Anais Quinones
October 31, 2005
Chaucer
BRL 2316
Prof. Tague

Contrast and Comparison
The Knight and the Wife of Bath

In the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer, the Knight and the Wife of Bath are similar and also different. The Knight represents the nobility and military estate while the Wife of Bath represents the middle status. Both the Knight and the Wife of Bath are fearless. The Knight was a fearless worthy man who fought in the crusades while the Wife of Bath was fearless about her opinions on love, she was outspoken. The Knight and the Wife of Bath were similar in many ways. They both were best in their talents. The Knight was best knight in all nations in Prussia, "Aboven alle nacions in Pruce"(line 53). …show more content…

She had five churched husbands, "Housbondes at chirch dore she hadde five"(line 460). It seems as if the narrator mentions that the Wife of Bath had many boyfriends when she was a teenager, "Withouten oother compaignye in youthe-"(line 461). She wore a skirt and sharp shoes, " The Knight and the Wife of Bath's way of dress were completely different. The narrator does not mention as much about the Knights way of dress as he does the Wife of Bath.. The Knight wore tunic made of coarse cloth, "Of fustian he wered a gypon"(line 75). His tunic was all stained by rust, "Al bistmotered with his habergeon"(line76). The Wife of Bath wore fine and heavy linen coverings for her head, "Hir cover chiefs ful fine weren of ground; I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound"(line 453-454). She wore fine scarlet red stockings, "Hir hosen weren of fine scarlet reed"(line 456), with supple new, and closely laced shoes, "Ful streite yteyd, and shoes ful moyste and newe" (line 457). The Wife of Bath always wear head gear and hence the narrator mentions her head coverings twice throughout her portrait, "Hir cover chiefa ful fine weren of ground"(line 453) and "Ywympled wel, and on hir heed an hat, As brood as is a bokeler or a targe"(line 470-471). The Wife of Bath was a religious person who went to church on Sundays, "In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon"(line 449), "That on Sonday weren upon hir