882 And so bifel that this kyng Arthour
And so it happened that this king Arthur
883 Hadde in his hous a lusty bacheler,
Had in his house a lusty bachelor,
884 That on a day cam ridynge fro ryver,
That on one day came riding from hawking,
885 And happed that, allone as he was born,
And it happened that, alone as he was born,
886 He saugh a mayde walkynge hym biforn,
He saw a maiden walking before him,
887 Of which mayde anon, maugree hir heed,
Of which maiden straightway, despite all she could do,
888 By verray force, he rafte hire maydenhed;
By utter force, he took away her maidenhead;
Basically, the maiden is walking along minding her own business, when this knight comes up to her, admires her, and rapes her. There is great consternation in King Arthur's Court. King Arthur acquiesces to his wife Guenevere's request, and he allows her to decide whether the knight will live or die. She tells the offending knight he has exactly one year to figure out what women want. If he can answer the question within one year, he will be saved.
904 I grante thee lyf, if thou kanst tellen me883 Hadde in his hous a lusty bacheler,
Had in his house a lusty bachelor,
884 That on a day cam ridynge fro ryver,
That on one day came riding from hawking,
885 And happed that, allone as he was born,
And it happened that, alone as he was born,
886 He saugh a mayde walkynge hym biforn,
He saw a maiden walking before him,
887 Of which mayde anon, maugree hir heed,
Of which maiden straightway, despite all she could do,
888 By verray force, he rafte hire maydenhed;
By utter force, he took away her maidenhead;
Basically, the maiden is walking along minding her own business, when this knight comes up to her, admires her, and rapes her. There is great consternation in King Arthur's Court. King Arthur acquiesces to his wife Guenevere's request, and he allows her to decide whether the knight will live or die. She tells the offending knight he has exactly one year to figure out what women want. If he can answer the question within one year, he will be saved.
I grant thee life, if thou canst tell me
905 What thyng is it that wommen moost desiren.
What thing it is that women most desire.
What thing it is that women most desire.
So the knight travels to ask everyone he can find what it is that women most want. Along the way he gets a variety of answers:
- riches
- gaiety
- clothing
- lust in bed
- widowhood
- flattery
- freedom
- to be considered steadfast
- to be able to keep a secret
He continues to seek for the one, right answer and comes upon 24 dancing ladies. Upon his approach they all disappear, save for one very old, very ugly woman. He asks her "what thing it is that women most desire." She has the answer, she says, but demands he agree to meet her one request of him if she is right. He gives his assent willingly.
The knight and the old woman go back to King Arthur's Court and he gives the answer:
1038 "Wommen desiren to have sovereynetee
Women desire to have sovereignty
Women desire to have sovereignty
1039 As wel over hir housbond as hir love,
As well over her husband as her love,
1040 And for to been in maistrie hym above.
And to be in mastery above him.
What do you think? Do you agree? Let's unpack that word "sovereynetee." According to Susanne Sara Thomas, in "The Problem of Defining Sovereynetee in the Wife of Bath's Tale," the two "sovereigns" in the Tale are "apparently Arthur's queens and the old woman" (Thomas). The word's pairing with the word "maistrie" seems to suggest control and dominance, but to have mastery connotes "to prevail, win the victory, be victorious" (Thomas). At the time Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales--context is supreme--sovereignty meant "complete independence and self-government" (Thomas). So is that what we women really want - complete independence?
That's not the end of the tale, though. After the knight gives Queen Guenevere the answer, which is correct, the old woman collects on his promise and makes the knight marry her. He is not at all happy, as you can imagine, but a promise is a promise. On their wedding night ...
1083 Greet was the wo the knyght hadde in his thoght,
Great was the woe the knight had in his thought,
As well over her husband as her love,
1040 And for to been in maistrie hym above.
And to be in mastery above him.
