The Middle Ages

Everyone has at least thought of love or has be in love. Either way people from all over the world fall in love with each other everyday. King Henry VIII fell in love many times. He wanted to have sons. He married different women for he can have sons and soon be the king for England. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much luck and beheaded all the women he married because they couldn’t give him a son. Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio had similar ideas in writing these tales. The tales contain ideals, customs, and traditions seen in the historical description of the Middle Ages.

The Wife of Bath gives an insight into a hard working semi-independent woman of the Middle Ages. She is semi- independent because she is dependent upon her husband's for material goods. The institution of marriage is revealed to have little to do with love, but a lot to do with getting what you want or sexual gratification. During the time of Wife of Bath, the woman’s job was just to be married and manage the household and the children. The Wife of Bath was not a typical “desperate housewife” of the Middle Ages. Being headstrong and opinionated gave her the strength to wage a war on the struggle of women and fight the unfair criticism of working.when the knight, facing an impossible decision of either having a wife who is beautiful but unfaithful or ugly but faithful, decides to leave the choice up to his wife, giving her the "mastery" that she and all women desire.” My lady and my love, my dear wife too,I place myself in your wise governance;Choose for yourself whichever is the most pleasant,Most honourable to you, and me also.All's one to me; choose either of the two;What pleases you is good enough for me”. The knight answers a correct question and tells the knight if he would still want to be with her. Even though she mentions all her flaws,the knight says the choice is hers and because she has "won the mastery," she tells him, "'Kiss me . . . and you shall find me both . . . fair and faithful as a wife." Then they live happily ever after. This is related to a Middle Age ideal by having the women consider the choice, instead of the man actually choosing everything