Discuss how the concept of courtly love is represented in the Franklin's tale.

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Harry Dayantis        JRB

Discuss how the concept of courtly love is represented in the Franklin’s tale.

        Courtly love is a common theme within the Franklin’s Tale, and different characters seem to have different attitudes and approaches towards the concept. For example, Aurelius seems to see it as a somewhat more lustful pursuit than Averagus; he presumably went through the process of courtly love to marry Dorigen, but his vows suggest that he has genuine love for Dorigen. Throughout the Tale, Chaucer seems to poke fun at the idea of courtly love via the Franklin’s comments. This could either be Chaucer representing the idea of courtly love as interpreted by Aurelius as foolish, or the traditional ideas behind it.

        Traditionally, courtly love was like a game, in which a noble young man, often a knight or squire, would attempt to woo a lady. Usually, it would be a lady of higher status, and it was not uncommon for her to be married as well. The lady would always be in control, and the young man would perform many foolhardy and dangerous deeds to get her attention. It was, in theory, a chaste pursuit, and not for sexual purposes; Aurelius clearly sees it differently. The brave and foolhardy deeds to the whim of the lady then continue until she shows some form of concern or pity toward the young man; then, there is supposed to be a secret, painful passion between the two, and they get married unless she is already married; if this is the case, the love should be static and unrequited so as not to disrupt the marriage. If she isn’t married, and they marry, the roles reverse and the man takes mastery over the woman. Of course, all of this is theory, and things did not necessarily happen in this way.

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        In the Franklin’s Tale, the idea of the man taking mastery over the woman after marriage is challenged by Averagus’ marriage to Dorigen: [74-75] ‘That never in his lyf he, ne day ne night/ Ne sholde upon him take no maistrie’. This clearly shows that Chaucer wanted to present an alternative to the traditional roles of man and woman within a marriage resulting from courtly love. This represents courtly love as more of a game, in that it doesn’t last beyond marriage. This implies that the normal procedure, where the amn does gain mastery, is wrong and defies the point ...

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