In the prologue of the Wife’s tale, our narrator tells of her experiences in multiple marriages. While she complains of her past husbands’ tendency to be possessive what trait of her fifth husband changes her traditional role as spouse? What impression do you take from her ensuing behavior (i.e reliability as a narrator, moral compass) as she describes her final husband? How does Chaucer offer an opportunity to scrutinize the institution of marriage by telling this story from the wife’s point of view?
Her fifth husband was different because “he to me the most shrewe/That feele I on my ribbes al by rewe” and “he hadde me bete on every bon” (lines 505, 506, & 511). Also he is different than all of her other ones because he was young and poor and difficult to deceive which are all essentially the opposite qualities of the previous ones. As she is describing her final husband, she seems to be to be vulgar and have low morality. At the least, one could say she is unladylike because of some of the things she says : And trewely, as myne housbondes tolde me/ I hadde the beste quoniam myghte be/ For certes, I am al Venerien.” (lines 607-609). Chaucer inspects the institution of marriage in this story by telling it in the point of view of the wife because at the time wives were supposed to be loyal and obedient to their husbands, whereas this woman is anything but that. It makes one question if they are being deceived by someone as well as her husbands because she is very talented at faking emotions and tricking people, so men who are married and hear this story would question if their wives were that deceptive as well.
It seems rather simple to me from the lines you have quoted, (upon reexamining them in context), that the quality the Wife of Bath most admired about her fifth husband, in addition to his wit matching her own, was that he was fun in bed. He liked to play hard to get and made her horny essentially, even if he treated her poorly, because she makes it out as though she treated him just as badly. Here’s an interlinear translation:
” And yet was he to me the mooste shrewe;
And yet he was to me the greatest scoundrel;
506 That feele I on my ribbes al by rewe,
That feel I on my ribs one after another,
507 And evere shal unto myn endyng day.
And ever shall unto my final day.
508 But in oure bed he was so fressh and gay,
But in our bed he was so lively and gay,
509 And therwithal so wel koude he me glose,
And moreover he so well could deceive me,
510 Whan that he wolde han my bele chose;
When he would have my `pretty thing’;
511 That thogh he hadde me bete on every bon,
That though he had beat me on every bone,
512 He koude wynne agayn my love anon.
He could win back my love straightway.
513 I trowe I loved hym best, for that he
I believe I loved him best, because he
514 Was of his love daungerous to me.
Was of his love standoffish to me. ”
They were a toxic pair by our modern standards, but like you said, they’re not highborn folk, but vulgar and base. It seems the Wife of Bath finally met her match, and yet, would be happy to marry again as soon as this husband dies.
Although the Wife of Bath is strongly in support of her multiple marriages, her recounted past actions in fact confirm many of the stereotypes often ascribed to women in this period. By framing this extensive speech on marriage through a woman’s view, Chaucer confronts several stereotypes and makes a strong argument for the importance of marriage and sex, while subverting the view that women had to be docile and submissive. However, by doing so, the Wife of Bath falls into the other pigeonhole women were often forced into: the wicked woman. She openly admits to manipulating her fifth husband into giving her whatever she wants, including the “governance of hous and lond, / And of his tonge and hond also” (line 815-816). This unabashed exploitation seems to confirm the Pardoner’s earlier fears. It must be noted, however, that all this arose because her fifth husband would not give her free reign. Perhaps Chaucer is arguing that a wife given total freedom will be a fine wife, while one confined will be nothing but trouble.
The Wife of Bath’s fifth husband was just as manipulative as she was, which provided an interesting dynamic that she had not yet explored. Traditionally, she had manipulated her older husbands into doing what she wanted through sex and trickery. Her first four husbands were submissive and apologetic, typically giving her exactly what she wanted. Her fifth husband, however, was young and just as deceitful, so he challenged her intelligence. These differing dynamics provide an interesting commentary on the nature of marriage in Chaucer’s time. She and her first four husbands led relatively prosperous lives, and the wife benefited from all of these marriages. However, she loved none of them. The only man she truly loved was her fifth husband, the man who manipulated her and challenged her intelligence. She did not gain anything by being married to him, as he was a poor young man. Perhaps Chaucer is trying to say that we find love only through marrying our equals. Then again, he could be saying that we are only prosperous if we do what society expects of us (i.e not marrying a younger man). Maybe Chaucer is trying to present this paradox to his readers, leaving it up to them to decide which is better: submissive fortune or challenging love.
I like the point that is made here about marrying our equals; only in her last husband does the Wife find someone who is like her personally. Her fifth husband is younger, more intelligent, more witty, and more deceitful than any of her previous husbands; he is the only one who challenges her and affects her in any negative way. This seems to say that only through adversity and pain can we find love; all of her previous marriages were materialistically successful but emotionally bereft. The equality of the couple seems to demonstrate that only in a marriage where both sides have a presence, where both sides have some kind of control or impact, regardless of whether or not it is positive or negative, can there be any kind of real love. Chaucer is most likely using the Wife’s perspective to demonstrate this, and to show that there is a blurring between the stereotypes of the submissive, perfect wife that are dominated by their husbands and the wicked, independent wives that control their marriage. Marriage here seems to be based on balance, equality, and interdependence. Neither person can have total control, neither man nor woman.
It seems to me that this final marriage was different because of her husband’s ability to win her back, particularly in bed. The massive age difference and his obsession with his book also set this marriage apart from the rest, leading to abuse within the relationship that she endures. And then after their fight where he ends up giving her all the power to “Do as thee lust the terme of al thy lyf” (820), the traditional roles of wife and husband switch, giving her all the power as the leader of the household. Chaucer is adding to the stereotype of manipulative, wicked wives by showing one with a successful track record in manipulation who does not get her justice or karma in the end of the story; she wins.