In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon
That to the offrynge bifore hire sholde goon;
And if ther dide, certeyn so wrooth was she
That she was out of alle charitee.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Wife of Bath views herself as the most important woman in her parish church. So much so that no other woman dares to go to the altar steps in front of her. If by chance they did, they would incur her wrath and she would forget God’s commandment in their case, "Love thy neighbor."