Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Tale of the Wife of Bath" is an important part of his most famous work, The Canterbury Tales. One of the most respected and analyzed tales of all, this one is important both for the development of its characters and for its overarching themes. It perfectly integrates the ideas about the society of that time with a strong literary development. This work stands the test of time both because of its literary qualities and what it can tell us about the role of women in late medieval society. In terms of literary quality, Chaucer went to great lengths to give some attention to all the elements. The work is primarily about a knight who is forgiven for a rape on condition that he acquires the answer to one of life's most difficult questions. He is sent on a quest to understand what women want from their men, and he ultimately succeeds in this task. Chaucer uses action and intrigue along with strong character development to make a compelling story. Above all, he develops the Lady of Bath very well in the prologue to this work. In her article in the Chaucer Review, Susan Carter writes at length about how Chaucer uses strong character development to hammer home his points. She writes: “If Chaucer does not actually approve of the shrill voice he gives to the wife, he certainly plays with textuality, with subjectivity and with the construction of ideas about sexuality” (Carter, 2003). Along with the use of the character, Chaucer creates a moving plot in which the knight is almost felled until he is finally saved by a woman late in the game. The atmosphere surrounding this story is somewhat dark and mysterious, especially when Chaucer includes magic in the equivalence...... middle of paper ...... Geoffrey Chaucer's work is often praised for his use of language. , its literary force and its understanding of social change. This work is no different and should be commended for that. The author does a lot with the language and has a plan with the work. Through a creative use of certain literary elements, he highlights strong and central points about the role of women in his society. Works CitedChaucer, Geoffrey (1987). “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue.” The Riverside Chaucer, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 105-116. Hammond, Eleanor Prescott (1908). Chaucer: A Bibliographic Handbook. New York: Macmillan. Kittredge, George Lyman. “Chaucer’s Discussion of Marriage.” Modern Philology 9 (1912), 435-67. Carter, Susan. “Coupling of the Beastly Bride and the Hunted Hunter: What Lies Behind the Tale of the Wife of Bath.” Chaucer Review, Vol. 37 No. 4 (2003), 329-345.