Canterbury Tales Franklin Quotes

Fro which t’ escape woot I no socour,
Save oonly deeth or elles dishonour;
Oon of thise two bihoveth me to chese.
But nathelees, yet have I levere to lese
My lif than of my body to have a shame,
Or knowe myselven fals, or lese my name;
And with my deth I may be quyt, ywis.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. Never make a promise that you do not intend to keep is the moral of the story for Dorigen. She made a foolish promise to Aurelius that she would love him if he moved all the rocks from the Brittany coast. Now she faces the shame of breaking her word to Aurelius or breaking her pledge of loyalty to husband Arveragus. She contemplates killing herself. Death of dishonor seem the only choices to her.

It may be wel, paraventure, yet to day.
Ye shul youre trouthe holden, by my fay!
For God so wisly have mercy upon me,
I hadde wel levere ystiked for to be
For verray love which that I to yow have,
But if ye sholde youre trouthe kepe and save.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. Arveragus insists that his wife Dorigen must keep her pledge she made to Aurelius to love him. He would rather be stabbed for the true love he had for her, than she would not keep her word, he tells her. This is very courageous and noble of Arveragus, who like his wife is very virtuous.

And seyde, "I yow forbede, up peyne of deeth,
That nevere, whil thee lasteth lyf ne breeth,
To no wight telle thou of this aventure –
As I may best, I wol my wo endure –
Ne make no contenance of hevynesse,
That folk of yow may demen harm or gesse."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. Arveragus asserts his authority over Dorigen, breaking his pledge that they would always be equal partners and he would not assert mastery over her. Regarding her promise to love Aureliux and the fulfilment of it, he forbids her to ever tell anyone about it, and he would endure it as best he could.

That sith I se his grete gentillesse
To yow, and eek I se wel youre distresse,
That him were levere han shame (and that were routhe)
Than ye to me sholde breke thus youre trouthe,
I have wel levere evere to suffre wo
Than I departe the love bitwix yow two.
I yow relesse, madame, into youre hond
Quyt every serement and every bond
That ye han maad to me as heerbiforn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. Squire Aurelius decides to do the right and noble thing. He sees Dorigen’s great distress and her husband’s graciousness in accepting shame rather than she should break her pledged word to Aurelius. So Aurelius releases Dorigen from her promise, saying he would rather suffer woe always than break apart the love between her and Arveragus.

This philosophre answerde, "Leeve brother,
Everich of yow dide gentilly til oother.
Thou art a squier, and he is a knyght;
But God forbede, for his blisful myght,
But if a clerk koude doon a gentil dede
As wel as any of yow, it is no drede!
Sire, I releesse thee thy thousand pound.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. The student-magician has high praise for Aurelius, Dorigen and Arveragus for dealing nobly with each other. So he forgives Aurelius his debt of one thousand pounds owed for removing the rocks from the coast of Brittany.

Lordynges, this question, thanne, wol I aske now,
Which was the mooste fre, as thynketh yow?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. The Franklin poses the question to the group: who in their judgment was the most generous? It has to be Aurelius, we believe, because he was willing to give what he most desired – Dorigen’s love – and also to go into debt because he felt sympathy for her. The Franklin’s question suggests that the noble classes don’t have a monopoly on gentillesse or nobility. For the humble squire Aurelius showed that he could be noble too.
    • 1
    • 2
Close