Thomas, Susanne Sara. “The Problem of Defining ‘Sovereynetee’ in the Wife of Bath’s Tale.” The Chaucer Review, vol. 41, no. 1, Penn State University Press, 2006, pp. 87–97, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25094342.
Thomas argues that The Wife of Bath’s Tale should be read as a philosophical exploration of the social contract, particularly the cultural roles assumed between a heterosexual, married couple during Chaucer’s time. Thomas states that, at the core of these relationships, lies the concept of sovereignty. She argues that sovereignty (or alternatively, maistrie) are largely interpretative, and what the term means to one, does not necessarily apply to another. With this line of thought, Thomas explores the differing perspectives on sovereignty, noting that it can translate to independence and self government, or even rulership of others. If the reader is to consider what sovereignty means to the queene of the tale, she would embody sovereignty as rulership. The wyf or “hag” mentioned in the tale embodies sovereignty in the form of self-governance and independence, as she is able to control her relationship with the knight by leveraging her intellect, and eventually her appearance. However, Thomas argues that the wyf’s willingness to change her appearance and behavior to appease the knight is counterproductive to the feministic approach that many critics have assumed the tale to be, and that the knight’s understanding of sovereignty is also muddled by the magic or fantasy element of the tale, as it is far from reality. Because of this manipulation, the knight and wyf are unable to truly enter a social contract with a mutual understanding of sovereignty or maistrie.
-Emily Tushar
