To love, honor, and obey is a common part of the modern marriage vow. It is taken for granted that both partners will strive to achieve an equal union, in which neither is completely dominant or completely subservient to the other. While this may make sense to modern married couples, medieval couples had a very different idea about the need or even desire to obey each other. Obedience to one's spouse is examined in several stories, but the conclusions drawn about this concept vary, especially when considering gender. Although several wives in the Canterbury Tales verbally demonstrate a desire to have obedient husbands, obedient husbands are not always rewarded for their obedience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay While submissive wives are a staple in several tales, such as Griselda in The Clerks Tale and Constance in The Man of Laws Tale, a desire for acquiescent husbands is overt in only two tales. The first story in which male submission is mentioned is The Wife of Baths Tale. The protagonist, a knight who has raped a woman, is sent to find out what women most desire (III 905) and to report it within a year. The knight asks many women what they desire from men, and the woman who spared his life replies that women desired to have sovereignty over their husband (III1038-1039). Not only does the woman who spared the knight's life agree with this assessment, but she is also contrary to what he said (III 1044). She believes that women should be able to exercise power over their husbands in marriage and that this desire is not an anomaly. This woman, who eventually becomes the knight's wife, illustrates the first woman in the Canterbury Tales who appreciates an obedient husband. The second example of a woman who expounds the value of an obedient husband is the wife in The Shipman's Tale. Complaining about her husband's avarice, the wife states that the servants should be robust, wise, rich, and free from then on, and prosperous until their life and their new bed (VII 175-177). According to the wife, these six elements are the simple equation for the perfect husband. While all of these elements are worth examining, the concept of male obedience is particularly evident because it was a major theme in an earlier tale (The Wife of Bath's Tale), which was dominated by the female perspective. Once again, the theme of obedience arises as a desirable trait in a husband. Since there are so few examples of understanding the female mind in the various tales, the fact that a desire for submissive husbands emerges in both is particularly noteworthy. In both of the above-mentioned tales a compliant husband appears, but the results of their obedience vary. . In The Wife of Bath's Tale, obedience to the wife has exceptionally good results for the husband. After learning to be a submissive male to the queen in order to be spared punishment for the rape he committed, the knight is forced to marry an older woman and is presented with the choice of having a beautiful, independent young wife, or an older wife who she is true and humble. Instead of making the decision himself, he gives sovereignty to his wife, agreeing to stick to what she thinks is best. The knight states: I place myself in your wise government; you desire yourself, which can be the greatest joy and honor for you and also for me?? Since, as you prefer, it is enough for me. (III1231-12-35) His words illustrate that he will be an obedient husband and accept that his wife can and shouldhave the power to make a decision that will affect both of you. Since he renounces the role of dominant male, he is rewarded by his old and gaunt wife, who gives him the best of both worlds, becoming, at the same time, beautiful and good (III 1241). Not only does the knight go unpunished for the monstrous rape committed at the beginning of the story, but he finds himself with a beautiful wife who is humble and faithful to him. In this example, obeying the wife produces extremely pleasant results, supporting the idea that such behavior should be a model for all husbands. The husband in The Story of Melibee, however, receives no such extraordinary rewards for his acquiescence to his wife. At the beginning of the tale, Melibee lists several reasons why his wife's advice is suspect, ranging from every wight wolde holde [him] a fool (VII 1055), to the fact that he wants his solution to remain secret, until were the time when he would know more, and his advantage might not be (VII 1060) if he submits to his advice. However, at the end of the story, Melibee's attitude in listening to his wife's guidance undergoes a change. Melibee has heard of dame Prudence's grete skiles and rsouns, and takes on wise information and techniques (VII 1869) and wisely, bends to his wife's will, fully consenting to work after her advice (VII 1870 -1871). He submits to her, realizing that she is a wise woman, with much discretion (VII 1871) and very prudent, as her symbolic name, Prudence, says. Although he admits the utility of acquiescing to his wife, the consequences of acting on this discovery are much more abstract than those received by the knight. The story simply ends with Melibee telling his enemies that since they are repentant, he will be merciful. The dynamics of the marriage between Melibee and Prudence do not change. Melibee doesn't make a speech to claim his wife, or even to thank her for her advice. Instead, his submission to his wife's advice is overshadowed by the moral of forgiveness at the end of the story. Instead of tangibly illustrating that Melibee benefited from wisely accepting his wife's intelligent advice, the story neither rewards nor punishes him for his actions. This lack of concrete consequences for his actions causes ambivalence about what ideas the reader should take away from the story about male obedience. The outcome of The Shipman's Tale is equally problematic when it comes to an obedient husband. The story begins from the point of view of a woman, and this female point of view tells that her husband, the merchant, asks us to get dressed, and asks us to arraye and pay for [its] cost, [and] lene [ his] gold (VII 12, 19). The woman likes to go out on the town, but she must be properly equipped for such adventures and her husband dutifully pays these costs. He not only pays for her clothes, but if she needs money, he pays the cost and gives her more money. Distributing money so freely and frivolously to his wife demonstrates obedience to the wishes and desires of his spouse. He does not appear to limit or monitor how his wife spends her money, which illustrates his wife's implicit spending compliance. This trust in his wife is rewarded by being betrayed by a monk he hosted in his home. This wife is that particular wife who has named the six elements that every woman wants in a husband, and she also does not respect a submissive husband. In the Canterbury Tales not only is obedience to one's wife punished, but the opposite behavior is generously rewarded. The outcome of The Clerk's Tale is diametrically opposed to the idea that a submissive husband is desirable. Walter, the husband in the story, refuses to submit to his wife even at her request?