The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Prologue Wealth Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used the line numbering found on Librarius's online edition.

Quote #19

Myn housbonde hadde a legende of his wyf
Eriphilem, that for an ouche of gold

Hath prively unto the Grekes told
Wher that hir housbonde hidde hym in a place
.
(748-751)

This story may be particularly hurtful to the Wife because it's coming from the mouth of the one husband she married for love instead of money. For him to insinuate that women are not capable of what the Wife has in fact done with him, and no other husband, is the ultimate irony.