The Knight’s TaleThe Knight’s Tale

Canterbury TalesCanterbury TalesBritish LiteratureBritish Literature

I. Elements to observe in “The Knight’s Tale”

“joy follows sorrow” – the idea that life is truly a balance of good and bad, positive and negative

Fate – the idea that some higher power is in control of human characters

Courtly love – love as physical pain

“Chivalry” – The Code of Knights

“Competition and Rivalry” – among men

II. Symbols

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts– Springtime– Clothing– Red and White; Green– Animals – Wrathful Lion, Tiger, Wild Boars– Blood

III. Courtly love

Conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration

Secret and between members of the nobility

Not between husband and wife Balance between desire and spirituality “lady on a pedestal”

Courtly love Illicit and morally elevating, passionate

and disciplined, humiliating and exalting, human and transcendent.

Idolization The lover accepts the independence of his

mistress and tries to make himself worthy of her by acting bravely and honorably and by doing whatever deeds she may desire.

The object of attraction may be a married woman; and the goal was not always physical pleasure.

Marriage and love not a sin, but elevating. The woman had POWER – she enabled spiritual and moral growth.

IV. Stages of Courtly Love:

Attraction to the lady, usually via eyes/glance

Worship of the lady from afar Declaration of passionate devotion Virtuous rejection by the lady Renewed wooing with oaths of virtue and

eternal fealty

Stages of Courtly Love

Moans of approaching death from unsatisfied desire (and other physical manifestations of lovesickness)

Heroic deeds of valor which win the lady's heart

Consummation of the secret love Endless adventures and subterfuges

avoiding detection

V. Image of V. Image of WomenWomen

EmilyEmily * * the gazed objectthe gazed object

* a prize to men* a prize to men The Theban women & the The Theban women & the

court court women women

* pleaders* pleaders

Trial By Battle trial by battle was when two nobles fought,

usually until one of them died. the winner was assumed innocent because God

would only protect an innocent person only noblemen had the right to trial by battle noblewomen could choose any champion to

fight on her behalf trial by ordeal and trial by battle were common

ways of deciding if a person was innocent or guilty but were outlawed later in the Middle Ages

Plot Plot SummarySummary Theseus’s returning from Theseus’s returning from

Amazon Amazon Discovery of Arcite and Palamon Discovery of Arcite and Palamon Courtly love to EmilyCourtly love to Emily Escape of the two imprisoned Escape of the two imprisoned

knights knights The encounter of Arcite and The encounter of Arcite and

PalamonPalamon A just duel between the two A just duel between the two

knights knights The final destiny of the knightsThe final destiny of the knights

Courtly LoveCourtly Love Having quarrelsHaving quarrels * Arcite: “yours is no more than a * Arcite: “yours is no more than a

religious religious felling: mine is real love, love of human felling: mine is real love, love of human being.” (p.89) being.” (p.89)

* Arcite: :”Love is a mighter law, upon my * Arcite: :”Love is a mighter law, upon my soul, than any made by any mortal rule.” soul, than any made by any mortal rule.” (p.89) (p.89)

Arcite’s modified name -- PhilostratoArcite’s modified name -- Philostrato Palamon’s escapePalamon’s escape Fighting in the woodFighting in the wood Competing in the arenaCompeting in the arena Arcite’s contribution to loveArcite’s contribution to love

God’s Power v.s. Human God’s Power v.s. Human WillWill

Human being’s willHuman being’s will

* * praying to gods for fulfilling praying to gods for fulfilling their their wishes wishes

Palamon Palamon Venus, praying for winning Venus, praying for winning Emily Emily

Emily Emily Diana, praying for keeping her Diana, praying for keeping her virginity virginity

Arcite Arcite Mars, praying for achieving Mars, praying for achieving victory in the duel victory in the duel

* s* succeeding in pleading to ucceeding in pleading to save livessave lives Theban women Theban women husbands husbands

Pirithous Pirithous ArciteArcite Court women Court women Arcite and PalamonArcite and Palamon

God’s PowerGod’s Power * * hholding power over human olding power over human

being’s being’s destiny destiny

* quarreling over the winner* quarreling over the winner TThe dispute between Venus and Marshe dispute between Venus and Mars

Questions

Who is in the worse Who is in the worse situation, Arcite situation, Arcite or Palamon? or Palamon?

