Modern-day Western society holds excessively strict views about gender roles in society, specifically when concerning who performs certain moves in the intricate dance of relationships. Many stereotypes have developed due to different pieces of literature and society in general. Men court women and rescue them from danger. Women learn the necessary skills to become a proper housewife and mother. For a man to successfully complete the requirements of his “part” in the relationship, he must provide for his spouse and assert his dominance as the head of the household. The woman must then complete the dance by deferring to her husband’s wishes and presenting the perfect picture of a cultured, subservient wife. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and Lanval by Marie de France challenge this notion. In both works, the women represent the dominant force in the relationship, reversing gender roles and overturning modern-day gender stereotypes. However, despite the fact that both pieces of literature oppose the standards of the time, the social commentary the two works provide greatly contrast. Although Lanval still incorporates many of the common romantic stereotypes, The Canterbury Tales does not address these stereotypes; not only does the work present a profoundly different picture, illustrating a highly negative image of what occurs when women contain the power in a relationship, but also it also gives this classic piece of literature less relevancy in the eyes of the modern-day reader. Traditionally, women held little to no power in a relationship; however, Lanval challenges this long-standing idea. Lanval, a knight “far from his inheritance,” gains his wealth through the success of his lover, a nameless woman who represents the power all women could hold in a relationship (Marie 1769). From the beginning of the lai, gender roles are immediately reversed. As opposed to Lanval searching for this fair maiden, she has “come in far search” of Lanval instead (France 1770). Clearly the aggressor in the relationship, the nameless woman begins to provide for Lanval, promising him that “she would still find enough for him” no matter how much he gave or spent (Marie 1770). By characterizing the fair maiden as the provider and controller of the relationship, Marie has obviously granted her the power in the lai, going against what would have been considered the social norm for the time. The nameless woman dictates the terms and conditions of their relationship, informing Lanval that if he tells anyone of their secret relationship, he “would never be able to see … or possess” her (Marie 1770). Marie de France utilizes diction such as “allowed” and “commanded” to display the authority and control the nameless woman wields (Marie 1770). As a result, Lanval becomes fully dependent on her wealth.
His lavish lifestyle soon gains the queen’s notice and she tries to seduce him. However, in a fit of anger, Lanval harshly rejects her advances, not only revealing his relationship with the fair maiden, but also admitting that he has more loyalty towards her than his king. Put on trial for treason, the barons have to decide whether he should be banished for his actions. As the verdict is about to be delivered, Lanval’s beloved comes riding in on a “white palfrey” and rescues him from his fate, riding off to “Avalon” with her (Marie 1774-1775). Here, Marie de France takes a common stereotype and reverses the gender roles again, having the woman play the role of the knight in shining armor that rides in on a white steed. Throughout the entire lai, Marie attempts to show that women can not only fulfill the role of provider but also that men can be the submissive partner. The dancers in the relationship tango do not have to adhere to strict definitions of their gender roles. If things change, society will still be able to function normally with no problem. Marie’s general message states that the oppression of women is not needed to have a properly functioning society. Although gender roles may serve some purpose, Marie de France asserts that relationships must have a certain amount of pliability and not strictly follow social norms.
Chaucer also deviates from social norms and writes a tale in which Alison, the Wife of Bath, holds the position of dominance in her relationships. To introduce Alison in his General Prologue, Chaucer enumerates the qualities that proclaim her sexual prowess, such as the gaps between her teeth, and describes her ostentatious manner of dress. The reader then finds discovers that “five men in turn had taken her to wife” (Chaucer l. 448). Chaucer establishes Alison as a character that veers away from the preconceived idea of a medieval woman. He goes even further in setting Alison apart from the standard woman in The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Similarly to the unnamed woman in Marie de France’s lai, Alison forces herself into the role of the aggressor. She marries her first three husbands because they happened to be “kindly men, and rich, and old” (Chaucer l. 203). Using her husbands’ old age against themselves, she “ruled them by my [the Wife’s] law and sentence,” implying that she was the head of the household (Chaucer l. 226). Manipulative and deceitful, Alison “threw them [her husbands] in confusion,” lying to them by saying that they had made drunken promises that did not actually exist (Chaucer l. 240). Swindling her first three husbands out of their land and fortune, The Wife of Bath clearly opposes any stereotype that existed about women being submissive to their husbands and passively waiting around the house while tending to the children and keeping a tidy and orderly home. Instead, Alison is aggressive, assertive, and artful.
