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Rape and Power in The Wife of Bath Geoffrey Chaucer was born(p) in London in 1340 (Fuller 12). Geoffrey Chaucers fortunes were closely bound with these of John Of Gaunt, the son-in-law to the Earl of plug hat (Fuller 12). Around the year 1380, Geoffrey Chaucer was charged with rape by a cleaning lady named Cecily Chaumpaigne (Williams 28). It is almost likely that a distinguishable character, such as Chaucer would non have been guilty of this charge. However, the word rape probably referred to abducting sort of than assaulting a woman as it means today (H in bothiday 68). Cecily Chaumpaigne in 1380 released Chaucer of all(a) charges of raptu meo, a phrase that could be interpreted as seizing me (Williams 28). It is thinkable that this allegation of rape brought on to Chaucer by Cecily Chaumpaigne, is the very reason ass the Tale of the Wife of Bath. The Wife of Bath was a plump, florid, jolly, bold, lusty, and voluptuous woman. She was the most valuable of women. The wife o f bath cannot resist telling her companions ab appear all of her sexual experiences. She has had five husbands. Her husbands fell into two categories. The first category of husbands was rich, barely also old and unable to fulfill her demands, sexually that is. The other husbands were sexually vigorous, but harder to control. The first terce were rich, old, and jealous. She tamed them by accusing them of comfortable behavior, that she herself practiced. Her fourth husband had a mistress, so she gave him a real earn for jealousy (Halliday 119). At the funeral of her first husband she fell in write out with the legs of an Oxford clerk. Although he was half her age, he became her fifth husband. This marriage was unhappy because he beat her. To anger her fifth husband, the wife of Bath tore three pages from his book. After this he beat her again. She pretended to be dead and he felt so guilty that he threw his whole book in the fire. This gave her the upper hand for the rest of his life. She presendly is looking for a 6th husband when her character is introduced (Halliday 119). The tale The Wife of Bath tells us all is about a Knight who ultimately rapes a maiden and is sent by the queen on a quest to seek out what it is that women want most.