“We love no man who taketh kep or charge / Wher that we goon; we wol ben at oure large.” (Chaucer WBP 321 – 322). By reading these two lines of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Prologe of the Wyves Tale of Bathe, one cannot help but ask questions about the inferiority of females in the middle ages and whether or not they acted upon this position. As Shulamit Shahar asks in her Fourth Estate: A History of Women in the Middle Ages:
Were women aware that they had fewer rights than members of the central, ruling group? Or did they unthinkingly accept this state of affairs as part of the natural order of the world? If they were conscious of being oppressed, did this give rise to resentment and anger, or did they acquiesce in it by a process of psychological adjustment? If they felt resentment and anger, how did they react – by escaping into unreality, or by rebelling within the existing system? (Shahar 8)
These questions can be applied to The Book of Margery Kempe as well where she says, “Sir, if it like you, ye shall grant me my desire and ye shall have your desire.” (Kempe 1.35) contradicting the firm belief that women and men were not on an equal footing. However, reading these texts as guidelines for enhancing individual proto-feminism in medieval times would do injustice to the complex cultural system of power relations both texts are trying to put forward (Evans & Johnson 2). That is to say both Alisoun, the wife of bath, and Margery Kempe were very much aware of their fragile position as female in the medieval period, but their manipulative behaviour is no indication that they felt trapped in this “prison-house of masculinist ideology” (Evans & Johnson 2) and that they wanted females to rise to their supremacy.
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Alisoun does not want to be economically dependent on a husband whereas Margery does not want to be restricted in her beliefs. Their inferior position is therefore felt more personally. Their consciousness leads them to be manipulative to gain a certain power in what they saw as confinement in marriage. In this essay, I intend to prove that both women are very aware of the power relations in their time and use this knowledge cleverly to diminish their inferior position and even gain the upper hand. Thus, linking both texts to a more social meaning of how it was like being a married female in the Middle Ages.
First, I will examine how conscious both Alisoun and Margery are of their position and how they defend themselves against prejudice. Then an assessment will be made of how both use their knowledge of literacy & economy to manipulate their way to independence in marriage which will be followed by a conclusion providing a summary of the arguments made to prove my thesis.
Gerda Lerner describes feminist consciousness as being aware of the inferiority of the female position and as not a natural phenomenon but rather the cause of social structures. The goal of the feminist is to undermine these social structures and create an organisation where both men and women enjoy their autonomy (Lerner 14). Both women are so aware of the prejudice against them that they can perceive their situation through the eyes of the public and use this as an advantage in discussion. They know how the world works and the people in it. This kind of knowledge is essential for oppressed groups to be able to manipulate those in power and gain the protection needed for them to survive the social structures in their time (Lerner 12). Although this can be applied to other women as well, both Alisoun and Margery are trying analyse the gossip in a very personal point of view so that they can challenge the image people make of them.
In Book 1.76 of The Book of Margery Kempe it is written “They having knowledge of how prone the people was to deem evil of them, desiring to avoid all occasion.” This along with the phrase “The people said that if he died, it was worthy that she should answer for his death.” indicates a strong sense of social awareness (Kempe Book 1.76). Margery Kempe and her husband live, according to Margery’s demands, a life of chastity. This lifestyle was in contrast with “the traditional medieval view, sanctioned by the church fathers and by common law, that wives should be humble, obedient, and submissive to their husbands in all things.” (Carutthers 209) which is also emphasised when her husband says “ye are no good wife” (Kempe Book 1.11).
Margery knew contradicting the traditional social norms can cost her life. It is this knowledge that made her pray to God to let her husband live for another year and in result save her from the death penalty awaiting her if her husband did die. Margery knows the dangers of her disobedience. She is fully aware that voicing out her thoughts might put her in an even more marginalised position. Her text is therefore a good example of self-authorization. (Ashley 375). She had to learn to keep her thoughts to herself and developed a rich inner life because of it.
It is this distrust and isolation that is also reflected in her marriage. She does not communicate with her husband and tend to seek help through her imagination. Just as Margery knows the dangers of being seen as inferior by the public, Alisoun knows the dangers of being seen inferior by her husbands for she says about them “Ful giltelees, by Goddes sweete pyne! / For as an hors I koude byte and whyne. / I koude pleyne, and yit was in the gilt, / Or ells often tyme hadde I been spilt. / Whoso that first to mille comth, first grynt; / I pleyned first, so was oure were ystynt.” (Chauser WBP 385 – 390).
Alisouns adopts the stereotype of an annoying whiny woman as pride. She knows that if she were not the first one to complain, she would have become the victim. Unlike Margery Kempe, the Wife of Bath voices out her awareness of what other people think, including her husbands and uses it as arguments in her marriage. From lines 235 to 378 onwards, Alisoun speaks of her reply to one of her husbands. She recalls all common complains made about women, but emphasises sentences like “thou seyst” and “by thy tale” which gives the impression that she disagrees with her husband’s opinion leading up to her directly saying: “Thus seistow, olde barelful of lyes!” (Chauser WBP 302).
By challenging the patriarchal stereotype of women, Alisoun shows that categorizing people comes with many errors. Her “showpiece exemplum of gossip” shows the voice of a strong all-wise woman who is brought up in an aristocratic milieu and who is concerned with both virtue and gentility (Carruthers 217). Thus, both women are conscious of how others perceive them and behave according to their image. Their behaviour is not a result of rebellion against the male supremacy, but more a survival against the social stereotypes people imposed on them. To know the gossip was therefore to survive. To be married was also an essential part of that same survival (Carruthers 214).
