The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Prologue Wealth Quotes Page 6

Here the Wife here reveals herself to possess a good head for business. She's saying that women are willing to lay down lots of money (or sex) for something that's rare or difficult to obtain, demonstrating a good understanding of the basics of supply and demand. This business knowledge fits with with the General Prologue's claim that the Wife was once involved in the textile business.

The Wife was willing to marry for love and not money? (We scrape our jaw off up the floor.) This surprising revelation conflicts with the portrait the Wife has painted of herself as a heartless mercenary in her relationships.

A scarlet skirt was bound to attract attention, which was the Wife's intention. A few lines earlier, she says that she attends lots of social events because they afford opportunities for advancement. Her desire to wear fine clothing is not just vanity; it's part of her strategy for her future provisioning.