The W if e of Bath's

Ta le long time ago , when K ing Ar t hu r ru led the

la nd, th ere was a grea l kni.ght w ho
loved all the pleasures of lif e. Bu l one d ay,
a lady of the COlli'l told the Kin g th at
t h e k nigh t ha d
attacked her.
Ar thur was very angry an d said tha t the knigh t m ust die. 'Cu l
off his hea d!' Bu t the Queen and her l adies asked A r l b u r to
give the knight to them for p unishmen t. To p l ease b
is queen, Arlh w· agreed .
The Qu een sent for tbe k night. '1 a11d my l ad ies h ave the
power to let yo u live or die,' she said . 'Y ou w ill li ve on l y if
y ou can a nswer this qu esti on : W.ha l is it tha t \1omen m ost
desire? I f y ou cann ot tell us a t t hi s m om ent, you ma y go
aw ay for a year a nd a

80
 The W ife of Bath's Tale
day to fin d Lh e answ er. Bu t if y ou r etur n wi thou t the answer .
remem ber thi s: Lh e axe is sharp!'
The knight w as very unha p py but he ha d n o choice. 'H e
said
goodbye to Lh e Qu een and rode away.
He travel led Lhro ugh t h e whole coun try, fro·m coast to
coast, looking for L he answer . tie knocked on every door. '\l\lha t
is it tha l wo m en m ost d esire?' he asked . B ut he could not fin d
tw o people wh o agreed.
'Women wanl to be rich.'
'No, they want a good re p u tation.'
'No. tl1ey w a nt pleasu re.'
'1'hey wan t fine clothes. '
'They vv ant a lif e of Love wilh many h usban ds.'
'Women want to be spoilt and flatte1·ed.' 1

'Women. wan t freed om , v.rith nobody to criticise the1n.'

'Worn.en wan t people t o say tha t they can keep a secret.'
That is n or1sense. of course. N o woman can keep a secret.
Do y ou rem em ber t he a n ci en t t a le of King Mi das? Mid as
gre'"' a splendid pair of donkey's ears un.der bi s long ha ir.
Nobody knew excep t his wif e. Midas loved her and m.a d e her
promise that she w oul dn't t ell anyone abou t his ears. Of cotuse,
she promised bt1t, because she was a woman, it was difficul t
to k eep the sec1·et. It wan ted to fly ou t of h er moutl1.
'l m us t tell somebody, · sh e thought. So, she ran down to
the lake, her hear t on fire. She lay do,.vn among the river
grasses and whi spered t l1e secrel to th e wa ter. 'My husban d
h as a p air of

1. flattered : !ft ll 0
81
 terb
The: _La
"'T""
Can ury
donkey 's ears.' The w ind sprea d th e sec1'et
les
thr ou gh
the w hole coun try . We women are all
like tha t.
Wel l. the knight realised that he woul d never find t11e
answer. He felt sad an d hopeless. The year had finished an d thi s
w as tl1e day when b.e had to return to the Queen.
As he was riding sadly back to th e court throtLgh the forest, h
e su dd enly saw t\.venty-four beau t iful w omen dancin.g on the
green grass . 'Perhaps they kno w the ans,.ver,' he though t. He <i
pproa ched th en1 but , as h e did so, th ey vanished ·1 fron1his
sight. It had been a n1agi c vi sion. R emember tha t, in the days of
King Ar thu1·, there were still fairies in the world.
There was no livin g t h ing in the forest excep t an ol d woma
n sitti11g on the grass where they had danced . She w as the
ug l i est, n1ost h orrible creatur e he had ever seen .
This ttgly hag 2 stood up and said, 'Sir kn igh t, lb.ere i s no
path here. Tell me , whal are y ou l oo.king for'? Perhaps T ca n h
elp. W e ol d people kno w many things.'
'Ol d lady , I will die toda y un less I can answer th is
question. W ha t is it tha t women m ost desire? J f you can tell
me, I 'll pay y ou w ell.'
'Give me yow·hand ,' said the ha g. 'Promise 111e lha l , if
Igive you the tr ue answer, yo u wi l l do an ything L ha l I ask .'
'I prom ise,' agreed the knigh t .
'Then y ol:Lr life is safe. Th e Quee n herse lf w ill agree w i t h
my answer. The prou d est la dy lha t ever wore bea utifu l
cl othes will admit that I a m right. Let n1e t each y ou the
answer.' An d lbe old w oman whispered in hi s ear.

