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Knights in the Canterbury Tales, The Knight's Tale, And The Miller's Tale
The narrator in the Prologue of "The Canterbury Tales" paints a noble view of the Knight. For instance, we are told that the knight is a distinguished man who practiced "chivalry,/Truth, honour, generousness and courtesy" (20).
We are also told he is wise, and he fought in "fifteen mortal battles" across the world. (21) While the narrator may have an ideal view of the noble knight, Chaucer has another.
For instance, in The Knight's Tale, we have two imprisoned knights who are cousins born of "Royal Blood" (46). As fate would have it, Arcite and Palamon fall in love the lovely Emily and this causes great strife between them while they are in prison. This is the first example of how Chaucer is using satire because the two knights are certainly not behaving in a noble manner. The next example of satire is when Arcite is released. He becomes despondent and "his love had turned him upside-down/In looks and disposition, toe to crown" (56). He does not act nobly or honestly when he decides to disguise himself as a "labouror seeking hire" at the Court where Emily lives (57). In addition, Palamon dons his noble nature by deciding to break out of prison. When Arcite and Palamon encounter each other in the woods and fight, they again act like jealous children instead of noble knights. By setting up the image of the knight as a respectable man, Chaucer is setting the stage for satire in the Knight's Tale.
Another knight that appears less than nobles is mentioned in the Wife of Bath's Tale. In fact, this knight seems to be the opposite of the knight described in the prologue because he actually commits rape. We are told he is a knight "who was a lusty liver" (300), and despite the maiden's...
Clearly, this act violates all of the chivalric codes. This knight is not completely without merit, hot he does keep his word to the old lady when she supplies him with the correct answer to the question that will save his life. As with the knights in the Knight's Tale, Chaucer is presenting the knights with a combination of noble qualities as well as very human qualities.
Chaucer contradicts what the narrator has presented in the prologue. What we expect to see in the character of the knights is a respectable and noble man. However, Chaucer delivers a more realistic character in these two tales. Chaucer successfully illustrates the idea that the ideals associated with chivalry are a bit silly.
By examining the plot and language of the Knight's Tale, one must assume the ending is positive. An example of this is when the Duke calls forth Emily and Palamon years after Arcite's unfortunate death. We are told the "spoke the wisdom in his breast" (99), which indicates he is not acting on any selfish motives, but instead to restore happiness. He tells them:
The First Great Cause and Mover of all above When first He made that fairest chain of love,
Great was the consequence and high the intent.
He well knew why He did, and what he meant. (99)
In addition, the Duke reminds them that they should not murmur against what happened because in doing so they offend Arcite as…
Works Cited
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Nevill Coghill, trans. New York: Penguin Books. 1977.
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