What was Chaucer’s agenda in writing the poem The Wife of Bath? On the surface it seems that Chaucer is actually using the character of a picturesque woman to prove that women can be lethal to men. On a deeper level one can say that by exposing the husband’s abusive behavior, which in those years was common, he could bring about social change. But who cares now about Chaucer’s intentions, what readers get out of the story is what counts.

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