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Fairy tales have been around for centuries. There are many elements of a fairy-tale: characters, setting, plot, problem, events, solution, and tone through illustrations. There are also purposes of fairy tales: pass time and messages and subtle rebellion. Chaucer's view of the Wife of Baths Tale centers on fairy tale and its structure, and ending with the fact that woman should have devoted husbands. A highlight of a fairy tale is the events that lead to the happy ending. The queen sending the knight on an educational quest, his education, in all actuality, comes through woman and the queens challenge puts him in situation where what is traditionally thought of as a shortcoming-a womans inability to keep a secret-is the only thing that can save him.
The happy ending assigned to the knight shows that fairy-tale structure is evident. The fact that the knight is a rapist and freed from punishment and ultimately rewarded with a young, beautiful, and faithful wife shows that the tale has a twisted sense of fairy-tale structure. This tale inhabits many elements of a fairy tale especially the plat. The Wife of Baths Tale also offers conflicting elements when it comes to this solution. The fact that gives the old woman the power to decide whats best for them is conflicting. The plot of a fairy tale is very different from this tale.
Fairy tales usually show the man as being the one with power, but in this tale the woman exhibits the power. The old woman shows this power when she is speaking to the knight and says, My love and lady, my dear wife, In your wise government I put my life, Choose for yourself which course will best agree With Pleasure and honor, both for you and me. (909) Conceding the point and giving the woman power shows how the knight gains both choices, a ugly and trustworthy or beautiful and lecherous wife, and become happy. This is another example of the element for a happy ending in a fairy tale. Another point of a fairy tale structure is the characters within the tales. In the Wife of Baths Tale the character, the knight, is a little ironic, the hero happens to be a rapist.
Even after the old woman saves the knight from execution, he behaves coldly and dismissive towards her. Still, this opens up the knight for his own transformation. This is also an element of a fairy tale, the fact that a central character changes. In many fairy tales someone always goes through a form of transformation in order to have a solution or as fairy tales go, a happy ending. The knight chooses to cede to the woman sovereignty in marriage and when he dies this she becomes young and beautiful.
The tale poses her newfound beauty as an incidental effect of her independence, a physical manifestation of the internal qualities. Finally the knight by letting down his guard to the old woman also gains wedded bliss. This also is an element of a fairy tale, the solution. Even though, the old woman becomes a beautiful young woman in response to the young knights well-timed response, it is unclear whether he had simply learned how to supply her with the correct answer.
Also, in conclusion this tale inhabits many fairy tale qualities such as: the characters are complex throughout this story and fairy tales, the events that occur are important to the solution in the end, and the solution is in some ways alike they both end with a happy ending. This tale also doesnt have qualities that may fairy tales have such as: the setting is a little less complex in both this tale and fairy tales, the plot is different because in most fairy tales it is love at first sight in some fashion or form, also this plot has the woman rescuing the man instead of the other way around which is a quality in most fairy tale stories, and finally the tone through illustrations. Most fairy tales have some form of illustration but in this tale Chaucer uses more in detail words in order for the reader to imagine whats going on. The Wife of Baths Tale shows an ironic twist to the true meaning and elements of a fairy tale.
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Research essay sample on Literary Elements Of Chaucer The Wife Baths Tale
