Premium Content Equality and Power: Marriage in The Franklin's Tale and The Wife of Bath's Tale
By Natasha Rosow - September 29, 2002
In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, the Franklin's Tale and the Wife of Bath's Tale represent marriage in different ways. The most striking contrast is the role of power in relationships in the two stories, and for the two tellers. The Franklin believes in mutuality, and equality. His wedding ideal is a binding, officious contract rendering the…
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