The Wife of Bath's deafness and dominance in marriage

¶ … Wife of Bath's deafness related literally and metaphorically to her views on marriage?

The Wire of Bath lost her hearing because she tore a page out of one her husband=scholar's books, and so he hit her. On a literal level, it shows that she was ready to go to any extreme to get what she wanted from her husbands; tearing a page out of a book was a terribly destructive thing to do in the 14th century. It also shows the level of control she wanted: even though this man was a highly educated scholar, she wanted to control what he read.

On a symbolic level, he then attacks what is most important to her: she wants to be heard. Her story, which includes her relations with all her husbands in some detail, clearly shows that she wants to be the dominant partner. Now that she is deaf, however, she is physically weakened.

What are some of the ways that the Nun's Priest's Tale moves beyond the simple moral of keeping your eyes open and your mouth shut? How does this connect with the Wife of Bath?

Like the Wife's tale, the Nun's Priest's Tale involves s someone's struggle to get something wanted, and in using one's wits to get it. Both the cock and the Wife of Bath are in a life-and-death struggle: the Wife because she cannot live in a marriage unless she is the dominant spouse, and the cock because he will die unless he outwits and dominates the fox. Society at the time would view the wife and the cock of having some similar characteristics. Neither can get what they want by strength or status, so they must use their intelligence.