Now herkneth hou I baar me proprely,
Ye wise wyves, that kan understonde.
Thus shulde ye speke and bere hem wrong on honde,
For half so boldely kan ther no man
Swere and lyen, as a womman kan.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Calling on wives to listen to her carefully, Alison suggests that they use manipulation and aggression to get their own way with husbands and show that they are in charge. Women are better at lying and swearing than men, and they should accuse husbands wrongfully and put them in their place. The Wife of Bath has to be one of the most immoral characters in The Canterbury Tales.