The franklins tale raises issues about what it really means to be "noble" Consider how this tale forms an examination of the values that held medieval society together and how this is subtly questioned by Chaucer.

Authors Avatar

January 31st 2006

Joshua Gray – The Franklins tale essay

The franklins tale raises issues about what it really means to be “noble”   Consider how this tale forms an examination of the values that held medieval society together and how this is subtly questioned by Chaucer.

INTRODUCTION

Chaucer raised many questions through the Canterbury Tales dealing with events of the time including marriage, a woman’s place in the world and changing attitudes.  In the Franklins tale the most prominent issue he raises is to deal with what it means to be noble.  Chaucer is questioning the social class system throughout England in Medieval society and raises many questions for the reader about it.

To be a noble in Chaucer’s time you had to be born into nobility.  To be a noble meant you were able to bear arms and were responsible for the protection of the whole community.  They generally lived in castle, owned land and were supported in peace and war by inferiors.  However, a knight might own a scrubby patch of land and have a small house in the country, but if he could trace his family back to nobility he was still declared a ‘noble’.  Gentillesse was a code of behavior associated with the noble class.  This included a number of qualities.  Generosity, chivalrous or gentlemanly deeds, bravery, social graces, delicacy of feelings, integrity and many others.  A man could appear to be genteel by wearing expensive clothes and possessed the qualities of the noble class.  However, he would never be officially genteel or noble if he was not born into it.  A man who was stupid, lazy, and poor and chose not to fight would still have been considered genteel and noble and could wear a coat of arms just from his heriditory.

The Franklin was a land owner who could not trace his descent from those of noble birth.  The Franklin is clearly prosperous and longs to be recognized as a person of social standing.  The Franklin is not aristocratic, but rather a member of a newly emerging class of landowners who aspire to the aristocracy, but are not high born.  It is evident the Franklin would like to be a real knight.  Chaucer shows this by choosing to make the Franklin rather self conscious and insecure.  It becomes clear that the Franklin is obsessive by the notion of gentillesses.

Join now!

As the prologue begins the Franklin apologies for the fact that he is uneducated and a plain speaking man who is unaccustomed in the art of public speaking.  However, I believe this to be a pun.  It is a contradiction and he is just toying with the so called nobles.  The Franklin actually displays extensive learning in the introduction, citing numerous classical references.  The Franklin effusively praises the squires’ scholarship and affected language.  This is also another sly joke, because although the squire can go on to be a noble and have gentille qualities, his tale is bogged down ...

This is a preview of the whole essay