Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Consider the power dynamics at work in "The Wife of Bath's Tale": at the beginning, the knight clearly holds the power, given that he deprives a maiden of her virginity by force. Then we enter a fairy-tale period in which women rule supreme, only for the tale to conclude with the loathly-lady-turned-beautiful-damsel yielding power back to her husband. The interlude, in which women hold sovereignty, is a fairy tale. We are probably meant to understand the knight as a symbol of the sovereignty of all men, which may give way to the power of women in the fantasy-world of the romance, but firmly asserts itself at the margins of this world.