’23 Words’

This is the tale of the maiden from Chaucer’s Wife of bath, the maiden who is given just 23 words and no other mention. The maiden whose rape is merely a 33 syllable descriptive moment in the long narrative of the story of a Knight. The two performers weave the story of what really happened; the Himpathy shown to the Knight, while the maiden’s fate is forgotten.

This is no angry feminist rant, it’s a cleverly told story of the double standards applied to women’s experience of rape; we are not objects.

The Knight was given a quest for his cruel deed and had to discover for himself that what women most desire is choice. The maiden did not have a name nor any description, but she still exists 600 years later in every street, on every bus, in every café.

Jane Elliott