BOOK REVIEW - GEOFFREY CHAUCER – THE CANTERBURY TALES – THE FRANKLIN’S TALE The Franklin, (a medieval
land owner), has become impatient with the Squire''s Tale and has interrupted its endless narrative in mid-flow. He is now invited to tell a story himself. He quickly offers a romantic tale of chivalry and love. A knight, called Arveragus, falls in love with a lady called Dorigen. They seem inseparable, but business takes Arveragus abroad, and Dorigen misses him deeply. She also dreads the possibility that he might get shipwrecked on the rocks around the French coast on his return voyage and perishes. She becomes quite depressed at such a prospect. Dorigen has a young admirer, Aurelius, who makes friends with her and one day, he dares to ask her to have an affair with him. Dorigen has no desire to do so, but she jokingly suggests that she would be willing to consider such action if Aurelius was to make the rocks in the sea around the coast vanish to guarantee her husband could arrive home safely. Aurelius is bold enough to try to get the task done. He hires a wizard who is able to create all kinds of illusions to make it look as if the task has been achieved. The wizard asks for a great deal of money, and Aurelius is willing to pay it. Dorigen is shocked to see the rocks have indeed vanished, and as her husband arrives home safely, she is now in quite a dilemma. She confides to Arveragus what she promised to do under a foolish oath. The good knight decides that she must indeed consent to an affair with Aurelius to keep her word. Seeing that Dorigen is willing to give herself to him only from love for her husband, he relinquishes his control of her and distances himself with some nobility and respect. The wizard even waives his fees for him, and all ends happily.