Comparing Cantebury Tales And Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

Each of Margaret Frazer’s tales have taken title inspiration from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The tales include a quote in each story from Chaucer. The Frevisse series, which includes The Boy’s Tale, is Frazer’s medieval, mystery masterpiece. In 1436, at the St. Fridewides convent, the majority of the story takes place. In the introduction, we learn that the characters start their story in a midsummers June. The story’s start to end is about a two week adventure. Dame Frevisse is the protagonist who aids the young boys and their companions to find sanctuary. In the convent, her first duty is “hosteler”, which means she is in charge of making certain that the guests are welcomed. Frevisse is a nun with many character traits. She is …show more content…
To escape the grasp of lords trying to pin Jasper and Edmund against the King, the innocent boys must flee to wales with a small caravan. Externally, the Queen’s caravan must keep the boys in safety while the lords all try to kidnap them. Internally, Dame Frevisse must decide whether she is willing to put the entire convent in danger by housing the travelers, or send them away to their imminent deaths. She is fighting against her faith versus her duty. During their travels, the caravan runs into difficulties like the outcasts attacking and killing two men, curios nuns beginning to learn the true identity of the boys, and constant attempts of kidnapping. The climax is when the boys are thrown off of a bridge by a mysterious person who wants both boys dead. Neither of the boys could swim but, heroically, Frevisse came running to save them. The novel ends with one last failed attempt to kidnap the boys. Gloucester is the real enemy who paid off men of the queen’s caravan to bring the boys to …show more content…
By planning for the worst, we will never be disappointed if that happens, because we were already planning for it. The caravan was “warn[ing] attackers that they’re on guard and ready” by wearing their armor openly even though “the roads aren’t so unsafe” (Frazer 35). By wearing their armor, they were preparing for the worst possible outcome. The roads were constantly traveled on by unarmed people, but the caravan had to travel armed and ready for the worst, because they were being hunted.
Never judge someone before you truly get to know them on a deeper more personal level. When the nuns where gossiping about little Jasper, they realized he is “not the quite child [they] thought” he appeared to be (Frazer 103). The nuns just assumed that, because Jasper was shy and little, he would be the quiet fellow. Once the nuns got to know him better, they noticed he was not comfortable speaking around them. However, with Edmund, Jasper was as loud as any other little boy would