ANALYSIS OF CHARACTERIZATION “THE WIFE OF BATH” (lines 9-32)

Chauser moves to the description of her clothes and her appearance. Everything she wears is precious and expensive. Her clothes show that she lives in clover, that she pays attention to her appearance and that she is rich. Afterwards the narrator tells about her face : “bold and handsome, and red in hue”. So, the reader can understand that she is impudent and presumptuous, but also she appears handsome, and her beauty reinforces her personality. Chauser continues telling about her past husbands. She married five times at church, but she had lots of men also in youth. This information confirms her beauty, but reveals that she wants to be independent . indeed she likes travelling and she has visited a lot of towns : she is not limited in a closed space. Chauser ends the characterization giving details about her appearance . She has gap-teeth and she wears a hat and a long mantel that, like everything she wears, captures the attention. Finally Caucher describes her behavior in the company of pilgrims, saying she likes laughing and she is an expert in love affairs.