The Wife of Bath Name ____________________________________
Date _____________________________________
As you read this description, underline details that characterize the Wife. In the space between the line numbers and the lines, identify the type of character clue by writing the first letter of the type: Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, or Looks as in the example at line 455. Also answer the margin questions.
455 E A worthy woman from beside Bath city
Was with us, somewhat deaf, which was a pity.
In making cloth she showed so great a bent What is the Wife’s occupation? ________________________
She bettered those of Ypres and of Ghent.1
In all the parish not a dame dared stir What does the Wife’s insistence on being first at the altar to make an offering
460 Towards the altar steps in front of her, suggest about her character? (Note that in Chaucer’s day people approached
And if indeed they did, so wrath was she the altar in order of rank) [lines 459-462]
As to be quite put out of charity.
Her kerchiefs were of finely woven ground;2 __________________________________________
I dared have sworn they weighed a good ten pound,
465 The ones she wore on Sunday, on her head. __________________________________________
Her hose were of the finest scarlet red
And gartered tight; her shoes were soft and new. __________________________________________
Bold was her face, handsome, and red in hue.
A worthy woman all her life, what’s more __________________________________________
470 She’d had five husbands, all at the church door,
Apart from other company in youth; __________________________________________
No need just now to speak of that, forsooth.
And she had thrice been to Jerusalem, Historical Note: Medieval women were denounced for making pilgrimages
Seen many strange rivers and passed over them; because these trips were seen as offering an opportunity for unfaithfulness.
475 She’d been to Rome and also to Boulogne, Husbands who allowed their wives to go on pilgrimages were mocked as
St. James of Compostella and Cologne, cuckolds. Considering this note, reread lines 473-479 and 485-486. What
And she was skilled in wandering by the way. is Chaucer implying about the Wife of Bath. Circle specific words and phrases
She had gap-teeth,3 set widely, truth to say. that support your inference.
Easily on an ambling horse she sat
480 Well wimpled4 up, and on her head a hat __________________________________________
As broad as is a buckler or a shield;
She had a flowing mantle that concealed __________________________________________
Large hips, her heels spurred sharply under that.
In company she liked to laugh and chat __________________________________________
485 And knew the remedies for love’s mischances,
An art in which she knew the oldest dances. . . . __________________________________________
1. Ypres (ee′ pruh) and of Ghent: Flemish centers of the wool trade. Tone is the attitude the writer takes toward the reader, subject, or character. It
2. ground n.: type of cloth. is converyed through the writer’s choice of words and details. How would you
3. gap-teeth: In Chaucer’s time, gap-teeth on a woman were considered a sign of describe the narrator’s tone when he talks about the Wife of Bath?
boldness and were said to indicate an aptitude for love and travel.
4. wimpled adj.: A wimple is a linen covering for the head and neck.
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
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Assignments for Wednesday, October 15, 2008
As you have no doubt figured out, I am not here today, but your learning need not be interrupted by my absence. Today you will continue studying “The Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales. I fully expect that each of you will complete these assignments carefully and thoughtfully. Have a good day; I will see you tomorrow.
Instructions for Completing Today’s Assignments
1. You will complete CSI Sentence 12-8 (Day 3) individually.
2. Working in a small group, you will review and reinforce your character analysis skills. Remember that each
member of the group must contribute to the completion on the tasks assigned.
a. Join with the other students who received a STEAL Graphic Organizer listing the same character as
named on the one you received.
b. Read the character description for your assigned character. The descriptions are on pp. 150-155. Fill in the
Concrete Detail column with quotations from the text and the Commentary column with your explanation
of what these details tell you about the character. Remember that one of our goals is to improve your
ability to make inferences from textual evidence; therefore, you need to be thorough in your selection of
details and in explaining how the details support your inferences. Each member of the group needs to
fill out his/her own graphic organizer, but everyone in the group must contribute to the work. So discuss
the character and agree upon the concrete details and the commentary.
c. After you have completed the graphic organizer, read “The Wife of Bath,” worksheet (on the back of this
sheet) and follow the instructions on the handout. Again each member of the group must complete the
handout; you will be using it in an individual writing assignment tomorrow.
3. If you finish tasks 1 and 2 before the end of class, work on your 21st Century Canterbury Tales character.
Extra instruction sheets are available if you do not have yours with you. The character description is due on
Friday, October 17, 2008. If you have finished your character description, begin working on your character’s
tale. Instructions for writing the tale are on the second sheet of the 21st Century Canterbury Tales handout.
The tale is due on Wednesday, October 22, 2008.
Turning in Your Work
1. Staple your work together in this order: CSI sheet, STEAL Graphic Organizer, and Wife of Bath worksheet.
If you have finished either or both of the 21st Century Canterbury Tales assignments you may turn them in.
2. Put your stapled work in the black tray. Put the 21st Century Canterbury Tales instructions beside the tray.