wife of bath is a feminists nightmare
The wife of Bath might be described in modern terms as a feminist who has lost her way. ... Although the Wife of Bath has a slightly modern outlook on her sexuality this does not necessarily imply that she is a feminist. Her initial attempts to prove the worth of woman may be a positive feminist manoeuvre but her confessions of using her sexuality as a tool for using men is a feminist’s nightmare. ... In reality the Wife of Bath is closer to a self-glamorized prostitute than any kind of feminist. The use of religion as a means of justifying the oppression of women by others is something that infuriates the wife of Bath. Describing her annoyance at this one of the few times the wife of bath ever comes close to making a clear feminist point. ... The Wife of Bath begins in a somewhat headstrong manner and although her core argument seems to hold water initially, she could again be described as a feminist who has lost her way and it is when she begins to describe her own lifestyle that she truly loses her way and begins to personify some of the main horrors of a feminist nightmare. When the Wife of Bath begins to describe her own lifestyle a previously excited feminist might be forgiven for being suddenly disheartened by this character. Suddenly the question arises of whether the Wife of Bath is a feminist at all or just a sexually frivolous woman using biblical quotation to disguise her unconventional lifestyle. ... Feminism is based on equality not superiority and the Wife of Bath uses sex and indeed the withholding of sex to gain the position of dominance within the relationships.