...The Knight's Tale The Knight’s Tale (I) The Knight begins his tale with the story of Theseus, a prince, who married Hippolyta, the queen of Scythia, and brought her and her sister, Emelye, back to Athens with him after conquering her kingdom of Amazons. When Theseus returned home victorious, he became aware of a company of women clad in black who knelt at the side of the highway, shrieking. The oldest of the women asked Theseus for pity. She told him that she was once the wife of King Cappaneus who was destroyed at Thebes, and that all of the other women lost their husbands. Creon, the lord of the town, had simply tossed the dead bodies of the soldiers in a single pile and refused to burn or bury them. Theseus swore vengeance upon Creon, and immediately ordered his armies toward Thebes. Theseus vanquished Creon, and when the soldiers were disposing of the bodies they found two young knights, Arcite and Palamon, two royal cousins, not quite dead. Theseus ordered that they be imprisoned in Athens for life. They passed their time imprisoned in a tower in Athens until they saw Emelye in a nearby garden. Both fell immediately in love with her. Palamon compared her to Venus, and prayed escape from the prison; similarly, Arcite claimed that he would rather be dead than not have Emelye. The two fight over her, each calling the other a traitor. This happened on a day in which Pirithous, a prince and childhood friend of Theseus, had come to Athens. Pirithous had known Arcite at Thebes...
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...Learning Team B Week 4 - A Knight's Tale HUM150 October 29, 2013 Learning Team B Week 4 - A Knight's Tale Complete the following matrix by filling out each category. Provide a brief description of each component and how that component was used in the film you selected. For example, if you selected the film The Shining, under setting, in the first column, you would describe one important film setting, and in the second column, you would explain how that film’s setting was used to impact the audience (how was it presented, what information was provided, what mood was established, etc.). 1. Name the film you watched. A Knight’s Tale 2. What genre do you believe it falls under? Romance and action In a short-answer format with a minimum of 50 words, answer the following question: 1. Did the film fit the mold associated with that genre? Why or why not? All members of the team agreed that this movie definitely falls under romance because it’s a very traditional love story and is predictable as you know that they will end up together in the end. They are also from opposite side of the “tracks”; she is royalty and he is a peasant trying to become more. Most of the team members decided that the movie should also fall under action because the joust competition throughout the movie provided a dose of action as it was fast-paced, and exciting. There is enough strategy and good against evil drama to justify calling this movie a romantic-action film. ...
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...The Knight: Pilgrim Analysis In the general prologue of the Canterbury Tales, the Knight is the first of the pilgrims to be described because he is of the highest rank. Therefore, it is only fitting that he goes first. In Chaucer’s work, he “. . . creates his knight in such a historical detail that we can easily explore the specific kind of knight he might have been . . .” (Calabrese 3). Chaucer describes his knight as “. . . a most distinguished man . . .” (Coghill 4). The narrator illustrates the Knight to be a man who “followed chivalry, truth, honor, generousness and courtesy” (4). Furthermore, the Knight presents himself in a polite fashion, never speaking insensitive words about anyone. Through Chaucer’s words and descriptions, it...
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...Displayed in ‘A Knights tale’, William Thatcher was a lowly serif that came up with the idea to change his future to be a knight, while Adhemar, a noble born knight plays the antagonist and tries to stop William in his chivalrous and courtly ways. In this tale William not only showed more chivalry and courtly love than Adhemar, but also, the right way to do it. Courtly love is when one such as a knight has a love for another women. He chases after her and only has eyes for her. William showed this when he met Jocelyn. He would write her poems even though he himself could not write. During the banquet after the jousting matches he would speak to her in words that showed meaning and love. He even danced with her. Jocelyn even gave him her...
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...Chivalry died in the Middle Ages, but there is no complete answer to the reason for that death. Some knights held on to the characteristics of chivalry, but others began to lose their honor and become less loyal. Geoffrey Chaucer, a writer from the fourteenth century, wrote a framed story called The Canterbury Tales. This work is made up of a General Prologue, which is a description of all the individual pilgrims going on the pilgrimage, followed by several tales told by these pilgrims. He describes several knight’s in this work through a chivalric code of honor. Through his description of the Knight in the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales, as well as the “Knight’s Tale” and the “Wife of Bath’s Tale,” Chaucer suggests that although chivalry...
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...Knights of the middle ages were held to a code of chivalry. Also, a knight held a prestigious position. A knight had to show bravery, loyalty, generosity, courtesy and devotion to the liege. Knights believed deeply in the code of chivalry. They had to show mercy to those they defeated. The knights in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” showed good and bad qualities when considering the codes of chivalry. The knight in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” showed loyalty to King Arthur. He showed his loyalty by taking the place of King Arthur’s challenge to the Green Knight: Gawain by Guenevere Toward the king doth now incline: “I beseech, before all here, That...
