What are feminist thoughts in "The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale"?

I would have thought there are two main elements that you
can look at to show the feminism that is explicit in this excellent tale: the "point" of
the tale and the character of the wife herself.

We see at
the end of the tale that what ensures the poor knight gets a beautiful and virtuous wife
is when he correctly gives mastery or dominance to his wife, giving her the power to
choose what is best for them. Note what the knight says to his wife in the
story:

"My
lady and my love, my dear wife too,

I place myself in your
wise governance;

Choose foryourselv whichever's the most
pleasant,

Most honourable to you, and me
also."

The message is clear:
happiness is given to men who let their wives rule them. It is hard to overestimate the
anti-patriarchal message that this represents, as it challenges so much of the culture
of the time.

You might like to think as well of how the
character of the Wife of Bath in her very person represents a feminist statement. She
quite happily declares that she has married many times, each time to her advantage
(mostly), and that she is on the look out now for the next one. Note the way her
character is revealed at the end of her tale:

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And may Christ Jesus send us husbands
who

Are meek and young, and spirited in
bed;

And send us grace to outlive those we
wed;

And I pray Jesus to cut short the
lives

Of those who won't be governed by their
wives...

Again we see a
strikingly bold and open rejection of the role that society of the time had created for
women, especially with reference to the fact that women prefer men who can sexually
please them. Such a vibrant character completely shocks those who expect women to be
mild, demure and subservient.