The Canterbury Tales present the Wife of Bath as an honest woman in conflict with her society. “Honest” takes on two meanings here. This implies either that the Wife of Bath is a moral and Christian member of society or, more literally, that she actually speaks the truth. If the latter hypothesis is true, then her views place her in conflict with the society in which she operates. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Wife of Bath is not at all an "honest" woman in the first sense. In the first lines of the prologue she is described as wearing "stockings... of scarlet cane" when she goes to church on Sundays. This clothing choice is not appropriate for the occasion, demonstrating little respect for formality. Furthermore, her choice of “scarlet” clothing indicates her view of sex, which we will discover later. The scarlet somehow refers to the sense of a “red light” in the middle of what would be a church full of dark colors, perhaps alluding to her prostitute ways. Furthermore, on the same page he is said to have had "hosbondes at chirche dore she hadde five" and that he "had many strange streams." The first tells us that she has been married five times, and the second suggests – perhaps with some sexual connotations – that she has traveled extensively. Chaucer is well known for her physiognomy, and his description of the Wife of Bath places her as “Gat-tothed,” a woman who had a brow “brooded like a bokeler” and also a woman who “amblere esily.” All of the above suggests that she was an openly sexual woman, with an appetite for sex, who was good looking and found it easy to get around "because she knows that art of the old dance". Therefore, already from the beginning of the prologue we can see that the Wife of Bath is definitely not an "honest" woman in the sense of the first definition of the word. However, it is debated whether the second definition can be considered true. As Thomas Hobbes wrote in Leviathan, “True and false are attributes of speech, not of things. And where there is no word, there is neither truth nor lie. There can be error, as when we expect what will not happen; or suspect what was not: but in neither case can a man be accused of falsehood. The Prologue and the Wife of Bath's Tale are both records of what she said during her journey to Canterbury. Therefore, as Hobbes establishes, his words can be true or false. However, although he may have said something that appears to be true, the facts may be incorrect in some way, or altered, resulting in an error. Ultimately, whether the Wife of Bath is telling the truth or not, her opinions remain in conflict with those of contemporary society. The views of society that Chaucer mentioned were deeply rooted in the Christian faith, especially Catholicism. The Canterbury Tales were written in a time of strict religious faith and morality. Furthermore, events such as the fall of Constantinople and the papal bull Dum Diversas in 1453 and 1452 respectively strengthened society's demand for people to be pure in faith. The Church's counter-reaction to the spread of Islam in Europe, with the Moors in Spain and the Turks invading Europe's borders, meant that the statement of the Christian faith was stronger than ever. Therefore, society functioned according to a strict religious moral code. Furthermore, during the time the Canterbury Tales were written, a feudal system still existed in England. This archetypal social structure was fundamental in the management of society and women were not considered within it, as they were considered insignificant and subordinate to their husbands. Wife's point of view.