Alison’s fourth husband treated her as she treated her previous husbands, pretending to be faithful while fornicating with another woman. He enjoyed carousing, and as a result, was often away from home. Continuing to defy stereotypes, Alison began to search for her fifth husband while still married to her fourth. At her fourth husband’s funeral, the Wife admired her future husband body, commenting, “he had a pair / Of legs and feet so cleanly turned and fair / I [Alison] put my heart completely in his hold” (Chaucer ll. 595-597). Coincidentally, this passage also happens to be the only time the Wife talks about conforming to social norms saying that she wept and showed little cheer “as wives must do, since custom has its place” (Chaucer l. 587). Alison then manages to gain the entire fortune of her fifth husband, becoming the dominant figure in that household as well. Although Chaucer’s work illustrates that women have the ability to successfully reverse gender roles, the consequences of doing so would breakdown society. Clearly, the Wife of Bath’s behavior is not conducive to society. Chaucer implies that only through subterfuge, maliciousness and sheer greed is a woman able to gain the dominant position in a relationship. This implication hints that Chaucer believes only the most immoral, unethical women of the world have the capability to perform an action as complicated as reversing the power roles within a society. Utilizing her feminine wiles, the Wife of Bath ensnares men and corrupts well-defined social norms; norms Chaucer thinks should be followed. While both works of literature comment upon the social ramifications of gender role reversals, only Lanval manages to incorporate many romantic stereotypes. Although The Canterbury Tales does present a different picture than what society would expect, it lacks a stereotypical romantic subplot, making it harder for the reader to connect with the work and causing its message to lose relevancy with the audience. In Marie de France’s Lanval, she references the stereotypes of love at first sight and the knight in shining armor swooping in at the last moment to save the damsel in distress. It almost has a classic romantic comedy feel to it: Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Girl encounters trouble. Boy saves girl. Boy and girl live happily-ever-after. Western culture has been raised to expect this mundane, overused plotline, and Lanval delivers. The only variation is that the girl plays the role of the protagonist. Because the reader easily connects and understands the premise behind the lai, the switching of gender roles simply provides an interesting twist. The lai still retains its relevancy because even though it deviates from the cultural norm, it possesses a banal plot, making it easier for the reader to accept this small change. While not a romance, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue begins with Alison attempting to utilize ethos, claiming “authority” on the subject of marriage (Chaucer l. 1). Whenever an author references love in a novel, the reader expects to encounter at least one sappy, overused cliché. Whether it be a damsel in distress or love at first sight, modern society has trained this generation to expect trite, vapid, commonplace references to love. Chaucer’s literary work, however, contrasts this preconceived notion. His prologue references the “dirty” side of relationships: manipulation, lying, and deceit. Therefore, while the critical social commentary comes through, the reader finds it difficult to connect with the piece on an emotional level because it contradicts the reader’s expectations of a happy fairytale ending.
Maybe the reader’s inability to identify with Chaucer’s work lies in modern-day society. Both Marie de France and Geoffrey Chaucer provide sound, logical arguments for why gender roles should or should not be reversed. It is the reader who approaches both of these texts with the expectation that romantic clichés should be involved. Have we become brainwashed into thinking that all relationships end in a happily-ever-after? Whatever the answer may be, both works provide a solid social commentary on the roles women play in relationships and the ramifications of challenging tradition, providing a solid base for an argument in either direction.

Works Cited
France, Marie de. “Lanval.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature Volume B. Ed. Peter J. Simon. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002. 1769–1775. Print.
Geoffrey, Chaucer. “The Canterbury Tales.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature Volume B. Ed. Peter J. Simon. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002. 2051–2099. Print.