The Wife of Bath is a story of a knight who rapes a girl and is sentenced to death by king Arthur, but the queen steps in and tells him that he has a year and a day to find out what it is that women desire the most. He investigates but finds no right answers, until he comes across an old lady. She tells him the answer, but the knight promises he would do anything she asks of him. She then asks him to marry her as her request, they end up living happily ever after because she ends up turning into a beautiful young woman.
In this story of the Wife of Bath, a knight is roaming around and he finds a girl that he wants and rapes her violently. The king then sentences the knight to death, but the King Arthur gives the Queen the choice. She said that he will live if he can find out what women desire the most. The knight then develops some internal issues, he has to go around asking women for the answer but there are many answers, he has to marry the old woman, and live with her forever.
The knight messes up badly by raping the girl and now he is going to die if he cannot figure out what it is that women desire the most. There are many answers out there but only one is the correct one. The knight is depressed and freaking out because he cannot find the answer. He keeps trying and trying but cannot come across someone that has the right answer. There are some women that say sex is what they desire the most, some others said that it was money and others said honor. He went up to bunch of women but they all had something different to say. When was he ever going to find the correct answer? He was sad and very depressed because he was hearing to many different answers. His time was running out and he had not yet found the answer to the question that determined whether he lived or whether he died.
After asking a lot of women he then comes across an old lady that tells him that he has nothing to worry about, that she has the answer, but he would have to do anything she wants after the court day which was the next day. Of course, the knight was eager to hear to answer so he said yes that he would do anything she wanted. Little did he know that the thing she wanted was something that he was not going to like. When the next day arrived, every woman was there ready to judge his answer, but the knight was ready to tell everyone what it is that women desire the most. He then speaks and very confident with his answer he tells the queen and everyone in the courtroom that power over the husband or boyfriend and having the final say in any matter is what women desire the most. He was right and there was no one in the room that said anything that would disagree with his answer. The queen then spared his life.
The time came now for the old lady to have a request for the knight because he said that he would promise her anything if she told him the answer. The old lady then asks the night to marry her. He has to marry the old lady and he says that he will do anything but that. He really does not want to marry the old lady and does not want to be living and sleeping on the same bed as her. He thinks that she is old, disgusting and poor and that he does not want her period. The knight says that she wants to ruin him because who would want to marry an old hag. The choice is not up to him because he promised that he would do anything if the old lady would help him with the answer. Now they have to marry no matter what. This is an internal issue for him because he does not want to be living with her. He is never going to be comfortable doing so. There was nothing special or fun at the wedding, it was just a simple wedding. The knight did not want to be seen with her so he hid and did not go out. He tosses and turns when they go to bed because the thought of being with her makes him uncomfortable, but the old lady smiles at him and is happy. Being in the same bed as her drives him crazy. He even said that he would have rather been dead than to be living with an old and disgusting lady like her.
The old lady tells the knight that he is loveless because he just lays there and does not show any emotion towards her. she said that she could make it better if only he would show some appreciation towards her. The knight is treating her like she is a nobody on their first night because is an old and poor lady. She says that true nobility comes from the man above and not from how poor or rich someone is. She tells him that if he is upset because she is poor then to just remember Jesus and how he actually chose to live poor and he still did not want to commit any sin. There is nothing wrong with being poor because as long as your happy then you are actually wealthy and not poor. On the other hand, someone who keeps wanting more and more things actually ends up being the poor one and cannot do anything about it. She also mentions to him that he complains that she is old, but that are not people supposed to show admiration and honor to them? Then she also says that if she is hideous that he does not have to worry with her cheating on him. Which she is right because who would want to do that with her. Ugliness and age keep people faithful that is what the lady says to him, but that if that is what he wants, she is going to make his wishes come true. She gives him a choice whether she wants someone who is old and ugly but will never get him mad or ever cheat on him, in other words she is going to be a good and loyal wife to him, or she can be young and beautiful but cheat on him with any man that tries to do things with her. She asks him which choice he prefers and he says that he is with her and that she can make whichever decision as she wishes. No matter what, the knight will still be with her and love her. He is happy with whichever choice. His Internal state was resolved and becomes happy as she turns into a young, beautiful, and faithful wife. They both live happily ever after.