What do you think? Do you agree? Let's unpack that word "sovereynetee." According to Susanne Sara Thomas, in "The Problem of Defining Sovereynetee in the Wife of Bath's Tale," the two "sovereigns" in the Tale are "apparently Arthur's queens and the old woman" (Thomas). The word's pairing with the word "maistrie" seems to suggest control and dominance, but to have mastery connotes "to prevail, win the victory, be victorious" (Thomas). At the time Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales--context is supreme--sovereignty meant "complete independence and self-government" (Thomas). So is that what we women really want - complete independence?
That's not the end of the tale, though. After the knight gives Queen Guenevere the answer, which is correct, the old woman collects on his promise and makes the knight marry her. He is not at all happy, as you can imagine, but a promise is a promise. On their wedding night ...
1083 Greet was the wo the knyght hadde in his thoght,
Great was the woe the knight had in his thought,
1084 Whan he was with his wyf abedde ybroght;
When he was brought to bed with his wife;
1085 He walweth and he turneth to and fro.
He wallows and he turns to and fro.
1086 His olde wyf lay smylynge everemo,
His old wife lay smiling evermore,
1087 And seyde, "O deere housbonde, benedicitee!
And said, "O dear husband, bless me!
1088 Fareth every knyght thus with his wyf as ye?
Does every knight behave thus with his wife as you do?
When he was brought to bed with his wife;
1085 He walweth and he turneth to and fro.
He wallows and he turns to and fro.
1086 His olde wyf lay smylynge everemo,
His old wife lay smiling evermore,
1087 And seyde, "O deere housbonde, benedicitee!
And said, "O dear husband, bless me!
1088 Fareth every knyght thus with his wyf as ye?
Does every knight behave thus with his wife as you do?
In other words, "Yo, hubby, why the long face? Do all husbands act like this on their wedding night?" So the old woman gives him a choice--she will stay as she is, old and ugly, and be a very faithful wife; or, she will transform into a beautiful young maiden, but she will be unfaithful. It's his choice. Well, apparently he was paying attention, because he gives a brilliant answer: you choose!
1228 This knyght avyseth hym and sore siketh,
This knight deliberates and painfully sighs,
This knight deliberates and painfully sighs,
1229 But atte laste he seyde in this manere:
But at the last he said in this manner:
1230 "My lady and my love, and wyf so deere,
"My lady and my love, and wife so dear,
1231 I put me in youre wise governance;
I put me in your wise governance;
1232 Cheseth youreself which may be moost plesance
Choose yourself which may be most pleasure
1233 And moost honour to yow and me also.
And most honor to you and me also.
1234 I do no fors the wheither of the two,
I do not care which of the two,
1235 For as yow liketh, it suffiseth me."
For as it pleases you, is enough for me."
But at the last he said in this manner:
1230 "My lady and my love, and wyf so deere,
"My lady and my love, and wife so dear,
1231 I put me in youre wise governance;
I put me in your wise governance;
1232 Cheseth youreself which may be moost plesance
Choose yourself which may be most pleasure
1233 And moost honour to yow and me also.
And most honor to you and me also.
1234 I do no fors the wheither of the two,
I do not care which of the two,
1235 For as yow liketh, it suffiseth me."
For as it pleases you, is enough for me."
And what does she do? She chooses to be young, beautiful, and faithful! How about that for a happy ending (except for the poor maiden in the beginning of the tale). It's important to remember that this is a tale written by the Wife of Bath, and her fingerprints and character are all over the tale. Here is the link if you'd like to read the entire tale: http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/wbt-par.htm
Please post your own answer to the question (whether you are a man or a woman) - what do women really want?!
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Works Cited
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Geoffrey Chaucer Page.
Ed. General Editor Larry D. Benson. Cambridge: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2008. Web.
1 April 2019.
.
Thomas, Susanne Sara. “The Problem of Defining ‘Sovereynetee’ in the ‘Wife of Bath’s Tale.’”
Chaucer Review, vol. 41, no. 1, July 2006, pp. 87–97. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/cr.2006.0017.
