The Canterbury Tales is a 14th century literary work of Geoffrey
             Chaucer, an English poet and once-courtier and civil servant for the
             English royalty. His work is a collection of tales narrated by different
             characters in the novel, comprised of pilgrims assembling outside the
             Tabard Inn as they journey towards Canterbury. These tales were told as a
             form of entertainment while they spend their time resting after a long
             journey. However, these tales of entertainment' is actually a
             description, a portrait of the social condition of English society during
             Chaucer's period, similar to Giovanni Boccaccio's depiction of medieval
             One particular tale that portrays the social issues prevalent in
             English society during this period is the tale of the Wife of Bath. In
             this tale, which is made up of the prologue and tale of the character (Wife
             of Bath) herself, the theme of women subjugation is discussed and
             confronted, where the narrator proposes that women should dominate and not
             be submissive to their husbands. The tale also centers on the issue of how
             women empowerment and dominance can be achieved, which is through sexual
             manipulation and dominance over men.
             The details of the tale of the Wife of Bath concerns the case of the
             knight who was to be sentenced to death because of he raped a young woman.
             The knight, one of King Arthur's subjects, was to be given the sentence of
             death when the Queen intervened. The Queen suggested that the knight would
             be freed if he can answer the question, "What thing it is that women most
             desire." This question becomes the primary framework of the tale, where
             the story depicts society's perception of what women truly want. In this
             tale, Chaucer confronts the truth about women, how they have been depicted
             as shallow individuals, illustrated through the replies that the knight
             received from women he inquired with to answer the question he...