Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Introduction to rape
Critical analysis of the tale of the wife of bath
The “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”. moral
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Introduction to rape
In life we have many choices. Some choices may be more difficult than others. At times as human beings we make the wrong choice, but also there’s times when our choice is the correct or the better one. Talking about choices the choices we make can affect our entire life overall or can just affect a small aspect of our life. Of course, with choices there are also consequences behind the choice if the wrong decision is made. This can sometimes re-shape our entire life and flip it upside down. Sometimes these consequences can be harsh punishments such as serving jail time for example. Through these consequences no matter how difficult they may be to overcome a lesson can almost always be taught. In The Wife of Bath’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer a Knight who has raped a woman and now will suffer consequences such as death. He escapes these consequences with the order of the queen to find out what most women want in life of course, The Knight thinks he’s off the hook yet some may argue that his punishment has just begun. The Knight committed a terrible crime by raping a woman and he did not receive punishment he deserved by what happened in the end of the story, the choice he had was very interesting and the Knight understands the nature of women. To begin, the final choice that the old lady gives the Knight is a very interesting choice especially after her lecture. In the end of the story the Knight is faced with the choice of either having a ugly and old but beautiful woman on the inside or having a beautiful, young woman on the outside and ugly on the inside. The question is a very intriguing question especially considering first of all how the Knight had treated her and what kind of lecture she gave him before she asked him this qu... ... middle of paper ... ... she responded in the fullest measure With all that could delight or give him pleasure.” Basically the Knight got a beautiful on the inside and out woman and wife. He never really got punished like he should’ve for raping that woman. In a way this seems to be mocking rape that solving a stupid question could get a man a beautiful wife and out of a crime he committed. He should’ve been killed in the very beginning of the story. In conclusion, the Knight basically go anything he could’ve ever wanted in life. He did crack the code of women, but not on his own although it does make him more wise then most men which still don’t quite get it to this day. The Knight should have been sentenced to death in the very beginning and no, in fact he did not get the punishment he deserved his crime was a very awful one. Works Cited The Wife of Bath's Tale by Geoffery Chaucer
In the movie A Knight’s Tale the two main knights were William Thatcher and Count Adhemar. They both showed chivalry and courtly love, but not correctly. More of chivalry was followed more and the right way. The movie is very loosely based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s book Canterbury Tales. His father always wanted him the change his stars so he would not live in poor life forever. Even though both knights were good, William was better because he followed chivalry, courtly love, and prowess in battle.
It is up to her whether to make the knight the happiest man on earth or to make him miserable for as long as she lives.
When Gawain spurns the lady 's advances, she questions the validity of his reputation: "So good a night as Gawain is rightly reputed / In whom courtesy is so completely embodied / Could not easily have spent so much time with a lady / Without begging a kiss, to comply with politeness / By some hint or suggestion at the end of a remark. " Here we see the first example of Gawain 's values being thrown into opposition: he cannot hope to hold his honor, fellowship, and chastity without calling his chivalry and courtesy into question. Gawain faces a fork in the road in the first bedroom scene, yet it quickly becomes clear that neither road ends with perfection. The perfect, archetypal knight, one who seamlessly, simultaneously embodies all of the qualities so harmoniously unified on Gawain 's shield, cannot exist, as the five points of Gawain 's pentangle cannot fully be kept
Unlike any other character that Chaucer has spoken of the knight is the only one that seems to actually be living up to his role in society. This question me on how truth full, every description is of each and every character. A knight code of conduct is to be polite to others, even those who are lower in ranking than he is. The knight is suppose to serve the king, fight for what he believes in, and be honorable.
As a result of the knight's behavior, the queen gives the knight an ultimatum. He now must find "what thing it is that wommen most desiren" within a twelve months time frame (Norton, 911). Alison does not depict the knight in the nicest light. I guess she is the one "painting the lion" in this case.
In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.
One of the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer is a tale told by the Wife of Bath about a knight. In the story, the knight is in trouble for raping a woman. The punishment for such a crime in that time was death. The knight is in front of the king and queen, expecting to be condemned to death. Something truly weird happens. The queen decides that since the knight is such a handsome man, he should be spared. That’s just unfair. Sadly, though, I can think of some modern instances of people being treated unfairly on account of their physical appearance. Anyway, this knight dude must have been a major hunk to avert such punishment with nothing but his looks in his defense. The queen gives him one year to find the answer to a question. Of course, when I read that, I thought, “Oh, wow. He’s getting off really easily. A year is more than enough time to find the answer to any question that I would be able to ask. This queen is dumb.” The next few words changed my mind. The knight was to find the one thing that all women desire. Then, I started something along these lines. “Ok, lady. Humankind has been in existence for hundreds of thousands of years, if not millions, and no man has ever come close to finding the answer to that question. How is this dumb knight going to find it in a year? Have you lost your marbles?” I guess I was wrong, because sure enough, a year later, the knight found the answer. He met an old woman. He asked her and she told him the answer. The knight told the queen that answer, and he was set free. Hurray! I’m sure that he was just about to ride off into the sunset and go do some knightly stuff, but the old woman kind of ruined that for him. The knight remembered that he owed the ol...