1. va n i shed : m1!k 0

2. h ag : IJ.fil$;k •
82
 lhe ,.,-'
Canterbury _Lales
W hen t hey ca n1e t o th e Qu een 's cou rt. the k n igh t sa i d , 'I
am rea dy to gi ve my answer.·
Th e Queen an d all her l a dies were there. Thero w ere single
won1en an d wi.ves a nd 111a n y wi dows, who aJ:e the wises t of
all. Th e k n ight was the on l y man , surround ed 1 by wom en.
'Speak!' sai d the Queen who sa t l i k e a j ttdge. 'Si l ence
evc ry an e. Listen to the k night.·
The knigh t spoke Lo udly so tha t a ll th e ladi es cou l d hear.
'My sweet Queen,' he sa i d . 'w omen d esire to ha v e po,.ver
over t11eir h u sbands. This i s you r grea test d esire. K ill me if you
l ike bu t this i s th e tru e answer.'
Th ere vas n o 'l.v om a n i n th e cour t, n ot a gi rl or u wife or
a w i dow , who disagreed w i t h h im. 'You may keep y ou r life!'
said Lhe Queen.
A t th a t mom en t , t h e old hag j ump ed u p a n d sp o k e. 'Oh
p ovverf ul Qu een ,' she sai d , 'b ef ore y ou go. g i ve n1e j ust i ce.
I t au gh t the knight h ow lo a n swer. In return, he sa id that he
wou l d do whatever 1 asked h i n1. Th erefore, bef ore th
is cou r t , I a sk y ou, sir kn iglit, to rn arry m o. I h
ave saved y ou r l ife; n ow do this for

'T'h o knight answered u n ha pp ily. ·r know th at l pro n1i sed

y ou this. But please change y ou r requ est. J will gi vc you
everything I ha ve bu t let my body be m i n e.'
'No ! I am uglyan d ol d a n d poor. Bu l Id o n otwa n l ghol d or
l a n d or Luxur ies. I wa nt t o he y our wife and. m ore th an tha t , I
wa nt lo be your love!'
'My love? Th at i s in1possib l e.'
Bu t t he knight could not escape. fle marr.i ed Ih e h ag secretly

1. su rl'ound ed : fil Lt •

81
 The ,.,-'
Cante:rbury _Lales
nex t day and hid bin1self f or tl1e rest of the d ay . There vvas no
dancing, no singjng or eating and drinking at their v.redding.
1'hat night, he lay in bed w ith her. He turned to and f1·0 1

