The character of the Wife of Bath is clearly feminist. She indicates this by her extreme ideas of female "maistrye" and statements such as "I have the power duringe al my lyf upon his proper body, and nought he," which is extremely feminist. However, Chaucer makes us see the Wife of Bath as inconsistent, at times illogical, and also amoral and adulterous, The prologue and tale is spoken by a woman of supposed vast experience, yet was written by a man. While the prologue and tale may be seemingly feminist, could it be a vehicle for a deeper anti-feminist message?...
opinion of feminism is that of the knight and the old woman. Here, both extremes aren't present and both the husband and the wife makes a sacrifice of "maistrye." The wife initially gives the husband a choice over her own life, only to have that choice given to her. The fairy-tale ending shows the happiness that can result in that type of relationship. If this half-feminist leaning was true to Chaucer, it could be asked why he chose a setting of fantasy and unreality. Maybe Chaucer realizes that this relationship could only result in an ideal fairy tale story