Representation of Women in Canterbury Tales

 Some aspects of the life of medieval women as portrayed by Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales suggest that few of them had individual hopes and dreams of women who are not completely satisfied with the tradition that determines their position in society which wanted to identify as a woman either as nun or as characterless. The society of the author’s contemporary period was not ready to accept women with diverse unique personalities as they expected from men. Women were expected to maintain the prescribed appearances, movement restrictions, and sexual submissiveness.

The Prioress is the first one mentioned in The Prologue. She is described as a vain, nobly acting woman who takes into great consideration the opinion that other people have about her. It is highly probable that the Prioress was an aristocratic daughter whose parents did not have enough money for her dowry. In such a case, the convent was an easy solution. It was not so expensive to leave the daughter secured in a convent as to get her married. She is an ideal woman for her society, a good example to be followed. An important fact is that this type is very asexual with thinking aiming to heaven. The outward appearance is certainly not one of the most important qualities of a nun but the Prioress is described only in the terms of her appearance and courtly behavior. She wears a faultless dress, speaks meekly, smiles coyly, eats with all the cares of the world, and sings for others' pleasure. In short, her life is to meet the social expectations around a woman apparently.

One important factor is the number of female characters is clearly disproportionate, as compared to the number of characters involved all over the book. Although the setting is a pilgrimage, a holy activity, not even a fourth of the members are women. It suggests the depth of the practice of the restriction of movement for women. Even when it comes to religious achievements, they are not supposed to move out of their home usually. Even when they move, they have to keep a bunch of attendances just as the prioress does. And, among them, the Second Nun does not even have a personal prologue like other characters do. She does not speak to the other pilgrims and only tells her story when asked. It shows that even in the pilgrimage, a female member was supposed to have communication restrictions.

Finally, the wife of the Bath is portrayed as the most notorious character among the pilgrims apparently for her socially unacceptable number of marriages and frankness in attitude. Alison is a feminist of her own making who lives in a patriarchal world with strict views of women, and her domestic revolution seems outrageous in her times. The reader has to experience the violent rage of women who are treated as good when they go through their own experience in the five marriages, and that way, they would have to agree that equal power should be exercised by the husband and the wife in a family. But, it does not go that simply as she gets a prejudiced view from the male gaze as a sexy woman for wearing red socks.

Thus, Canterbury Tales represents women’s life in Chaucerian society from both the idealized and stigmatized versions as well as focuses on the restrictions of movement and communication put upon them.