While telling his tale, the Knight kept the rules of the competition in mind, and made it a point to achieve both "best sentence and moost solaas" (798). He achieved this, satisfying all of the pilgrims in the audience. It was fit for the Knight to win the competition. Although some feel the Miller did not quite the Knight, he did achieve what was important to him. This was to mock the Knight's Tale and to mock the Knight himself. In the mind of the Miller, he won the competition, bringing the honorable and worthy Knight down to his level.
What does this fantastic story tell us about the knight's character and beliefs? This tale gives us insight into the Knight's sense of romance, passion, courage, loyalty and justice or fortune. Firstly, it shows us his ideal of one true, romantic love. He is virtuous and passionate, especially in his love-life. There was only one woman to be ...
The knight begs the woman that just saved his life to let him be. Is this the chivalry that knights were supposed to follow? I believe that Chaucer was trying to show, thought the knights selfishness, that there was no true chivalry.
“A man’s body is given to him to be trained and then used for the protection of the weak, the advancement of all righteous causes and the subduing of the Earth . . . This was a part of a wider revival of the ideal of chivalry.” (Richards) During the middle ages, a knight was expected to possess not only the skills and incredible strength to face combat, but was also expected to temper his aggressive side with a code of chivalry. There is no such thing as the authentic code of chivalry, it is more like a moral system which went way beyond the rules of combat to introduce the concept of appropriate conduct. The qualities most often idealized were bravery, courtesy, honor and gallantry, especially toward women. Before this, the incredibly aggressive
Along with love come many feelings. Specifically in A Knight’s Tale, indignation is expressed. William Thatcher, the main character, cheats his way into becoming a knight. Since he is actually a peasant, technically he cannot be jousting against other knights, but they do not catch him at first. He falls in love with the maiden, Jocelyn. She says, “Your name makes no matter to me, so long as I may call you my own” (A Knight’s Tale). William replies with, “Oh, but I am your own, Jocelyn” (A Knight’s Tale). In this time period, it is forbidden for a peasant to marry a maiden. William can’t help to fall in love with her, making this situation very unfair. William feels very angry because of this unfairness. Likewise, the feeling that came along with love in the movie, based off a true story, The Vow is envy. Paige, one of the main characters, gets into a heartbreaking car accident and
What I believe in is we should take this ending serious considering, Knight would do extraordinary things such and battle and quest to put a smile on a beautiful lady’s face and gain their hand in marriage. We can bring this into the poem and compare the quest Sir Gawain took that every knight refused to take. Now take this into consideration that if Sir Gawain were too win this fight against the Green knight, every women would adore and admire his amount of respect and
Sorely missed in today's world is the true chivalry shown by Knights around the fifth and sixth century. Imagine a society where men were brave, kind and loyal. In the literature we studied Knights were faithful to God, loyal to their king, and courageous in the face of an enemy. In the stories of King Arthur and the Round Table, the Knights exhibited these and many more qualities: bravery, courtesy, morality, and good manners. Medieval literature promotes the code of chivalry by representing positive examples in various works.
One of Geoffrey's less believable main characters is the Knight, for reasons of chivalry. The knight displays many traits which make him seem almost too good to be true, and a true gentleman that rarely exists in reality. The narrator sums up the knights character by stating that "Though he were worthy, he was wys,/And of his port as meeke as is a mayde." (pg. 5, The Canterbury Tales) The knight holds four main admirable traits, making him the most liked traveler in "The Canterbury Tales," and also amplying the doubt of his realism. The reader is prepared to learn of each of his noble accomplishments and importance when the narrator remarks that" A knight ther was, and that a worthy man,/That fro the tyme that he first bigan/To ryden out, he loved chivalrye,/Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye." (pg. 4, The Canterbury Tales) From the characters impressive introduction, it is clear that this man is the most valued and honorable traveler among the group. This perfect gentleman holds a love of ideals that are often not displayed by people. First and foremost, he believes in the ideals of chivalry, and always stays true to its principles. He also feels that one should be honest, truthful and faithful, which many people are not all of these ideals. The knight thinks one should only do what is right, and what will gain him honor and reputation. This character also believes in freedom and generosity towards all, and displays this ideal repeatedly throughout the novel. And lastly, the knight also strongly feels that any proper person should display courtesy and elegance at all times. Another aspect of this character's life which makes him seem too prestigious to be truthful is his impressive military career. He fought in the holy war, known as the Crusades and was involved in 15 "mortal battles." In the prologue, the narrator informs the reader that "Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,/And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,/As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,/And ever honoured for his worthinesse.