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...Conole 9/18/15 Wife of Bath’s Tale; Breton Lais or Arthurian Romance The Wife of Bath’s Tale is one of the most famous tale by Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, in which it discusses women issues in the medieval time. Indecent and strong willed, the wife of Bath refuses to allow men to control her existence by taking measures to shape her own destiny; she tells men what to do instead of letting them have the control in the relationship. The wife is often viewed as a feminist because she ignores the rules and makes people think about the roles women play in society. Although many readers might think the Wife of Bath's Tale is an Arthurian Romance, it is more accurately described as a Breton Lais. Early in the tale the reader learns that, “There was a knight who was lusty live / One day as he came riding from the river / He saw a maiden walking all forlorn / Ahead of him, alone as she was born, / And of that maiden, spite of all she said, / By very force he took her maidenhead” (Chaucer 141). The knight rapes the virgin early in the tale and is a central figure throughout the entire story, thus making him a clear candidate for the protagonist. Although one might think that the knight is the protagonist Goucher College suggests that, “The protagonist could be male or female, which is rare in romances, where the protagonist almost always is male” (Breton 1). The old woman in the tale illustrates this point. She enters the tale when the knight approaches her on his way back to the...
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...The Knight’s Tale Courtly love, according to Mr. Windham, is the idealized view of an extra-marital relationship between the sexes in which a knight performs brave deeds to win the approval of a lady. Courtly love occurred mostly during the 1066-1485, otherwise known as the middle ages. This form of love can be found all throughout The Knight’s Tale, a tale of two cousins, who do everything from the proclaiming of their love for Emily, to fighting an epic knight battle in an arena; this tale seems to be courtly love through and through, but there is something that is prohibiting this tale to be a true tale of courtly love; their proclaimed love, Emily, is not married. The first reading of courtly love is the knights’ proclamation of love towards Emily. These two knights, Arcite and Palamon, are cousins with a brotherly bond. They have a chivalrous honor and promised to watch after each other no matter what. This is their code of honor emphasizing loyalty to each other. After the Battle of Thebes, these two knights are found wounded on the battle field. Theseus, the king of Athens who marched on Thebes, spares their lives but condemns them to life in an Athenian tower. On one day of their imprisonment, Palamon wakes...
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...Tales’ summaries The Wife of Bath’s Tale starts with a Prologue in which she gives an account of her colorful life with five husbands. The tale continues the main question of women’s desire for sovereignty over men. A young Knight rapes a maiden while she was returning home. As a punishment for his heinous act he has to discover within a year what women most desire. The Knight was searching in the whole country in search of the answer. At the end he promises to grant a wish to an ugly old hag in return for the right answer. When he has given the answer in court and secured his liberty, the old hug jumps up and demands that he marries her. The Knight begs her to reconsider and wish for something else but the old hag stubbornly refuses. The Knight marries her secretly. At night as they lay in bed, the Knight keeps on turning restlessly. The old hag asks him if he would prefer her ugly and faithful or beautiful and faithless. The Knight allows her to decide. The old woman is delighted to have won ‘sovereignty’ over her husband and rewards him by becoming faithful and beautiful all the time. The Knight’s Tale describes how two kinsmen Arcite and Palamon fall in love with the same woman named Emily, whom they first see out of their prison window. Emily is the niece of King Theseus. Arcite gains his freedom but is banished from Athens. He comes back masked since he cannot bear to live away from Emily. In the meanwhile Palamon breaks out of prison and coincidentally meets Arcite...
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...why The Canterbury Tales as a collection is so memorable is because of its dramatic nature. Some tales create drama through their plots, others create drama through various interjections and responses, and some create drama through their build up. Specifically, in regards to “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale”, the drama stems from the Wife of Bath as a character, and not as much from the tale itself. As a character, it is obvious that the Wife of Bath is a fierce woman with an I-don’t-give-a-shit type of attitude. She does what she wants and knows how to get her way: “And have this tribulacioun withal upon his flessh, whyl that I am his wyf. I have the power duringe al my lyf upon his proper body, and nought he.” (Chaucer...
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...Canterbury Tale Canterbury Tales are one of the most famous collections of the stories in Middle English written by English writer Geoffrey Chaucer who made big impact in Middle English literature. One of characters in this stories that impressed many people who read this stories is the Knight. From all characters in Canterbury Tales knight is the noblest of all of them. In “General Prologue: The Knight through the Man of Law” the author asserts that “the Knight is the noblest of the pilgrims, embodying military prowess, loyalty, honor, generosity, and good manners“(Classiclit.about). The Knight conducts himself in a polite and mild fashion, never saying an unkind word about anyone. Knight is motivated by pride and glory, he is brave and noble and he is not afraid of a challenge. In the the cantrebury tale: the knight's tale the author asserts that “ Chivalry is a big deal in "The Knight's Tale." Chivalry was a system of rituals, duties, and behaviors a knight was supposed to follow if he wished to behave with honor (Shmoop). In the tale the knight is presented as the chacarcter who brings glory and he is real example of how perfect knight sholud be. However the knight is described in terms of his commendable feats and his moderate dress and countenance, he possess moral values such as in first place honour, curtesie and fredom. The knight is described as the noble warrior who is always ready and prepared to serve to his lord, and with this serving to lord he traveled a...
