The star of suffering in "The Man of Law's Tale," is definitely Custance. But she never whines, complains, or bemoans her fate. Why not? Because she trusts in God, that's why not.
Custance is like a character from the medieval saint's life genre, in which a Christian holy person successfully endures horrible trials because of their faith in God. Throughout her trials, Custance draws strength from her thoughts of Christ and Mary, using their shared suffering to both align herself with them and find significance in her own.
And finally, there's nothing that seems to excite our narrator more than people's tears and woe: multiple cry-fests become occasions for a demonstration of his extremely hyperbolic, or exaggerated, style. He feels that suffering is inevitable: pain and woe always follow happy times, so we'd better keep suffering in mind even as we celebrate.
Questions About Suffering
- How does Custance suffer in the course of the Tale? Which instance of suffering do you think is the worst?
- What do we learn about Custance's character through the way she handles suffering?
- Based upon the philosophy the narrator expresses in the tale, what explanation might he give for why suffering happens?
- How does "The Man of Law's Tale" align Custance's suffering with Mary's and Christ's? What might be its reasons for doing so? What connection does Custance see between herself and these figures?
Chew on This
"The Man of Law's Tale" portrays its characters as helpless to save themselves from suffering, because Chaucer believed that suffering is an inevitable and unavoidable part of earthly life.
"The Man of Law's Tale" uses comparisons of Custance's suffering with Mary's and Christ's to enhance her status as a holy woman.