l ike so1neone with a ba d dream , keeping as far a\.v ay from lier as

possible.
His old wif e lay there smili11g. 'Dear hu sban d , d oes every
011e of King Ar thur 's kni gl1ts behave like this w i th his.
bride? I am yo ul' own s\lv eet w ife. l have saved y our lif e. 1
have never done anythin g ba d to you. Why do you. behave
like this on our fi.rst nigh t together? Tell rr1e th e prob l < m an
d T w.il l .mal< e it right.'
'Make it right? No . in1possi bl e. You are so u gly, so ol d , and
y ou co.m e fron1 such a low family, that ldon 't want to be near
you.'
'Is that all? r£ you treat n1e well. I ca11 m a k e this righ t in
th ree short days. But why do y ou w orry abou t my fa1u ily ?
Don 't yo u know tha t true gentlew ornen an d tru e gent l emen are
ilie ones who d o good t hings . L or d s an d la dies can b eco
m e t hieve s a n d m urdere rs and cheats. 2 Bu t a poor man or
woman ca n be a tr ue gentle-person if b e or she l oves God an d
ot h er hu man bei n gs.
'T}1en y ou say tha t 1 am p oor. There is n othing wrong i n
tha t. Jesus h i mself chose t o live as a poor m an . ItJ1j11k th at
tl1e poor m an is rich , even if he has no shirt. The poor ma n can
aJ ways find a song to sing. I-le is no l a fraid of thieves. He loves
God. Re kn ows that his friends l ove him for himself and n ol
l'or his money . J t is good to be poor, I Lhink.
'Lastly, you said tha t I am. olcl and ugl y. Bu t y ou know that
all the best writers tell us to respect ol d peopl e. And i f I'm ugly ,
y ou needn't be afraid t ha t L \.vill cl1ea l you with anoth er m an.
But I k n ow what men lik e. I will give you grea t pleasure.
1. tu rne d to and fro : lli' ll*lg[ 0

2. cheats : !ll;l::F- •
 The W if e of Bath's Ta le
'Now , choose on e of tl1ese tv.ro things. You can h ave m e old
an ugly un til I ru e. will a true wife to yo u and never
dyo T
as l ong as I Or can have me y oung and bea ut if
u live. men will visit y olir hu1.
But then ouse whi l e y ou are aw ay beca use (
ru1i. so beau tifu l. N ow choose. Wh ich do y o·u want?'
The knight t.b ough t abou l lhis for a long time. It ma de h im
very unhappy . At 1ast, he spoke.
'My la dy an d my lov e, my darl ing wife , I pt1t myself in
y our power. Choose y ourself. Yo u are wise enough to know
which way is the best for y ou and for me. I don't care wh at y ou
decide. U you are pleased, then Ia m also 11a ppy.'
'A re you reall y giving me the power t o choose? Will y ou do as
Isay?'
'Yes, w if e, it is best.'
"f hen kiss m e. We'll stop being angry w i th each other. I'll be
both things t o y ou . l mea n that I'll be y oung and beau tiful but
al so a tru e wif e. I'll be the best wife that anyone has ever b a d
in the h istory of tb e worl d . If , to1norro \.v , w h en the sun is
shining, I am no l as bea ut iful as any queen in the east or w est ,
then k ill n1e if y ou like. Ta ke the cur tain from the window. It is
moru i11g already , h usban d. Look al n1e.'
W he n th e kn ight l ook ed a t her , he saw th a t she Jea l ly
w as y otLng and bea utifu l. lie caugh t her in his arms an d
gave her a thou sand k isses. She did everything she coul d to please
h i m..
So Lbey li ved in p erfect j oy. Please God, send all of us \•vomen
y ou.i1g , strong, l1an dsom e hu sban ds who wil l d o anyt hing for
our love . An d if any men won 't give women w ha t they m ost
desire - tJ1e power over their ht1sbands - let God strike
t heu1dea d!
87
 >I< PART SIX +

The Franklin's Ta le
' a n1 a sim ple man ,' sai d tho Frank l i n . 'I h aven
't read ma n y books. Bu t I wi ll tell my story
simpl y a nd cl eA rl y.'
A l ong l ime ago . i n Br i t ta n y , there w as a k n i gh
t w ho l oved a l ady. Sh o w as on e of L he m ost be au t if u l
w om en u n d er the Sllil and cam e from a noblo fa m ily. He
w as afr a id to speak L o her bu t a t J asl he asked her to ma rry
him .
She kn ew ho w mu ch h o loved her and decided lo accept hi
m a s h er h u sb n d a11d h er lord . 111 r etur n , he
p r omised t h a the
\\'O u l d n ever use bis power against h er bu t wo u ld alwa ys d o
what sbe wa n ted. He wou ld never forget L hat he was her l over
as well as h er h usba nd .
'Si r ,' she sai d , 'you h a ve gi v en m e every t hing 1 w a n t f rom
1narriage - love a n d i n depen dence. I w il l be your true wi fe un til
I die. My hea r t is yours.'
93
 The ""T'"'
C anterbury _Lales

