Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Custance

The "exiled queen" story, a collection to which "The Man of Law's Tale" belongs, is one of the few medieval romance plots that features a female as its protagonist. These tales may be inspired by virgin martyr legends, or tales about female saints who were killed by pagan lords when they refused to renounce Christianity. (One of them is Chaucer's "Second Nun's Tale.") Like "The Man of Law's Tale," these stories also feature a strong, deeply pious female lead.

"The Man of Law's Tale" is fairly constant (ugh, pardon the pun) in its focus on Custance, rarely averting its gaze from her adventures. Significantly, the tale does not end with the production of an heir to Northumbria. This suggests that yes, this story really is about Custance, and in a more significant way than if Custance were just the means by which a dynasty kept itself going.