Textuality » 3LSCA InteractingASorrentino - "The women of Bath" characterization
by 2021-02-16)
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THE WOMEN OF BATH At first, the narrator uses the technique of telling to characterize the character of woman, indeed he attributes to her the adjective “worthy”. So, the intelligent reader understands that here there is an alliteration: the repetition of sound “W” and the narrator makes this choice to focus the reader’s attention on her specific characteristic: that she is Worthy. In the same line, the narrator communicates from where she comes. Afterwards the narrator uses also the technique of telling: indeed, he attributes the characteristic of deaf to the woman. Moreover, in the next lines, the narrator continues to use the telling technique, indeed he underlines the abilities of the protagonist in making clothes. In follows that he highlights this her ability and her uniqueness making a comparison with “those of Ypres and of Ghent”. After that, the narrator makes a change, indeed in the next lines he uses the showing technique: we can understand that all the women in the parish are afraid of her so that anybody come near to her. From a syntactical point of view, in the fifth line there is an alliteration indeed in words “dame” and “dared” the is the repetition of sound “d”, maybe to underline the feel of fear for the women. Thus, here the narrator characterized her with a direct technique because he underlines the relationship with another characters. Moreover, in the seventh line, the narrator uses an alliteration of sound “w” to convey the idea of her short temper. After the ninth line there is a change of scene: here and in the next lines the narrator uses the telling technique to convey the image of her appearance. Indeed, he tells us how she is dressed: with very light kerchiefs and her hose of a scarlet red color. Finally, he tells her shoes like soft and new. Thus, by the description of what she wears, the reader understands that the woman belongs to higher social classes. Afterwards, the narrator starts to convey the image of her face, using the telling technique. He connotes it with some positive adjectives like “handsome” and “red in hue”. The latter expression makes the reader to think the woman is in good health. In the fifteen line, the narrator takes up the theme of the respectable woman, already mentioned in the first line and despite this she has loved a great number of men, five of whom also became her husbands. Nevertheless, by the expression “no need just now to speak of that, forsooth” the reader understands that the narrator does not want to linger too much to her loving life. In the next lines the narrator wants to highlight what the women did in her past, in particularly he conveys an image of her as experienced and habitual traveler. Thus, he underlines this idea with the alliteration of sound “h” in line 19. Also, in the twenty-third line there is again an alliteration of sound “w”. maybe, the narrator makes this choice communicates the women’s experience and skill in making these journeys. So, in these lines the natator uses the telling technique to characterize the women. In the 24 line, the narrator refers to her “gap-teeth” which, together with the “handsome face” mentioned above and the “large hips” described later, constitute the canons of beauty of the Middle Ages. Afterwards, in the 25 line, the narrator tells us his social affiliation to higher classes as she owns a horse. In addition, in the next lines, the narrator communicates us the women’s appearance by the telling technique and to make this, he uses some alliterations as the repetition of sound “w” in words like “well” and “wimped” or sound “h” in words “her”, “head” and “hat”. So, with these semantical choices he wants to focus the reader’s attention on her appearance. He tells us about the veil she wears on her head and describes its size through a simile, then the wide skirt and again uses an alliteration to connote the wide hips of the woman and finally a pair of spurs on her feet. Geoffrey Chaucer suggests that the wife of Bath embarked on these pilgrimages more to meet new men than for religious purposes, which outlines the profile of a vital, enterprising and worldly woman; he also underlines her arrogant and self-centered character, not only in the extravagant clothes that serve to get noticed, but also in the claim to always be the first, in church, to do an offer. Finally, the narrator communicates the women’s ability in love, indeed we understand it from the fact that he says that she speaks without any fear, so she was sure of herself and knew how to make people laugh. In conclusion, by the expression “knew the remedies for love's mischances” the reader understands that the women is an expert in love. |