This is the best kin d of ma rriage. Love will n ot be lin1ited by

power. \IV hen on e p erson tries to con trol Lhe oth er, tl1e God of
Love beats his "'dugs and, farewell, he is gon e! Women want to
be free, not to be servants. And men are tb e sa;n e.
So the lady took the knight as her servant in love and her l ord
in m ar r iage . If y otL are n ot marr i ed , y o ucan ' t .i1nag in e th
e happiness that a wif e and husband caJ,1 enjoy.
Soon, however, the knight, \.Yhose nam e was Ar verag us, had
to go to Englan d to fight. He stay ed lbere for tw o years. His
w ife , wh ose name was Dorige n , loved h er h us ba nd as in
u ch as she l oved her own life. While he was a w ay, she cried
and sighed 1 and lost her appetite. She coul d not sleep and paid
no attention to the world. Arveragus sent her letters, telling her
how much he loved her . A t last, she began to recover. 2 She
drove awa y her dark fantasy.
H er castle was on the coast. next to the sea. Dor ige11 often
walked wi th her fr i en ds along the cliff-top 3 b ut , w hen she
saw th e sh.i p s on tb e sea, she b egan to cry . ' f on e of
tl1ese ships brought hom e my lord, then my hearl would be
h appy.'
There were terrible black rocks in the sea . Her hear t trem b l ed
with f ear . 'Go d , w hy did y ou m ake thes e b lack rock s aJ1d p u t
them here in the sea? They are no good for anything. Th ey destroy
ships. Thousa n ds of men have d ied al sea . Tl kills my heart to look
at tl1em .'
On e morning i11 May , her friend s ha d a par ty for her. They
wa n ted to make her ha ppy. They wen t to a garden full of flowers

1. si ghed : i!)l&\ •

2. recover : #<'.!:!: •
3. cliff-top : •
 Yhe ,_.,-'
Canterbury _Lales
wi th their brigh t col ours a n d sweet perf u mes; a l i tt le pa ra dise.
Af ter dinner, tJ1ey bega n to dance an d sing. Bu t Oo r igen
stayed a lone. She coul d n ot be happy w i thout Arverag us.
At t l1is party , th ere w as on e of h er ne.i gh hou rs, a y ou ng
squire n a n1ed A urelius. I-le wa s as bri ght an d han dsome as May i
tsel f. He w as young, strong, 11on cst, rich and wi se; a pe r fect
l over. He had l oved Dorigen secret ly for two y ears bu t ha d n ovor
to l d h er. H e ha d wri t ten many songs and poems abou t a bea u
t i fu l lady that be l oved hopelessl y b u t she herse lf ha d n o i d
ea t ha t she was the lady!
A u rel ius decided t ha t t he t i n1e bad come lo ope n h i s hea r t.
'Madam , my J1eart is break i ng. You can k i ll 1110 or save my li
fe w i th on e word. T l i e hero a t your feet. G i ve m o y ou r sw eet
l ove or 1'"'ill die.'
'Whal are y ou say i ng? ' said Dor igen . ·r ..,v i ll n ever be an u
ntru e
w ife. Take this as 1n y fi na l ans\ver.' Bul. a fter th is, she added as
a jok e, 'Aurel ius, Iwou l d give you my love if y ou cou l d
remove the black r ocks from th e sea. I f y ou can do tha t , I'l l
l ove you n1ore than any other ma n I'
'Is t here no other 11v ay lo w i n you r love?'
'No, by God . Forget t h i s st·u pi d idea. W hy do you wa n t another
1n an 's wife?'
'Ma dam,' sai d A ureli us, 'il is i1npossible t o ren1ove t h e
rocks. So, I will die for y ot1r l ove.' W ith these'"'ords, ho l oft her.
A t his ho use, he shi vered 1 wi t h col d. His hear t was ice. He got
down on h i s kn ees and spoke lo th e gods.
'Apo ll o, god of th o su n, h elp me. Yo ur sist er, t ho goddess
of tl1e moon, has powe r ovor t b e seas and ri vers. Ask he r to
m ake a

