The subject is derived from Chaucer's Franklin's Tale and demonstrates Burne-Jones's interest in medieval subject matter. Dorigen is eagerly awaiting the return of her husband, but is fearful of the rocks below, against which his boat could be dashed. There is an earlier related painting, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, executed in 1871. It was clearly a subject which captivated the artist as he returned to it 26 years later, although in this later interpretation, he has simplified the composition still further, reducing the interior and removing all extra staffage, thus emphasising still further the isolation of the waiting figure. The simplicity of the composition and the emphasis on drapery is characteristic of his late work.

This watercolour is a fascinating example of the artist re-using and developing figures and attitudes that he found particularly appealing over an extended period. The kneeling figure in this work is directly taken from The Passing of Venus (originally conceived in 1861 and developed and re-visited over a period of at least 25 years). There is a further related drawing in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (ref. 2019a), which the artist later dated to 1880, but which appears to date from circa 1877 and which must have formed the basis for the present work.