Geoffrey Chaucer's poem "The Wife of Bath" and John Ford's play "Tis Pity She's a Whore” describe sin and punishment in both contrasting and corresponding ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAnnabella from "It's a Too Bad She's a Whore" is guilty of lust, one of the seven deadly sins, and even commits adultery and incest, which the Catholic Church deems to be mortal sins. However, in Act Five, Scene One, her soliloquy foregrounds repentance, the declarative "My conscience now opposes my lust" suggesting that she is the prosecutor on trial, the extended metaphor showing that she finds the own "depositions characterized by guilt". This awareness of his wrongdoings, and the scene's final focus on the declarative, "Now I can welcome death," elicits sympathy from the audience, as he goes through the Christian reformation and displays a willingness to martyr himself. Even in death, the exclamatory “Mercy, great Heaven!” it presents her as seeking further absolution and makes her appear somehow virtuous. Ford was heavily criticized for this by her contemporaries, since in Carolinian England her sins were among the gravest, and therefore the presentation of her as an ultimately good and moral Christian girl was distasteful to them. Ironically, however, it is Annabella's penance that results in her greatest punishment, for it is arguably the "double paper lined with tears and blood" that sends her brother John into his frenzy of "malicious plotting." In Act Five, Scene Five, his lines contain images of death, declaring that his own "funeral tears" are "the mourners" at his "grave", creating an ominous tone and foreshadowing that he will "stab her" at the end of the scene. However, his declarative “To save your fame” indicates that his action is only done to protect it, since despite the friar's absolution, Annabella was not truly freed from penance. In 17th century England, an adulterous woman faced terrible misfortune, as Hippolita's reputation as a "lustful widow" demonstrated, and she would lose respect in society. The tragic irony of John's attempt to save his "good soul" from dishonor lies in his failure to do so. Even in death, Annabella's reputation is tarnished and she is further rebuked, as evident in the Cardinal's rhetorical questioning "Who could not say: it is a pity that she is a whore?" This final focus on her sexual activity places the blame for all of the play's tragic events on Annabella, and thus punishes her indefinitely. In contrast, it can be argued that Alisoun from "The Wife of Bath" goes largely unpunished for her. lust and promiscuity. In 14th-century England, common views on marriage corresponded to those of the dominant Catholic Church. It was sacred, a patriarchal institution that allowed men to control women and be worshiped by them. However, Alisoun's views clearly contradict this, as Chaucer the narrator is featured prominently in the "General Prologue" of "The Canterbury Tales", with the declarative "Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde fyve". Not only did he break the norm of the Middle Ages by remarrying several times, but he was not afraid to dominate his relationships, declaring “in erthe I was his purgatorie.” Making hell a metaphor for herself strongly suggests that she was not at all submissive, as was expected of a medieval woman, due to the Genesis story, which implied that womenexisted exclusively to serve men. Despite her defiance of traditional gender roles and flaunting her sins, the Wife is not punished. This is perhaps due to his belief that his sexual desires are not inherently wrong, a significant fact when compared to Annabella's self-deprecating attitude towards her sexuality. Alisoun uses biblical exegesis to justify his thoughts and actions, and it is probably this willingness to fight against “auctoritee” that allows him to escape severe punishment. In the declarative “God cursed us to fertilize and multiply,” she attempts to validate her promiscuity, willfully ignoring the fact that the Catholic Church preached that sexual relations were exclusively for procreation, and not pleasure, as she chooses to do. interpret it. Likewise, he appeals to the stories of the “wise king, daun Salomon,” declaring “I believe he had wives more than many.” A feminist reading suggests that this was a subtle criticism of patriarchal double standards, that men could be allowed multiple partners, while a woman would be scorned and shunned for it. However, the comment is highly ironic, since Solomon turned away from God and had his kingdom taken from him as punishment, which the Wife seems to have misunderstood. Therefore, the exclamation that she wishes "to be refreshed half as often as he is!" he is blasphemous, since he was not considered a man of grace. It would also have shocked readers in the Middle Ages, as a woman's sexual desire in itself was considered dangerous, so comparing her desire to that of a man who had 1000 sexual partners would have been extremely outrageous. Despite her blasphemy, Alisoun's boldness serves her well, as her verse is persuasively relentless. However, her profane use of the Holy Bible causes distrust in the reader, and perhaps even in the other pilgrims, as her manipulation, and occasionally simple ignorance, of its meaning proves her to be an unreliable narrator. The declarative “That