters and events of the tale he will tell?
3. Review lines 39-47. Why does the Pardoner tell his moral stories? Explain how his motive is ironic, or different from
what you might have expected.
4. In lines 50-57, why does the Pardoner admit his own corruption?
5. What event prompts the three rioters to seek Death?
6. In lines 67-86, Have you ever received a warning that you did not heed? How does that help you predict what will
happen to the rioters?
7. In lines 67-86, what adds credibility to the boy’s words? What event do the words of the boy and innkeeper
foreshadow?
8. Many characters in moral stories are allegorical—that is, they stand for abstract ideas, such as virtue and beauty.
Identify the allegorical character presented in lines 72-89. Who fears him? Why?
9. What qualities of the three men does Chaucer emphasize in lines 93-107? Predict what will happen to them based on
these textual clues.
10. In lines 108-132, how do rioters treat the poor old man? What does the rioters’ treatment of the old man reveal about
them?
11. What purpose do the story of the old man’s life and his views about death serve?
12. A foil is a character who provides a striking contrast to other characters. In what way does the old man serve as a foil
to the three rioters?
13. To best illustrate a moral point, characters in an exemplum are usually good or evil. To which category does the
gambler belong? Cite evidence from lines 149-158 to support your response.
14. Reread lines 167-182. In what way is the discovery the rioters make at the old tree ironic, or different from what you
had anticipated?
15. How are Death, Mother Earth, and Fortune personified in this tale?
16. Reread lines 183-200. How do you think the three men will react to the challenge of sharing their treasure?
17. In lines 207-229, is the rioters’ corruption surprising?
18. Which details in lines 236-242 tell you that greed is the subject of this moral story?
19. In lines 243-259, how does the youngest rioter’s level of corruption compare to that of his friends?
20. Moral stories usually have straightforward plots, where events happen in quick succession. In what way does the
story’s conclusion fit this pattern?
21. In lines 280-89, how does the rioters’ end support the lesson that the desire for money is the root of evil? Do the
rioters get what they deserve?
22. In lines 326-340, in what way does the Pardoner reveal his corruption in the end? Is the Pardoner being serious or
facetious (joking) at this point?
23. What is Chaucer suggesting by having a corrupt narrator relate this tale?
24. Did the Pardoner succeed in telling a tale that “gives the full measure / Of good morality and general pleasure” (lines
817-818 in The Prologue)?
25. For each type of irony, (verbal, situational, and dramatic), provide an example from “The Pardoner’s Tale.”
26. How essential is irony to the meaning of the story?