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The knight and the old woman travel together to the court, where, in front of a large audience, the knight tells the queen the answer with which the old woman supplied him: what women most desire is to be in charge of their husbands and lovers.
- Test Your Knowledge Take The Wife of Bath's Tale Quick Quiz
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- Test Your Knowledge Take The Wife of Bath's Tale Quick Quiz
The knight and the old woman go to court, where a large audience of the queen and her maids is assembled, waiting to hear the knight’s answer. He tells them that women desire sovereignty over their husbands and lovers.
Indeed, the knight not only gives the old woman what she wants (marriage), but he's also providing her with the thing that women, according to the Wife of Bath, universally want: power...
The knight explains his quest, and the old woman promises him the right answer if he will do what she demands for saving his life. The knight agrees. When the queen bids the knight to speak, he responds correctly that women most desire sovereignty over their husbands.
We need to remember that when the knight meets the old woman, he is at his wit's end. He has to give the Queen an answer to her question, and, as yet, he has not been able to do so....
Quick answer: The knight's answer to the Queen's riddle in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" is that women most desire to have power over their husbands and lovers.
The Knight turns to look at the old woman, again, but now, he finds a young and lovely woman. The old woman makes "what women want most" and the answer that she gave true to him, sovereignty. [ 5 ]
