The Franklin's prologue and Tale
Dr. Senarath TENNAKOON
In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales there are 24 stories. The
Franklin's Prologue and Tale is one of these tales. It too is a
narrative poem.
The Franklin was a rich country gentleman who was one of the pilgrims
on their way to Canterbury. Like others he too offered a story.
According to the Franklin, there was a knight named Arveragus, who fell
in love with a pretty lady called Dorigen. They married. Dorigen desired
to be free and independent for which Arveragus agreed. However, for the
sake of his reputation she agreed to remain as a subordinate wife to her
husband, outwardly just to suit the conventions of the Middle Ages. In
house the married couple maintained gender equality status. The couple
lived in Brittany. They lived happily for about an year, when Arueragus
had to leave his wife and seek adventures in England. She was left
alone. But her friends tried to keep company and make her happy. They
took her to walk on the cliffs along the coastline. She was horrified to
see these dangerous rocks that posed a risk to the ships. She blamed
'God' for placing those dangerous rocks there. Her friends tried to help
her by taking her to dancing parties. At one such dance, she met a young
neighbour of good reputation named Aurelius.
Aurelius had been secretly in love with Dorigen and he expressed his
love to her. At first, she refused and rejected his love as she
passionately loved her husband. But on second thoughts she accepted this
young man's love on one condition. She declared that if Aurelius could
remove those perilous rocks that disturbed her peace of mind she would
indeed love him. Thus Aurelius had to leave her with a despondent heart.
But still he could not quench his love to her. Meanwhile, Arveragus
returned home and the happy married life continued. During the following
two years that passed, Aurelius had revealed his feelings about Dorigen
to his brother and the task that lay ahead. His brother who knew about
magic, found a clerk who could perform magical deeds. This clerk agreed
to make the rocks disappear for 1,000 pounds of gold. The clerk after
arduous work accomplished the task. Aurelius met Dorigen and told her
about the completion of his task. Dorigen was stunned. She was in a fix.
However, she revealed her state of mind to her husband.
Arveragus understood her problem. He encouraged her to keep her word.
He told her truth is the highest thing that one can keep. Dorigen met
Aurelius and she revealed everything.
Aurelius was astonished and changed his mind. He told her, that he
did not wish to make a disruption in her happy married life. Dorigen
returned home. But Aurelius had to pay the promised gold to the clerk.
When he met the clerk he too revealed the events that preceded to the
clerk. The clerk was perplexed. He was also impressed by the noble act
of Dorigen's husband and that of Aurelius too. The clerk too changed his
mind and did not ask for his gold.
After relating this story the Franklin asked the other pilgrims: Who
was the most generous of the all?
'The Franklin's Prologue and Tale' is essentially a romantic story.
But it revolves around the theme of performing noble acts. It also
raises the issues of gender equality in marriage which was not in
practice in the Middle Ages. Making the rocks disappear by magic is
quite unbelievable. Even Dorigen asking Aurelius to do such a task too
appears to be a joke.
There is something interesting about the Franklin who relates the
story. The portrait of the Franklin is presented as a warm hearted,
rich, hospitable landowner in the general prologue of Chaucer's 'The
Canterbury Tales'. However the Franklin, at the beginning of his tale,
begs the company to forgive him for his lack of rhetoric skill in the
art of public speaking. This stance is considered as a convention in the
Middle Ages and a modest pose of a learned public speaker. |