L shivered : 1'ftl< •
96
 The Franklin's Tale
great flood which covers th e bJ ack rocks. Then l can go to my
l ady and say , Look ! J have won y our l ove !' With those words,
Aurelilts fell on th e fl oor. Lu ckily, h is brother found him and
carried him to bed.
N ow i i is time for me to tell y ou about Arverag us. He cam
e back fron1 the wars after h e ha d won many battl es. Dorigen,
y ou. are so hap py n ow! Your h usba11d is in your arms! He
l oves you bet ter than his O\.Yll life and n ever im agi11es tha l
another man has spoken to y ou about love.
A u relius was love-sick 1 for two years ! He stayed in bed and
to l d no on e abou t 11is desire for Dorigen except his bro ther.
Hi s br other was very worried. 'How can l help A urelius?' he
asked himself . 'I ren1ember tha t when I was in the city of
Orleans, T saw a secret boo k. There are stud ents of magic who
can make a river flow inside a house or a l ion appear at a
dance. They can make people see a castle suddenly appear an d
then, when they wish, it disappears again.'
So h i s broth e l' to l d Aure l iu s ab ou t th e b o ok . Au r el i u s
i m m edi ately decid ed to go to Orleans with him . As they
came
'
n ear the cit y, a y oun.g man n1et h i m . 'I know wby y ou are here,' he
said. 'l a1n Lh.e ma gicia11 who ca11 help you.' This man took the
bro thers to his ho use and showed them fantastic tl1ings. Knights
fough t a gl'e at battle in fron t of their eyes. Th en A urel itLS
saw
•
Dorigen dancing and went to join her . The magician clapped 2 hi s
han ds. Everything disa ppear ed!

1. love-si ck ; ;M1: ) ,1jJ/ •

2. clapped : fl'l 'f- •
97
 The
Canterbury _Lales
The magician p rom ised to make all the bla ck rocks d isa ppear
fr om the coast of Br it ta n y. 'But y o u m ust pa y n10 a t ho usan d
pou n ds. Nothin g .l ess.'
A ure liu s laugh ed . 'I wou l d g.ive you. t he rou nd w orl d i f
y ou cou I d hel p me win the love of DoT igen. Ipromi se t o pa y
y ou.'
Next day, the broth ers an d the n1agician rode ba ck lo t h e
coast. It w as December, the beg i n n i ng of wi n ter wh en a ll the
green ha d d isappeared from the worl d . 1'h ere was frost and
ra i n an d SDO\>V. 'Please act quickly.' begged A urelius. 'If Ihave
to wa i t l onger, 1 w il l ki ll m yself for love.'
The m agician was sorry for him an d w orked d ay an d night. fle
took ottt his magic books an d chose th e best ti1n o for h is t r ick.
The n1oon and stars were in t he r igh t p lace in the sky . Th en . by
m agic, th e rocks became in v isible. No on e couJ d see t h em .
A ur eli us wen t to the cl i ff an d look ed . Th en he fe ll a t th
e m agician 's f eet . 'Tha n k y ou , my lor d , a n d t h a n k y o u .
La d y Ven us.' He went quick ly to find Dorigen .
'My Lrue lady,' b.e bega n , 'you almos t killed me •v h cn y ou
did no t give me y our J ove. B u l n ow , r emember y ou r prom ise
a nd do n ot 01u!'der m e. Ib a ve d on e wh at y ou wan ted .
1'h e b l ack rocks ha ve gon e. Go and l ook . Th en , if y ou
deci d e to be truo lo y our pron1ise, come to me at t h e garden!
We ,...,ill be l overs t h ere!'
Dorigen lost a ll tho col ou r from her face. 'J ha ve boon tr i cked!
I
ne ver imagined tha t i t wo u l d be possible to rem ove
the rocks.' Sh e w en t h om e and cr i ed f or t
wo d a y s w i t h ou t s t o p p i ng . Arvera gus w as in an oth er
Lo wn, so she ha d n o one lo hel p her . '! m ust choose
betw een brea k ing my pron1i se lo A u rel i us or beiug an
untrue wife. There is only one sol uti on . Man y fam ou s wo m
en
i n h istory have killed th en1sel ves t o escape fron1 m en wh o tr i ed
to t a k e th eir love. Iwi l l be one of them.'

