Importance Of Dishonesty In The Franklin's Tale By Geoffrey Chaucer

Written in the 1400’s by Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Franklin’s Tale” tells the story of a love triangle. A noble knight, a modest wife, and a squire are all faced with a decision to make in the end. Each person can decide between only thinking of himself and being greedy, or respect themselves and their fellow brother in order to do what is morally right. In this tale, honor and honesty surpass the inevitable covetous longing every man has. Arviragus, a brave and noble knight, was gone for two years in search for great honor. In his absence, his wife, Dorigen, makes a facetious deal with a squire. This deal consists of her body and hand in marriage in exchange for the disappearing of sea rocks and her husband’s safe return home. The squire completes …show more content…
The wife ultimately has no decision to make because Arviragus makes it for her by saying “than you should not your true word keep and save. Truth is the highest thing that a man may keep” (Chaucer 770). According to Arviragus, the promise has been made and she must follow through with it because truth exceeds everything else. Dishonesty can do more than diminish one’s pride, it can deceive and manipulate. A man is nothing without his honesty because “lying about the truth and truly infecting men's minds seduces them” (Haas). Everything that a man does has a consequence, both physically and emotionally, whether he realizes it or not. “Human joy is always at the mercy of external force,” making truth a powerful thing with a lasting effect (Morgan). When something as big as happiness is controlled by even …show more content…
The wife is baffled and taken aback as she comes to the terms of the agreement she so jokingly made, and realizes the truth of her soon to be reality. Dorigen keeps her morals close to heart as she tells Aurelius that she “would far rather lose [her] life than of [her] body come to shame, or know [herself] untrue, or lose [her] name” (Chaucer 652-654). Everything that Dorigen has ever known about being a true woman is being put to the test as she is put in this unusual circumstance. Dorigen sees only two choices, “she may either kill herself or be fouled by Aurelius,” and neither brings redemption or justice to her name (Haas). She is a woman that holds her name and self-image so highly, that taking her own life in order to preserve her honor is not even a difficult decision for her to make. The wife’s destiny does not only fall on her promises, but it also rests on the actions of others, making “the possibility of the recovery of joy by some unexpected or unforeseen blessing or by the redemption of sin” (Morgan). Dorigen decides, with the majority of the influence from her husband, Arviragus, to offer herself to Aurelius even though her instincts tell her not to. As it turns out though, her pride and honor is restored as Aurelius declines her offer and turns down her promise. One man’s pride and honor translated into another keeping her morals and