In the tale of The Wife of Bath, the ideas of equality for men and women are expressed through the desire for women to have self- soverignty, equality, and the man's knowledge that women are in charge. Alison, the Wife of Bath, expresses her desire for equality for men and women within a marriage through her want of self soverignty. She believes that "a woman wants the self-same sovereignty over her husband as over her lover, and master him" (pg 286). Alison also encourages the idea that "[a husband] must not be above [a wife]." Through equality, she seeks to level out the hold of power between the husband and the wife. When Johnny, her husband, "smote [her] on the head"(pg 279), she "at once smote him on the cheek and said 'take that to level up the score'"(page 280). In The Wife of Bath, equality is stressed throughout the tale through the ideas of self- sovereignty for women, equality within a marriage and the man's knowledge that women are in charge.