What significance does the natural world hold in The Franklin's Tale? (From what you have read so far)

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What significance does the natural world hold in The Franklin’s Tale? (From what you have read so far)

Nature can be perceived as a fundamental theme in Chaucer’s writing during certain parts of The Franklin’s Tale. It can be conveyed as a positive or negative aspect of the characters surroundings.

Dorigen’s castle stands “faste by the .” The sea is significant to Dorigen’s feelings in several different ways. The unpredictable and commanding reputation of the sea could represent Dorigen’s anger, motivated by Aviragus’ departure. The sea can be seen as a prison to Dorigen, stressing how secluded she feels from the rest of the world. Her castle is “upon the bank an heigh,” which emphasizes how far she is from Aviragus, as the sea can possibly be perceived as a link between her and him. The freedom of the water can be seen as an ironic contrast between Dorigen’s current emotional status and how she may have felt before Aviragus left.    

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Dorigen presents a description of the “reisly  .” This description can be seen as hyperbolic as she spends an extensive amount of time describing them and questioning God about His placement of them. Again the rocks (as well as the sea) act as an objective correlative. Dorigen’s speech is very aggressive; she uses the consonance of the harsh “k” sound contrasted with the alliteration of the softer “r” sound to create a more dramatic effect. The rocks, as objects, can represent various different feelings Dorigen has. Obviously the feeling of anger, as already mentioned, is conveyed by the negative, evil ...

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