'J8
 The Frankli n's Tale
On th e third day , h owever, Arver agus came hom e. 'Why
are you crying, my darling wi fe?' he asked her.
She to ld him evei-ything. Ar v eragus w as no t angTy bu t spoke
sof tly to her. 'My dear w if e, J cannot ask you to bre ak y our
pTomise. My love for y ou tells me that y ou .must be true. Truth is
the highest tl1ing in a person's life!' Then he suddenly bega n to
cry. 'Blt t n ever spea k to anyone about tJ1is thing aft er you have
cl one it. No w, get read y to go to Aurelius. Be hap py. No one must
see wba t i s ha ppening.'
Perhaps y ou think tha t 11e v.ras stu pid to p u t his wife in
su ch cl anger . B ut listen to t he end of m y story. Then decide.
D origen m et Au re l i u s i n t he stree t as she was going to the
garden to keep her promise. 'Where are y ott goin.g?' he asked , his
face bright an cl happy .
She told him everything.
Au reli us \<Vas shocked. 1-ie realised how n1uch Arveragus
l oved Dorigen. He decided i t v.ras be tter to forget 11is love tJ1an
to make her love him against 1heT wi ll .
'Ma dam , telJ your lord, Arveragus, t hat J und erstan d his l ove
for y ou . I w il.I n ot come be 1·w een hi s love an d y ou . Iagree
to forget aJ l y our promi ses. Ma dron, you are the best and truest
v.1if e T have ever known . Yolli' h usband bas bee11generous and
1 will be
genero us aJ so.'
•
Dor igen wen t down on her knees and thanked him . Then she
rehu·ned to Arverag us and to ld him w l1at ha d h ap p ened.
They were ha p py for th e rest of their lives and. lived like a
k'.ing an d qu ee11 of love.
A urel ius rea li sed that he had lost everythin g. 'Imust pay tl1e

1. aga inst : :l:J!Jj_ •

99
 Cant bury '}Jes
m agi cian a tho usa nd po u n ds. I m ust sell m y house an d all m y
l and . Bu t must keep n1y prom ise.'
Sadly, he went to t he 1n agi cia11. 'I can pa y you fi ve h undred
po u nds,' be sai d. ' Please, gi ve me Lime to pa y 1·h e resL.'
'Di dn't I keep my prom ise L o y ou?' asked th e m.agi ci a n .
'Yes, y ou did ,' re plied A u relius.
'A nd d idn 't yo u en joy th e l ove of yo ur lady beca use of
my magi c?'
'No... No ...'
'Tell me the reason if y ou ca n.'
'She wa nted to kill hersel f. BtLt her husban d loved h er so 1n
uch th a t he wanted her to be t rue to h e·r prom ise. When l hoard
Lhis, I sen t her ba ck to him.'
'My dear friend , you h a ve a ll d one well. He i s a k n igh t and
he was generous. You are a squ ire an d you were gen erous. I
am a ph i l osopher and [ w i ll be generous. I don 't wan t any
mon ey for a l l 1ny work. So now , good bye!'
The Franklin tu rned lo l he other pi lgrim s. 'My l ords, w h o was
1110 bes L. most generous gen t lema n ? Whal do you th ink ?'

l OO