Summary:
Four tales in Geoffrey Chaucer's work The Canterbury Tales serve as examinations of the concept of marriage and the problems that can arise from it. The marriages covered in three of the tales -- "The Clerk's Tale," "The Wife of Bath's Tale," and "The Merchant's Tale" -- fall victim to trials of loyalty, one-sidedness, and impatience. The fourth, "The Franklin's Tale," presents the resolution of problems with the least amount of heartache, leaving a marriage that is tested and true.
The Cost of Marriage
In Geoffrey Chaucer's work, The Canterbury Tales, many travelers gather together to begin a pilgrimage. During their quest, each of the pilgrims proceed to tell a tale to entertain the group. From these stories arise four different tales, in which Chaucer uses to examine the concept of marriage and the problems that arise from this bonding of two people. In the tales of "The Franklin", "The Clerk", "The Wife of Bath", and "The Merchant", marriage is debated and examined from different perspectives. Out of the four tales, The Franklin's Tale presents the most reasonable solution to the marriage debate because the problems are resolved with the least amount of heartache.
In "The Franklin's Tale", a young Breton Knight by the name of Arveragus marries a beautiful girl, Dorigen. Soon after their marriage, Arveragus is.....
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