Prioress and the Wife of Bath

    They all sat in a great inn in the darkest of nights. The weather outside had grown worse with rain and thunder. Thus the pilgrims decided to stop and wait out the storm before they could continue on their way to Canterbury. Inside, the inn was full of warmth and delight. Most of the pilgrims and other guests were drinking, gossiping, flirting, and in general being merry. While the others were sitting at the table eating and talking softly among themselves. Of the latter were the prioress and the wife of Bath.

They had sat for some time glancing awkwardly at each other while eating silently. They had barely spoken to each other on this trip. The only exception being when they were telling their stories to their fellow companions. The ladies concentrated hard on each other. Each was wondering what the other was thinking and why she had chosen the life that she lived. Perhaps maybe, this would be the time to find out. But who should speak first?

The wife of Bath cleared her throat hard. Madam Eglantyne waited for a respond with full attention of the other woman. “Tell me prioress,” the wife began puzzled. “Why would a lovely woman like yourself throw away love and marriage for a life of a nun?” Eglantyne eyed her hard with surprise. How could she answer this question, she thought. Well, she would give it a try.

“Because,” Eglantyne began in her usual ladylike manner of speaking. “I chose to marry God because I felt it was my duty and that I owned him my life.” The wife eyed her silently. To her, this sounded peculiar because the wife of Bath had lived a loose lifestyle with five husbands and numerous affairs in her youth. So she felt no such duty. But in an odd sense, her answer seemed clear because more women at this time were genteel, elegant, and obedient to their families, the church, and society.

“Why did you choose to be wedded to the flesh of man instead of God?” the prioress asked in return. The wife of Bath gathered her confidence to speak. “I want to love and to be loved.” she answered wisely. Eglantyne sat still. Like her associate, the answer seemed strange to her. The prioress’ reason was that she had grown up in an abbey and was taught manners and strict obedience by the head nun. Thus her view on love was quite different. But here was a loose woman who seemed to enjoy love, desire, and having a merry time over the strict rules that society had laid down for women. Yet, the wife’s answer made sense as well because it was human nature for one to gain the need to rebel at least once in their lifetime. The wife of Bath just happened to be one of those people who clearly showed that she danced to the beat of her own loud drum and didn’t seem to care what others thought about her.

Both women grew reflective. These were powerful answers they had given each other. In an unconscious sense of mind, the women seemed impressed by each other. Not only by the choices they had made in life, but their own reasons for doing so. It almost made each of them want to leave the world they had so happily lived in and venture into the others for a short time. Yet each knew that they could not do so.