Wife of Bath Virginity Quotes

For hadde God comanded maydenhede,
Thanne hadde he dampned weddyng with the dede.
And certes, if ther were no seed ysowe,
Virginitee, thanne wherof sholde it growe?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. A strong argument against virginity is put forward by the Wife of Bath. If God had condemned marriage along with the act of procreation, where would virginity come from, she asks? What she is saying is that if everyone was chase there would be virgins because there would be no people.

I woot wel that th’ apostel was a mayde;
But nathelees, thogh that he wroot and sayde
He wolde that every wight were swich as he,
Al nys but conseil to virginitee.
And for to been a wyf he yaf me leve
Of indulgence; so nys it no repreve
To wedde me, if that my make dye,
Withouten excepcion of bigamye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. In her home-spun theology and interpretation of the Bible, Wife of Bath Alison says she knows that the apostle Paul was a virgin and wished that everyone were as he. But that was just advice, and Paul gave her explicit permission to be wed again, if her husband should die, without objection on grounds of bigamy.

For wel ye knowe, a lord in his houshold,
He nath nat every vessel al of gold;
Somme been of tree, and doon hir lord servyse.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. This passage references what St. Paul said in his second letter to Timothy: "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." St. Jerome interprets this as meaning that marriage is good but virginity is better. But the Wife of Bath sees this as meaning something different, that she is one of the wooden utensils, maybe not as perfect as the gold vessel of virginity, but still very useful.

I nyl envye no virginitee.
Lat hem be breed of pured whete-seed,
And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed.
And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle kan,
Our Lord Jesus refreshed many a man.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. It is Alison’s strong belief that her sexuality is a gift from God and she will use it as often as she can. Virginity represents perfection, let the virgins be bread of pure wheat-seed, the Wife of Bath says using a metaphor. But she does not envy virginity and is happy for wives like her to be called barley bread, another metaphor. Jesus refreshed many a man with the cheaper, simpler barley bread, likely a reference to the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

And happed that, allone as he was born,
He saugh a mayde walkynge hym biforn,
Of which mayde anon, maugree hir heed,
By verray force, he rafte hire maydenhed.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Tale. King Arthur has a lusty bachelor Knight who is out riding one day and happens upon a maiden walking. By force, despite all her struggles, he takes away her maidenhead (virginity), the Wife of Bath reveals – he rapes her! As knights are meant to be noble and honorable and act with chivalry and respect everyone, it is an irony that he commits such a crime.
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