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...The Wife of Bath’s Tale; Chaucer’s Early Feminism When the knight from The Wife of Bath’s Tale is to be put to death for taking the ”maidenhead” of a young maiden, he is offered a chance to live, if he can find out what women really want in life. He finds out that women just want to be in charge of their relationships, and have the freedom to make choices on their own. The knight eventually gets married, and shows his true understanding of what women really want. This suggests that, for his time, Chaucer has progressive feminist views. The Wife of Bath’s Tale displays these feminist values through three major events in the tale. The knight’s sentencing, was a major event in The Wife of Bath’s Tale, and in which, a female was in a high place of power, which displays progressive views towards woman in power. King Arthur lets his queen decide what punishment to give to the knight. The king normally made this decision, but the queen requested to make the decision and “ceaselessly, he [King Arthur] gave the queen the case.”(72) This willingness to let his wife make decisions shows feminist intention from Chaucer. The question asked to the knight: “What is the thing that women most desire?” (81) is a feminist one, for it’s a question not asked too often in that time. The decision of the king to allow his wife to decide, and the penalty decided upon by the queen, both allude to the feminism in The Wife of Bath’s Tale. When the knight meets the old hag, he swears his life to her...
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...the Ways in Which Chaucer and Duffy Convey the Ideas about Lust and Love Chaucer’s ‘Wife of Bath’s Tale’ is a medieval text set in a patriarchal society in which women were treated in an unequal manner. In contrast to the social factors in medieval society, Chaucer’s story is dominated by women, making this a matriarchal story which presents themes of women‘s independence. This idea is accentuated due to the fact that the Wife of Bath narrates the story. The main character of the knight who reflects the personality of promiscuous males in the medieval period who were mostly lustful towards woman and the roles between men and women showed inequality. Conversely, Duffy’s poems are contemporary in contrast to Chaucer’s patriarchal influence in his story, there is more of a sense of equality as she is a modern feminist author which presents the genders in the poems ‘Adultery’ and ‘Valentine’ in a quite ambiguous nature. The reader is unable to understand if the narrative voice is a male or a female. As a result the gender of the narrator in ‘Adultery’ and ‘Valentine is ambiguous. In addition, due to the ambiguity her poems, primarily ‘Valentine’ as she compares love to an onion and does this by using imagery, symbolism and choice of lexis. Both Chaucer and Duffy present ideas about lust and love in their work. However, Chaucer presents the idea of love in a medieval fairy tale which is more idealistic as the story ends on a happy note. By contrast Duffy presents the idea of lust...
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...The Canterbury Tales takes place in a tavern near London called the Tabard Inn. The narrator is staying at the inn with twenty-nine pilgrims who are all traveling to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The pilgrims are a wide range of people and characters. The Host, Harry Bailey, makes the point that they should all ride together and entertain one another with stories. I believe Chaucer uses this setting in order to tell many different types of tales. The first pilgrim to tell a story is the Knight. He tells a tale of two knights: Arcite and Palamon. They were wounded in battle by the Duke of Athens, Theseus. The Duke decides to imprison them rather than execution. During their imprisonment they both fell in love with the Duke’s sister-in-law, Emily. After fighting over who was more worthy of Emily, Arcite was freed from prison through the help of a friend. However, he was banished from Athens and was to never return. Arcite returns in disguise as a personal attendant for Emily. When his fellow knight, Palamon, is freed from prison, he confronts Arcite and they begin to fight over her again. The Duke apprehends them and arranges a tournament, with Emily as the prize, between the two knights and their best men. Arcite wins, but he is thrown from his horse and dies. Palamon then marries Emily instead. It makes sense that the Knight would tell this story because it is filled with knights, love, honor, chivalry, and adventure. I believe that...
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...Chaucer Essay “The Battle of the Miller and Knight” The Miller's Tale, the second tale introduced to us in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales brings us the saga of a carpenter named John, and his young wife Alison, whom he is very possessive of, afraid that if he let her out of her 'cage', she would fly away. Nicholas, an Oxford student whose talent involved "making love in secret", was a boarder at John and Alison's home, and had taken quite a liking to Alison. Also included in the tale, Absalon, a parish clerk serving the church and best described as a 'pretty boy', was in love with Alison too, and took daily nighttime strolls outside her window, singing love songs and strumming an old guitar. This tale of sexual adventures contains similarities and differences when compared to the first installment in Chaucer's book, The Knight's Tale. The Knight's Tale also included a pair of love-birds, though this time it was two men, two "knight brothers", who had fallen in love with the same girl. They ended up going against each other in a fight to win her hand. In the end, one man, Palamon, ended up winning Emily's hand in matrimony and they lived through a long, healthy marriage. After the Knight had finished his story, the Host pronounced the Monk to share the next tale with the group, assuming they would be going down the royal rankings of the people surrounding him. As the Knight had just told his tale, it would make sense to let the Monk go next. However, as the spotlight...
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