Student Question
What characteristic did the husbands that the Wife of Bath chose for their bequeathable assets share?
Quick answer:
The Wife of Bath's first three husbands shared the characteristics of being old, wealthy, and subservient, which allowed her to dominate them and inherit their wealth. They were unable to satisfy her in bed, further contributing to her control over them. Her relationships with these husbands ensured her financial security, as she was able to inherit money from each when they died.
The Wife of Bath's first three husbands share the characteristics of being old, rich, and subservient to her—she refers to their catering to her as being "good." They also all seem to have trouble in bed. She quickly gains the upper hand over all of them, and they do her bidding in order to keep her happy. She is a well-to-do woman because she inherits money from all three of these men when they die.
The Wife of Bath also gains the upper hand with her fourth husband, even though he has an affair with another woman. She makes him jealous by causing him to think she is having an affair with another man.
By the time she's on her fifth husband, the Wife of Bath can marry who she wants, and she chooses a much younger man. This ends up being a mistake, as he dominates her and even beats her.
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