Contrast of Women in Tess of the DUbervilles and The Wife of Baths Prologue essays

Contrast of Women in Tess of the D'Ubervilles and The Wife of Bath's Prologue essays The portrayal of Thomas Hardy's character Tess in his work Tess of the D'Ubervilles and Geoffrey Chaucer's character of Alisoun in his work The Wife of Bath's Prologue is such that both women are seen by society at the given time in history as rebellious, discontent, and badly behaved . Though these portrayals are the result of the cultural values held at said time, they have been immensely influenced by the ideas that the authors respectively had of women as well as the lens of context that each character is viewed through. The belief that these two characters 'behave badly' is highlighted through double standards in the novels' respective societies as well as pristine character representation that Chaucer and Although the mindset in which women are viewed has changed drastically over the years, the attitudes that men in the Victorian Era had towards women greatly influenced the representation of Tess that Hardy gives to us in his book. Throughout the Victorian Era, women who were married were treated as 'lesser humans,' and were valued by their husbands if they were efficient, submissive, and most importantly - faithful. The women that had acted in a sexually impure way were referred to as "fallen women," and in all essence were cast aside by society because of the 'dirtiness' that they carried with them. In Hardy's novel, the character of Angel Clare viewed Tess as a possible lover because he was under the impression that she was not sullied in any way. While observing her during breakfast as she talks to the other dairy-folk he described her as "a fresh and virginal daughter of Nature" (Hardy 137), but just a little while later, once Tess lets him know about her past affairs with Alec, his opinion of her changes instantaneously. Instead of being understanding or at the very least forgiving, he thinks of Tess now as an imposter and someone to stay clear of. The sudden chang...