“Women have for millennia been forced to prove to themselves and to others their capacity for full humanity and their capacity for abstract thought.” (Lerner 10). Both Alisoun and Margery’s knowledge in literacy and economy is used for manipulation to abolish their inferiority in marriage and thrive towards their own goals. Alisoun seeks to be economically independent whereas Margery does not want to be confined in her beliefs. The rise of literacy helped them both achieve these goals. Literacy had since the 11th century been connected to the merchant class (Lerner 39). It is therefore not surprising that Alisoun seems to be well-read. In her prologue she often refers to scriptures which she uses for her own needs and which she misquotes to create alternative truths.
These truths serve as explanations for the stereotype people think she is. By using literacy in her advantage, the wife of bath is trying to put forward her own perspective and contradict the belief that women were not capable of full humanity. Unlike Alisoun, Margery Kempe does not verbalise her literacy. Her ability to write down her thoughts and mystical experiences represent the empowerment of literacy upon which the middle class based their evolving status (Ashley 375) showing the public as well that she too was capable of full humanity.
The second important aspect used in the women’s manipulative behaviour is economy. The economic system in the middle ages was brutal for those who did not understand it. However, both women are very aware of their economic position. So aware that they make decisions based on the improvement of their inferior position. A woman’s taxes, if not independent in occupation, had to be paid by her husband (Shahar 13).
Both Alisoun and Margery were conscious of this. However, Margery uses this as a bargain to keep her body “free to God” (Kempe Book 1.11). She says to her husband “Granteth me that ye shall not come in my bed, and I grant you to quit your debts ere I go to Jerusalem.” (1.11) giving her husband a good reason to free her from the social demands of being a wife and make them both more financial independent from each other. Her duties as a wife get more neglected and soon all her devotion will be focused on her spiritual side. Being economically independent was a step closer for her to practice spirituality to the extent she wanted. It is because of this economic independence that independence of spirit can bloom as well (Carruther 215). A statement that the wife of bath is familiar with too.
Because of the mercantile environment Alisoun grew up in, she had to learn to see everything in function of their profit. This leads her to treat her marriage in as an economic structure including even the most intimate aspects. (Evans & Johnson 9). She uses sex as a weapon to punish her husbands when they do no act according to her beliefs. She says “Namely abedde hadden they meschaunce / Ther wolde I chide and do hem no plesaunce / I wolde no lenger in the bed abyde / if that I felte his arm over my syde / Til he had maad his raunson unto me / Thanne wolde I suffer hym do his nycetee” (Chauser WBP 407-412).
Her transaction like way of handling marriage indicates her need for control. She is shaping her marriages into something she is familiar with which results in seeing her husbands more as means than as people. Both her and Margery Kempe want to be economically independent, but their reasons differ. For Margery Kempe economic independence means more freedom for her to serve Christ and God whereas Alisoun uses economy to gain profit in marriage and therefore also control. Both reasons contradict the belief that women are not capable of abstract thought.
In conclusion, The Book of Margery Kempe and The Wife of Bath can be read in several ways and a lot of studies suggest this by linking both text to a proto-feministic view. However, in my essay I tend to focus on the need for personal independence of both Alisoun and Margery Kempe and how their consciousness of the social structures act as a motivation as well as a tool to gain this independence. Gerda Lerner says that female consciousness of the inferior female position is a cause of social structures and not a natural phenomenon. By contradicting the social norms in her time Margery Kempe had to learn to take into consideration the opinions of others in order to survive. By challenging the patriarchal stereotypes of women Alisoun shows that she is aware of the female inferiority. Both women knew the gossip and both women behaved according to it. They did not only had to defend themselves against the public opinion but also against their husbands. They needed to manipulate their way towards agreements.
Literacy and economy were the biggest tools used in their manipulation. Being well-read was a great advantage for a woman in de Middle Ages. Alisoun uses this advantage to create alternative truths. She shows her perspective on her own lifestyle and contradicts the belief that women were not capable of full humanity. Margery Kempe challenges this belief as well by writing down her thoughts and mystical experiences. Besides literacy a great awareness of their economic position also lead them to thrive to more freedom. Margery Kempe offers her husband to be freed from his debts in return for exemption of her duties as a wife whereas Alisoun uses her knowledge in economic structures to treat her marriages like business transactions and gain maximum profit. With this, both women show their ability to think in an abstract manner.
Both Alisoun and Margery are therefore very conscious. They know a lot about themselves in relation to other people and in relation to the society of their time. Reading both text in a historical context is important because it forces the reader to move away from modern views like feminism and focus more on the women individually, in addition, pay more attention to the complex social structures hinted in both texts. Alisoun and Margery Kempe did not want to abolish female inferiority all together but rather made sure they were not a victim of it. Their knowledge was needed to gain an equal footing in marriage and survive the social norms that were imposed on them.
Works Cited
- Lerner, Gerda. The creation of feminist consciousness. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.
- Evans, Ruth and Johnson, Lesley. Feminist readings in Middle English Literature. London & New York: Routledge, 1994.
- Carruthers, Mary. “The Wife of Bath and the Painting of Lions”. PMLA 94, no. 2 (1979): 209-222.
- Ashley, Kathleen. “Historicizing Margery: The book of Margery Kempe as a social text”. Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 28, no. 2 (1998): 371-388
- Shahar, Shulamit. Fourth Estate: A History of Women in the Middle Ages. Routledge, 2003.
- Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. In The Riverside Chaucer. Ed. Larry D. Benson. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1987.
- Kempe, Margery. The Book of Margery Kemp. W.W. Norton & Company, 2000.
