Wyf of Bath Temperament

    I think that the Wyf of Bath's temperament is a paradox, yes, but is also if cross-section of a common human experience.  Possessing inward desires that diametrically oppose your actual outward actions is something that most humans can relate to.  We need acceptance and affirmation from others, and yet the manifestation of that basic need actually antagonizes those who could satisfy it.  The Wyf shares her tale for many egocentric purposes, but one primary one is she needs validation of her opinions and choices---and who cannot identify with that?  The "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" passage comes to mind here.  Critical of her choices or not, you know that the tensions in her passage have been played out in your life in some way.
  Although I don't have any answers of why she is sharing her tale in such an aggressive manner,  I do believe that Chaucer is a genius at subtly portraying the myriad of human complexities and paradoxes. I admit I digress from purely academic dialogue here, but I wouldn't be an English major if the human experience wasn't utterly intertwined with ideas in literature.  The fact that the characters Chaucer created in the fourteenth century continue to relate to modern psyches and experiences is what I love about literature.