1. Agenda  Writing Prompt  Finish Prologue  What is marriage?  Background on medieval marriage  Wife of Bath – who is she?  Wife of Bath’s tale Writing Prompt  Why do people get married? What are the purposes of marriage? Is one purpose more important than others? Does everyone need to get married? What are some reasons not to? Why do you think views of marriage differ from time to time and place to place?

2.  With a partner, choose a character from the tales and complete the following questions: 1. Does your character work, pray or fight? 2. Describe physical/mental characteristics 3. Does the narrator like your character?  Be prepared to explain your character to the class and to read the character’s prologue aloud.  As you listen, take notes on the different characters. Make a chart of who prays, who works and who fights

3.  Upper class marriages based on wealth, family relations, land, power.  Lower class marriage often had the same basis, but love matches were not uncommon  Middle class (like the Wife of Bath) were somewhere in between  Women of all classes often married much older men – settled, wealthier

4.  Much in the Catholic tradition about marriage Virginity considered superior, but marriage a necessity for most St. Jerome discouraged remarriage for widows Women were to submit to their husbands  How do you think the Wife of Bath felt about that?

5.  How many times has she been married?  What does she look like?  What skills does she have?  Has she been on a pilgrimage before?

6.  Common story – the pilgrims would have recognized the basis

7.  What crime does the knight commit? What is the punishment?  Who begs for mercy for the knight?  What quest is the knight given to save his life? What information must he acquire?  What problem does the knight encounter on his quest?  Which of the following is NOT given as a response by women? Money, pleasure in bed, freedom to do what they want, prettiness, flattery  What answer does the old woman provide the knight? Do the women in the court agree?  What choice does the old woman give the knight after the wedding? What does he choose?  What is the point of the story? Does the knight deserve what he gets? Does he old woman?  In the Wife’s version of the Midas story it is Midas; wife who tells his secret, but Ovid blames the king’s barber and never mentions the wife. Why would the Wife of Bath change the story?  Does this story remind you of any other stories you have read or movies you have seen?