The Wife of Bath

M1 Lesson 16

“The Wife of Bath’s Tale: What Women Most Desire,” pages 48–58

​Lesson Questions

​Essential Question: How does society both support and limit the development of identity?

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Focusing Question: What do The Canterbury Tales reveal about identity and storytelling?

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Content Framing Question Organize: What is happening in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”? 

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Craft Question: Experiment: 

Examine: How do storytellers engage and orient their readers? 

​Lesson Objectives

​Analyze the interactions between character and plot in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale.”

​ESCAPE

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​RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot). 

What do you know about when during the middle ages?​

Think to Castle Diaries and the other tales we have heard.​

It is very interesting we do not hear much about women in the middle ages from our previous texts!

• Their identities were down played.

• Why do you think this?

“The Wife of Bath’s Tale: What Women Most Desire,” pages 48–58

What is happening in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”?

Major events...

Summarizing key events

• The wife of bath tells a story about what woman want from her man.

• Tells a story about Sir Salvio

• He is about to be killed...his life can be saved.

• What do woman most desire?

• Goes on a quest to find the answer.

Summarizing key events

• An old lady agrees to tell him IF he marries her...he does not want to but does anyways.

• She is magical.

• Woman most desire to have their OWN way in EVERYTHING.

• He can have her ugly and devoted OR beautiful and desired??

• He lets HER choose....he gets both beauty and loyalty.

Now that you have established what happened and how it happened, you are going to think about the teller of this tale.

Innuendo

When a person makes a subtle hint or veiled insult, usually about something immoral or improper.

Ex. If Randy thinks that Justin told a lie, but does not want to directly accuse him, she might purposefully glance at him and say to someone else, ‘Well, unlike other people, I am not someone who tells lies.’

The Wife of Bath often hints or suggests something without directly or explicitly saying it. 

Keep your ears open to identify these innuendos.

What does the introduction to this tale show about our character?​

Tries to act smarter than she is.

​Is of higher class with making sure they know it.

Has many experiences of traveling.​

​What innuendo does she make?

​Discuss in your groups...

How would you describe The Wife of Bath?​

​Unintelligent

​Rich

​Speaks Quietly

​Has a lot of knowledge

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​Explain why using evidence from the text.