* Arcite, who is free, but will * Arcite, who is free, but will never see his beloved.never see his beloved.

* Palamon, will see his lover * Palamon, will see his lover everyday, but is everyday, but is imprisoned imprisoned

* * Death with good-name is the Death with good-name is the most most honorable honorable

Theseus: “And, certainly, a man gains most honor in Theseus: “And, certainly, a man gains most honor in dying in his excellence and flower, when he is sure of his dying in his excellence and flower, when he is sure of his good name; then he has done no shame to his friend, or to good name; then he has done no shame to his friend, or to himself. And his friend ought to be happier for his death himself. And his friend ought to be happier for his death when his breath is given up with honor, then when his name when his breath is given up with honor, then when his name is faded with age; for then his prowess is all forgotten.”is faded with age; for then his prowess is all forgotten.” (p.191) (p.191)

Do NowDo Now: What is Theseus’ message to Palamon and Emily : What is Theseus’ message to Palamon and Emily in this excerpt of his final speech?in this excerpt of his final speech?

Each of the final events in the story is punctuated by great pageantry.

What was a simple duel between Arcite and Palamon becomes a gala event with the construction of a massive coliseum for two armies to wage war on one another.

Intervention of the gods for the two nobles.

Part IVAnalysis

The Knight's Tale adheres to traditional values of chivalric, knightly honor in which there are strict codes of behavior which one must follow.

As the Knight sees it, by dying in honor, we should be glad for those who so die.

Theme The main theme of the tale is the instability

of human life—joy and suffering are never far apart from one another, and nobody is safe from disaster.

When one person’s fortunes are up, another person’s are down.

Characters are always subject to dramatic reversals of fortune.

Theseus argues that excessive mourning over disaster is inappropriate.

Suggests that some kind of moral order underlies the apparently random mishaps and disasters of the narrative.

The moral questions the tale poses seem more important than the qualities of the individual characters.

“What is this world? What does man ask to have?”

(p. 175, line 1919) – Arcite’s speech before he dies.

Characters exist only to be moved by the events of the story: to be imprisoned and set free whenever the plot demands, or to fall in love at first sight when it is dramatically convenient.

Even the characters acknowledge their lack of free will within the story – by praying to each god in Part III.

Theseus’ final speech… eloquently relates the events we have

witnessed to a predestined view of the universe and of man’s place within its order.

The statements he makes are sober and realistic.– “Look at the oak … all these things have an end”

(p.189).– “In the case of man and woman … all go that

same way” (189).– “It is wisdom to accept willingly what we may

not avoid” (190).

Paganism All this represents a Pagan philosophy,

rather than a Christian outlook. This is a tale of Pagan times that we have

been following. The ways of life resume their course after

we die (Nature).

Emily’s marriage to Palamon

Theseus prepares to make one joy out of two sorrows in the process of marrying Emily to Palamon.

The tale ends on a note of fulfilled happiness as the Knight invokes the blessing of the pilgrims in the form of a solemn and appropriate final ‘Amen’.

Closing Question:

Does the concept of destiny Does the concept of destiny change in the end of the change in the end of the Knight’s tale? How does it Knight’s tale? How does it change?change?

QuestionsQuestions Who is in the worse situation, Arcite Who is in the worse situation, Arcite

or Palamon? or Palamon?

* Arcite, who is free, but will never see his * Arcite, who is free, but will never see his beloved.beloved.

* Palamon, will see his lover everyday, but * Palamon, will see his lover everyday, but is is imprisoned imprisoned

Does the concept of destiny change in Does the concept of destiny change in the the end of the Knight’s tale? How does it end of the Knight’s tale? How does it change? change?