The Franklin's Tale

"The Franklin's Tale" (Middle English: The Frankeleyns Tale) is one of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. It focuses on issues of providence, truth, generosity and gentillesse in human relationships.

A franklin was a medieval landowner, and this pilgrim's words when interrupting the Squire are often seen as displaying his social status of diminutio. Other such devices are employed throughout the tale.

The story opens and closes by recounting how two lovers decide that their marriage should be one of equal status, although they agree that, in public, Arveragus should make decisions so as not to draw suspicion. The idea of women having equality with men was unusual at the time, and would have been socially unacceptable; this is why they choose to conceal it. Arveragus then travels to Britain to seek honour and fame. He leaves Dorigen alone in France near the coastal town of Pedmark (today Penmarc'h) the province of Armorik (or Brittany as it is now known). She misses her husband terribly while he is gone, and is particularly concerned that his ship will crash while returning home on the black rocks of Brittany.

While Arveragus is absent, Dorigen is courted against her will by another suitor, a squire named Aurelius. Finally, to get rid of him and in a lighthearted mood, she makes a rash promise and tells Aurelius that he might have her love providing he can dispose of all the rocks on the coast of Brittany. Aurelius finally manages to secure the services of a magician-scholar of the arcane arts, who, taking pity on the young man, for the princely sum of a thousand pounds agrees "thurgh his magik" to make all the rocks "aweye" "for a wyke or tweye" (possibly by association with an exceptionally high tide).

When the "rokkes" vanish, Aurelius confronts Dorigen and demands that she fulfil her bargain. She and her husband agonise over her predicament; for by this time Arveragus has returned safely. During this period Dorigen lists numerous examples of legendary women who killed themselves to maintain their honour. Dorigen explains her moral predicament to her husband who calmly says that in good conscience she must go and keep her promise to Aurelius.

However, Aurelius himself defers to nobility when he recognises that the couple's love is true, and Arveragus noble; he releases Dorigen from her oath. The magician-scholar is so moved by Aurelius' story that he cancels the enormous debt that Aurelius owes him.

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