# Dame Constance — The Canterbury Tales character guide

> Dame Constance in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Constance, the jolly Dame

**First appearance:** 0011-the-man-of-law-s-tale

## Snapshot

A Christian princess of Rome whose beauty and goodness draw both devotion and predatory scheming, sending her across the sea into exile and peril.

## Who they are

Dame Constance is the daughter of the Emperor of Rome, famed through every land for her prudence and bounty. A false judge named Appius, inflamed by her beauty, conspires with the clerk Claudius to claim her as a stolen thrall, and the resulting outrage forces her family into a terrible choice. Her tale, told by the Man of Law, sets her virtue against a world of slanderers, jealous mothers-in-law, and would-be rapists who pursue her across the sea.

## Relationships

### [Palamon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/characters/palamon)

_social_

Dame Constance and Palamon are characters from different tales, connected only by the broader Canterbury storytelling framework.

### [Alla](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/characters/alla)

_family_

Alla is the king of Northumberland who marries Dame Constance in the Man of Law's Tale, forming a loving family bond.

### [Palamon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/characters/palamon)

_social_

Dame Constance and Palamon are characters from different tales, connected only by the broader Canterbury storytelling framework.

### [Palamon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/characters/palamon)

_social_

Dame Constance and Palamon are characters from different tales, connected only by the broader Canterbury storytelling framework.

## In the story

### [The Man of Law’s Tale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/chapters/the-man-of-law-s-tale)

The virtuous protagonist who suffers numerous trials but remains faithful.

### [The Tale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/chapters/the-tale)

The virtuous Roman princess and central figure, whose unwavering faith and patience are tested through exile, false accusations, and separation from her family.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/characters/dame_constance
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canterbury_tales_se/characters