How Does Dorigen Present Marriage In The Franklin's Tale
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Marriage is a key theme in ‘The Franklin’s Tale’, one of the 24 tales written in ‘The Canterbury Tales’ by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century and ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens written in the 19th century. The third partner text is ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ written by Henry James, also written in the 19th century, it focuses on Isabel Archer and her desire for financial and marital freedom.
Within ‘The Franklin’s Tale’ the key relationship is between Dorigen and Arveragus, with the focus being on the equality between them and Dorigen’s loyalty to her husband while he travels to England. Their marriage begins at the start of the tale on page 19, as Arveragus pursues Dorigen. He promises her that he will continue to serve her as “Ne sholde upon him take no maistrie” meaning that neither women nor men should be dominant over the other. The initial attraction Arveragus has towards Dorigen is that he believes she is “oon the fairest under sonne” and because of this, he goes through a lot of trouble to have her. Eventually, after his advances she agrees to marry him, but out of pity and not true love. This…show more content… From pages 25-29, she narrates her sadness and deep sorrow as she is left on her own, yet Chaucer blatantly has little or no interest in her upset because he narrates on line 147 “She moorneth, waketh, waileth, fasteth, pleyneth” this use of consonance is effective because it helps interpret Chaucer’s irritation about Dorigen’s outbursts. It also shows Chaucer’s ironic and satirical opinions reflecting through the tale. The reaction from Dorigen shows that she does have an attachment and significant feelings for her husband, although she married him ‘out of pity’. This can show that their marriage is based on true love and attachment and not just out of pity or desire for a partner on Dorigen’s