gentil text kan I wel understonde” is therefore ironic, since he actually misinterprets it completely, to his own advantage. It can therefore be reasoned that her punishment is in her reputation, as those who hear her are skeptical of her and unconvinced by her arguments. From Chaucer's "General Prologue", readers are aware that the Wife's status is important to her, as she wears clothes "of scarlet reed". It was against the lavish laws for a common woman to wear red, as it was very expensive and generally reserved for the nobility; therefore, Alisoun projects himself as a rich and status person, showing interest in this. However, it can equally be argued that her participation in the pilgrimage, understood as a social event by people of different social status in medieval England, is a privilege, since she can look for new men to attract. This shows that she is ultimately unpunished, as she contentedly continues to commit the same sins. The male characters in "Tis Pity She's a Whore" and "The Wife of Bath," on the other hand, manage to escape punishment for their lust entirely. thoughts and actions. While Annabella loses her life and reputation, her male counterpart Giovanni is unharmed by their incestuous relationship, his death caused by his arrogance, not his love for his sister. He is undoubtedly the culprit of their common sin, as evident in scene two of the first act. The declarative "I asked the holy Church for advice, / Who tells me I can love you" is a lie, manipulating Annabella into accepting their relationship. Before this proclamation, she appears reluctant, the declarative “You are my brother, John”contains an underlying statement that they cannot be together for this reason. However, after learning of the alleged blessing of the Church, the direction shows that "She kneels", a motif repeated in the Third Act with the Friar and in the Fourth Act with Soranzo. A feminist reading of this sees the motif as representing female submission to male domination, and it can be argued that this is the fundamental difference between Giovanni and Annabella, and the reason for their divergent destinies. Carolinian audiences would have seen her as weak, and thus her downfall inevitable, while while he is disliked due to his arrogance, Giovanni's status as a man allows him control of the situation throughout the five acts. He does not expect punishment for his lust, the audience does not expect his punishment, and therefore avoids it. Similarly in Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath", the knight is guilty, as the fact that he is "a vigorous bachelor" is foregrounded in the tale. Violent images are used to describe the rape of the “maid”, with a lexical mix of aggression in the abstract nouns “force” and “oppressioun” and in the dynamic verb “rafte”. Despite this, he does not suffer from his sinful action, which reflects the patriarchal order of medieval England. As a man, and a man of status, belonging to the “house” of “King Arthour,” he is protected, while the innocent young maid he attacked remains vulnerable. Chaucer may have been criticizing the feudal system, suggesting that power breeds corruption, as Ford does in "It's a pity she's a whore" when Bergetto's assassin, Grimaldi, is received "Under the protection of His Holiness" in scene nine of the third act, simply for being “nobly born”. The knight endures "twelve months and a day" of almost fruitless searching, but this is as close to penance as he gets. Chaucer's readers, however, may have seen the knight's submission to the "old wyf" as punishment enough. She addresses him with imperatives such as "Request your trouthe here in my hands" and declaratives "The next thing I require of you, / you will do it", placing him at her command. The fact that he responds in acceptance with the declarative "Receive my truth... I grant it to you" would have been seen as degrading in the Middle Ages, as men were supposed to be superior and powerful beings. Since Genesis suggested that women were created to serve men, this was the expectation of society, and Chaucer's reversal of gender roles here would have astonished many. However, it is questionable whether it is worth it, as the knight is rewarded at the end of the work. story with a wife who fulfills all the ideals of a medieval woman. This is evident in his repetition of "bothe", which has an intensifying effect on the declaratives "I'll be to yow..." and "...fair and good". The knight's luck in finding this woman is further emphasized in the declarative “I will be good and trewe also” and in the extended simile “I will be tomorrow beautiful to sawe / Like any lady, emperice or queen”. Since the nouns in this last polysyndetic list have regal denotations, she is elevating her beauty, while the first pairs of adjectives connote honesty, faithfulness, and kindness. In this, she challenges female stereotypes, as she is neither the beautiful seductress nor the hideous but kind-hearted woman. Therefore, it is indisputable that at the end of 'The Wife of Bath's Tale', the “vigorous” knight is unpunished for his sin. It can also be argued that he is being rewarded for his initial display of power. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Geoffrey Chaucer in "The Wife of Bath" and John Ford in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore' presents the..