Summary and Analysis The Franklin's Prologue and Tale
Summary
The Franklin interrupts the Squire's tale in order to compliment him on his eloquence, gentility, and courtesy. He compares the squire to his own son, who spends his time in reckless gambling with worthless youths. The Host is not interested and tells the Franklin to get on with his tale, which he does.
Arveragus, a noble, prosperous, and courageous knight, desires a wife. He finds and marries a beautiful young maiden, Dorigen, and the two vow that they will always respect each other and practice the strictest forbearance towards one another's words and actions. Sometime after the wedding, the knight goes to England and is gone for two years. While her husband is away, Dorigen weeps, fasts, and laments his absence. In her grief, she often sits on the shore. Looking at the bare rocks near the shore, where so many lives have been lost, she becomes apprehensive for her own husband's safety.
One day, Dorigen consents to join friends on a picnic where a dance is staged. At the dance is Aurelius, "the most handsome man alive, young, strong, and wealthy . . . discreet and popular," who has secretly loved Dorigen for two years. Finally, Aurelius reveals his love, but Dorigen repudiates his advances. Aurelius becomes so despondent that Dorigen, trying to raise him from his despair, half jokingly says that she will agree to his love and embraces if he removes all the rocks from the coast of Brittany. But the task is impossible, and Aurelius returns home, elapses in despondency, and is cared for by his brother.
Aurelius remains sick for two years. Finally, his brother comes upon a way to solve the dilemma: He remembers a student who claimed to have deciphered the secret codes of magic found in rare books. Aurelius goes to the student-magician and promises payment of 1,000 pounds if his magic clears the coast of rocks. The student-magician agrees, and the deed is performed. Aurelius then asks Dorigen to keep her promise: "You made a promise which you know must stand / And gave your plighted troth into my hand/ To love me best." Dorigen, horrified and contemplating suicide, recalls for the reader twenty-one women, most of whom had taken their lives rather than disgrace themselves.
Meanwhile, Arveragus returns and finds his wife prostrate with grief. Dorigen tells him the story of her bargain, and he says she must keep her promise, even though it sorely grieves him. Dorigen presents herself to Aurelius. However, when Aurelius learns of Arveragus' nobility and sacrifice, he cannot force himself to possess Dorigen and sends the relieved lady back to her husband. Then Aurelius gathers all his gold together, only to discover that he can pay only half of what he owes the student-magician. When the student-magician learns that Dorigen was relieved of her part of the bargain, the student-magician cancels Aurelius' entire debt