The Franklin interrupts the Squire’s tale in order to compliment him on his eloquence, gentility, and courtesy. He compares the squire to his own son, who spends his time in reckless gambling with worthless youths. The Host is not interested and tells the Franklin to get on with his tale, which he does.
Arveragus, a noble, prosperous, and courageous knight, desires a wife. He finds and marries a beautiful young maiden, Dorigen, and the two vow that they will always respect each other and practice the strictest forbearance towards one another’s words and actions. Sometime after the wedding, the knight goes to England and is gone for two years. While her husband is away, Dorigen weeps, fasts, and laments his absence. In her grief, she often sits on the shore. Looking at the bare rocks near the shore, where so many lives have been lost, she becomes apprehensive for her own husband’s safety.
One day, Dorigen consents to join friends on a picnic where a dance is staged. At the dance is Aurelius, “the most handsome man alive, young, strong, and wealthy … discreet and popular,” who has secretly loved Dorigen for two years. Finally, Aurelius reveals his love, but Dorigen repudiates his advances. Aurelius becomes so despondent that Dorigen, trying to raise him from his despair, half jokingly says that she will agree to his love and embraces if he removes all the rocks from the coast of Brittany. But the task is impossible, and Aurelius returns home, elapses in despondency, and is cared for by his brother.
