One of the most distinguishable points of Chaucer's writing in The Canterbury Tales, is his ability to build a character and then portray that same character through the stories his characters tell. This is exemplified in the tales of the Wife of Bath, the Miller, and the Manciple. Their stories elucidate their personalities and beliefs, whether deliberately or inadvertently.

"She'd had five husbands...apart from other company in youth."(p.31) The prologue more than hints at the Wife of Bath's outlook on life and her own activity. The Wife of Bath was a cultured and tenacious woman of the times. She'd been married five times, traveled the world, and knew exactly what she wanted and almost always got it. In the prologue to her actual tale, she explains each relationship and stands up for herself. It is apparent that at some point she has been condemned for the interesting number of husbands she's taken and asserts that King Solomon had "a thousand wives or so. And would to God it were allowed to me to be refreshed, aye, half so much as he!...Blessed be God that I have wedded five!" and "Why not marry two or eight?" (p.277) Basically saying that King Solomon had over a thousand wives, and she doesn't even have half as many husbands and God should be thankful for that. She wants constant control over her husbands. "'A man must yield his wife her debt'...What means of paying her can he invent un...

abil absalon absolut abstain activ actual admir aid alison allow almost along alway analog anoth answer anyth anyway apart appar appear arm ask assert astronom away aye band barley barley-bread basic bath belief besid beyond bird bless bodi born bread break bring brother build burn buy cage call cannot canterburi captain care carpent case caus chanc charact chaucer cheat choos citi clerk coerc come command common compani complet conclus condemn consist conspir constant control convict crazi cuckold cultur d dear debaucheri debt decid defend degre deliber describ descript desir desper dialogu die differ dirti dishonest distinguish doesn doubl downright drunk drunken earn eight either elucid end engend enjoy even eventu exact except exchang exemplifi expect explain explicit fact fate fellow fierc five flat flood foolish forc free friend funni generat gentlewoman get give god gone got grace great grief guarante hag hail half happen hard harm heap high hint hit home host hot hous husband illiter impli impress inadvert instrument insult intellig interest invent iron isn judgment kept key king kiss knew knight know ladi lady-lov lady-wif land learn leav lectur legal let life like line littl live ll lock lose love lover low mad made make man mancipl mani marri marvel master masteri mayb mean men middl might miller mischief model much murder must name never nichola night number old one oppress ordinari organ outlaw outlook outpac p.121 p.277 p.278-280 p.280 p.301 p.309 p.31 p.35 p.499 pain parish pay peopl perfect person phoebus physic place play pleasur point poker polit poor portray posit power pretti prior problem prologu promis prove pure queen question raft rank rape rather readi real realli rear rebellion refer refresh refus relationship rest return ring role rude rump sake satisfi say seem self self-sam shame shine show silli sin sinc situat smote sober societi solomon sovereignti spoke stand steal stori stuck style surpris taken tale talent tell temper tenaci thank therefor thief thing think though thought thousand thump time titl told town travel true truli two tyrant unless unscath use vibrant virgin visit wait want way wed well wench went wheat wherea whether whore wife window wisdom wish without wive woman women won world would write year yes yet yield young youth