is differed from the prevailing view in the
ancient world, where love meant nothing but the physical
relations between the sexes, with woman being seen simply as
woman, considered neither high nor distinctly base. The woman had a social inferiority considered natural because of her limitations--this was a time when physical strength and the
ability for self defense were essential conditions of power. Since women lacked these qualities, they were relegated to a definite secondary position behind the men. Federn says that in the Germanic mind, there was a certain reverential regard for women that was deeply rooted and that had been foreign in antiquity. The social position of women rarely corresponded to this professed reverence, but in poetry the attitude is seen in the treatment of the female and in a warmer feeling about love and married life. On the other side is Christian doctrine, which in the early Middle Ages was entirely imbued with monkish ideas. Women were regarded as something bad and unclean, and sensual love was condemned. This was all changed with the era of chivalry, at which time the cult of women was introduced. However feigned and superficial it really was, this cult would become a leading feature of modern civilization (Federn 129-131).
Geoffrey Chaucer presents a broad portrait of life in his
Canterbury Tales both in the pilgrims themselves and in the characters in their stories. These women are neither better nor worse than they should be. They are much more realistically portrayed than the idealized woman of Dante. They can be hypocritical and they can be saintly. They are sensual women pursued by and often pursuing men, and they can also be nobler. The church women, like the church men, are very human. The Prioress is a woman of the church, while the Wife of Bath is a worldly woman. They are very much alike in many ways. The Wife of Bath loves to engage in the offering of alms...