Canterbury Tales

9 Pages 2292 Words

e, or Palamon, who can see Emelye but remains a prisoner?

Analysis:



The Knight tells a tale of courtship and chivalry, focused on the deeds of soldiers and princes, the social milieu in which the Knight travels. Even the structure of the tale obeys the structure and hierarchy within society. The Knight does not start with the main characters of the tale, Arcite and Palamon; instead, he begins at the apex of society, describing the exploits of Theseus of Athens, working downward until he reaches the less distinguished Theban soldiers.

The Knight's Tale adheres to traditional values of honor in which there are strict codes of behavior which one must follow. This code of chivalry is not necessarily polite and decent. In the morality of the tale, Theseus' sudden decision to ransack Thebes to right a wrong is perfectly acceptable as punishment for a transgression against the honor of the dead soldiers.

The dynamics of the Knight's tale are relatively simple. The tale is instructive, positing the question of which knight ­ Arcite or Palamon ­ has a superior situation. The situation and the moral questions that it poses thus become more important than the qualities of the individual characters. They exist 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. The two knights pray to Venus for a literal deus ex machine, for they are unable to control their own fate. The Knight's Tale even acknowledges the role of fate through the gods. Palamon leaves his fate to theology, blaming his fate on Venus, Juno and Saturn.

Arcite and Palamon are thus virtually indistinguishable from one another. There is no information on which a reader may base an opinion on their respective virtues, thus the focus shifts to their situations. Emelye is equally ...