REVISE – The Wife of Bath’s Prologue

Complete the text about the Wife of Bath's with the words given.

The Wife of Bath is not just a ________ person; she represents a type of woman who was very much a part of Chaucer's world. She was a ________ person in a concrete world. She was a ________ manufacturer and, since the cloth industry was in great expansion in Chaucer's time, that made her very ________. Woman cloth merchants were generally ________: they often inherited their husbands' property, obtaining financial ________. That explains why they were considered a good ________ in those times. The Wife of Bath has learnt from her experience that marriage is contracted for ________ and that the richer you are, the more honour, respect and independence you achieve. What makes her remarkable is her extraordinary ________: she is a product of her time, a woman who works, enjoys life and has used the ________ system to her advantage.

Improve the text from STEP 3 with the linkers given.

My life experience, and not authority, has taught me one truth: marriage causes misery and distress. Since I was 12, I've been married five times, all to worthy men. ________, it's a well-known fact that I've had so many husbands. ________, someone said that because Jesus went to only one wedding, in Cana, perhaps he disapproved of multiple marriages. ________, he criticised the Samaritan woman ________ she had had five husbands and her fifth wasn't even her husband. I'm confused by this. If her fifth husband wasn't truly her husband, as Jesus claimed, then how many husbands could she have had? ________, I've never received a clear answer to this question. People can speculate, ________ there's no real explanation.
________, God taught us to multiply. ________, if a man is obliged to leave his parents and marry, why is there a limit to the number of wives he can have? ________, I cannot understand why marriage is criticised.

Read the sentences taken from the passage 'The Wife of Bath's Prologue' (T9 in your textbook)  that use the past simple and the present perfect. Match them to their usage. Write the correct letters (A-E) in the gaps.
1 Since when I was but twelve years old, five husbands have I had at my door.        ________
2 As Christ only went on one occasion to grace a wedding – in Cana of Galilee.        ________
3 Thou has had five men husbands unto thee.        ________
4 I've never heard an answer all my life to give the number final definition.        ________
5 God bade us all to wax and multiply.        ________

A Talk about experiences we have or haven't had until now.
B Actions expressed by stative verbs which started in the past and continue in the present with for or since.
C Describe events that have happened multiple times and can happen again.
D Talk about completed actions in the past.
E Describe an event that took place at a specific point in the past.

Imagine you are the Wife of Bath talking about your experience. Choose the correct alternative to complete the text.

My life experience, and not authority, ________ me one truth: marriage causes misery and distress. Since I was 12, I ________ married five times, all to worthy men. It's a well-known fact that I ________ so many husbands. Someone said that because Jesus ________ to only one wedding, in Cana, perhaps he disapproved of multiple marriages. He  ________ the Samaritan woman: she had had five husbands and her fifth wasn't even her husband. I'm confused by this. If her fifth husband wasn't truly her husband, as Jesus claimed, then how many husbands could she have had? I ________ a clear answer to this question. People can speculate … there's no real explanation. God ________ us to multiply. If a man is obliged to leave his parents and marry, why is there a limit to the number of wives he can have? I cannot understand why marriage is criticised.

Complete the summary of the Wife of Bath's speech with the words given.

The Wife of Bath relies on ________ to affirm that marriage involves a lot of sadness and sorrow. Despite this, she uses ________ (the Bible in this case) to ________ on marriage. First, she refers to the ________, then to the episode of the ________ and lastly to the fact that God told us to multiply, which is the one she chooses to ________ her personal experience. It is interesting to note how she uses biblical references in a way that will ________ her.

Choose the correct alternative to complete the presentation of the Wife of Bath. Then enrich the presentation using some of the elements of her physical description in the General Prologue (T8 in your textbook) that support the vision of the Wife of Bath as a strong-willed, bold woman. You can use the final text as revision material for your test.

1 In the Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath, unlike the Merchant or the Knight, is defined by her ________.
2 The explanation for this might be that marital status is ________ to her characterisation: she has become a knowledgeable and outspoken woman on the subject of love and relationships.
3 In the passage, while the Wife of Bath presents marriage as ________, she then speaks up for marriage, which, in her case has brought her ________.
4 Also, she does not rely on religious doctrine or societal norms, which are ________ and offer a ________ view of women, but draws on her own life experiences, offering her audience an autobiography.
5 To speak about marriage, gender roles and femininity and to be heard is of ________ importance to her. Through her speech she is also giving shape to ________.

Complete the sentences with the past simple or the present perfect of the verbs in brackets.

1 How long ________ (it / be) since the king came to the throne?
2 She ________ (not go) on the pilgrimage last month as she was ill.
3 The merchant ________ (travel) to India many times.
4 It ________ (never / rain) so much on our journey up to now!
5 When ________ (the battle / take place)?