The Canterbury Tales: the Man of Law's Tale Foreignness and the Other Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #10

Fy, feendlych spirit! for I dar wel telle,

Though thou heere walke, thy spirit is in helle. (783-784)

By painting Donegild as a spirit who walks in hell, the narrator implies that she doesn't belong here among human beings. Her treachery separates her from their ranks, and makes her hatred of Custance that much more sinister.

Quote #11

Under an hethen castel, atte laste,

Of which the name in my text noght I fynde,

Custance and eek hir child the see upcaste.

Have on Custance, and on hir child som mynde,

That fallen is in hethen hand eft soone,

In point to spille, as I shal telle yow soone. (904-910)

The fact that the hands in which Custance now finds herself are "hethen," or not Christian, seems to automatically qualify her as needing protection in the narrator's mind. This assumption reflects a belief that heathens are without any morals whatsoever.