The Franklin’s interruption of the Squire’s tale is puzzling. That he interrupts intentionally is unlikely given that he is so complimentary of the Squire and is himself such a gentleman. It is more likely that Chaucer meant this interruption to come at the end of a tale that he had planned to complete some day.
Most of the themes and motifs introduced in the preceding tales are reintroduced in The Franklin’s Tale and organized in support of the orthodox position of the Man of Law as tempered by the sensuality and worldliness of the Wife of Bath. The Franklin’s position on marriage differs from the Man of Law’s only in that it takes a far less austere view of this world’s joys. The Franklin strives for something in between the complete sovereignty advocated by the Wife of Bath and the patience suggested by the Clerk. The marriage in The Franklin’s Tale is one of mutual consent, mutual obligation, and mutual trust and faith.
