'Myne by Right': Oath Making and Intent in The Friar's Tale

Description: Assesses the scenes of swearing and oath making in FrT, arguing that the Tale is not only a theological exemplum but also a reflection of "cultural anxiety concerning the nature of changing social and economic relations as mediated by new forms of legal alliance that were superseding traditional feudal relationships." The summoner fails to recognize that legal, contractual relations do not banish the hierarchy of theology.