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The Knight from the Wife of Bath’s Tale undergoes a radical transformation in his attitude toward women. He goes from being a rapist who deprives women of sovereignty over their bodies to ceding power over his very life and future to the women of King Arthur’s court and the Old Woman. His eventual submission and marriage to the Old Woman occurs in two steps. At first, the Old Woman demands his hand from the Queen. The Knight’s plea to spare his body suggests that he imagines marriage to this powerful Old Woman to be akin to his rape of the maiden, a complete override of his bodily autonomy. However, when faced with the Old Woman’s choice between beauty and faithfulness, he cedes his power gladly because he realizes that making the Old Woman happy will, in turn, make her kind to him. This complete reversal of attitude and fortune mirrors Jankyn’s transformation from a bad husband to the Wife of Bath’s ideal husband, from berating her to allowing her to hold all the power in their marriage. Through the figure of the Knight, the Wife of Bath argues that submission, instead of emasculating a husband, allows him to have the type of marriage he desires, just as the Knight ends up with an ideal bride.
