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Introduction to canterbury tales
The thoughts of the knight in the Canterbury tales
Introduction to canterbury tales
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In Canterbury Tales, does Chaucer depict the knight as an honorable and hardworking knight, or is he a knight who doesn’t work hard at what he does? In his story he describes the knight as a soldier for the king who fought in many battles and jousts. In his intriguing yet unusual tale, we conclude just what the knights character is: strong, faithful, loving, and a hard working knight who values chivalry over everything. One of the knight’s many qualities is honor and the way he treats people. This is proven for instance when the knight says “and to bring arms for you, too, as you’ll see; and choose the better and leave the worse for me” (Chaucer 45). This shows his honor to his enemy as he hands over the better armor to his opponent and takes …show more content…
The Knight worked hard and, “In battle he was a furious, mad lion, and that Arcita was a tiger quite, like very boars the two began to smile.” (Chaucer 46). This quote accurately describes the attitude he has during a fight and the passion behind his actions and it compares him to a lion and a tiger do to his aggression. He shows passion in his work and the way he fights by his movements and precision. The knight was even passionate with his love even to the extent that he would, “love so hotly Emily the bright that I’ll die gladly here within her sight therefore I do ask death as a penalty.” (Chaucer 48) He is also committed in his love with Emily and he fought for her just like he fought for the win in battle. He shows his love for Emily just like he fights with perseverance, hope, and treated her right. This is one of the many qualities the knight had and showed in the Canterbury …show more content…
The knights honestly and honor was shown to all, “And then he convoyed these kings upon their road for one full day, and to them honor showed.” (Chaucer 73) The knight honored everyone and showed respect to all even if that person did not return the favor. Honor is such a respectful quality to have especially in a knight. “He will not have destruction of men’s blood”, and none shall perish or be injured! (Chaucer 69) The knight believes that there should be no bloodshed which shows his honorable character in which he wants no one to be killed. This is surprising quality for the knight because usually they want to win and shed blood. The knights honor shined through and revealed who he really was and the characteristics he had. Chaucer’s depiction of the knight in his story shines through with the detail in his story which suggests that he was a man who paid attention to the little details in life. He appreciated everything in life and the knight worked hard at what he wanted to achieve in life. In the intriguing story that the knight tells we learn about what the knight values and his achievements in
Life during the Middle Ages was full of social change, division, and classism. This feudal society of Britain was divided into three estates. (social classes) Within the second estate was the the knight who was a soldier for the king who fought in many battles. Even though the knight is expected to have the strength and the skills to fight in battle, all knights during the Medieval period additionally had a chivalrous aspect to them. Chivalry was the honor code of a knight which included bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women. Within the stories of the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” and “Le Morte d’Arthur”, the code of chivalry was broken by knights which show the corruption of England’s feudal society.
The Knight’s leadership is one quality that Chaucer values. The Knight is a wise, noble, modest, and brave man. Chaucer recognizes this when he writes, “To ride abroad had followed chivalry, / Truth, honor, generousness and courtesy. / He has done nobly in his sovereign’s war / And ridden into battle, no man more, / As well in Christian as in heathen places, / And ever honored for his noble graces” (ll. 45-50). Chaucer speaks highly of the Knight because he was well liked and the everyone looked up to him.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, He could’ve just not went to the Green knight when it was his turn to catch the knot in his neck, but him being a Knight he had to keep up his reputation and had to show braveness and honor. In Beowulf, He did many courageous things to keep his reputation up, he could’ve not went and fought Grendel but as he considered himself a Knight he had to do it for honor and his reputation. In “Monty Python the Quest for the Holy Grail”, Knightly Behavior was severely mocked, Knights were shown as crazy, wild, killing machines to do whatever their quest showed for them. Again I’m going to use the example of Lancelot, like when he ran to the castle killing almost everyone to get to the “damsel”, about every Knightly behavior trait was thrown out the window and he was shown as wild and
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are filled with many entertaining tales from a variety of characters of different social classes and background. The first two tales told, by the knight and the miller, articulate very different perspectives of medieval life. Primarily, The tales of both the knight and the miller bring strikingly different views on the idea of female agency, and as we will discover, Chaucer himself leaves hints that he supports the more involved, independent Alison, over the paper-thin character of Emily.
So, what we have is a case of an dishonorable knight, who proved his worth in dishonorable battles, and tells stories so packed with chivalrous pomp and circumstance that it actually parodies itself. All I can say is that if Chaucer's Knight truly was an "every knight," as Laura Hodges says, and not a parody of the ideals of the time, I am very glad I live in the 20th century, not the 14th century, and that my life doesn't depend on Knights to keep me safe and happy.
The words Chaucer uses to describe each character are very different. The Knights portrait includes words such as ‘worthyness’, ‘trouthe’ and ‘say’. ‘honour.’ These words show admiration for the Knight. The words used... ... middle of paper ... ...violence and brute strength, ‘at wrastlinge he wolde have alwey the.
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.
In his prologue, Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are involved in this fictional journey and who will tell the tales. One of the most interesting of the characters introduced is the Knight. Chaucer refers to the Knight as “a most distinguished man” and, indeed, his sketch of the Knight is highly complimentary. Another Knight seen in the “Canterbury Tales” is the rapist knight in the Wife of Bath’s Tale, who is not a very noble knight and doesn’t follow a chivalric code. This knight seems more realistic as opposed to the stereotypical ideal knight that Chaucer describes in the Prologue. It is hard to believe that such a perfect knight existed during that time.
Each different aspect of the code of chivalry held a separate role in society. Whether it be religious or barbaric, chivalry tended to hold a moral guideline among those who followed it. This moral guideline held them true to their duties to man, God, and women (Sex, Society, and Medieval Women). All of which are reflected in the three themes of Chivalry: Warrior chivalry, religious chivalry, and courtly love chivalry (Sex, Society, and Medieval Women). These three hold their individual roles, all stimulating a different part of the mind and creating a code held by all areas of life in those who hold it. The underlying question posed in this intense pledge is whether those who took the oath lived it out accordingly. To live out Chivalry is to go against the logic of the human mind. That is a hard task. Canterbury Tales provides one example of a man fighting against the odds. The kenight portrayed in the story can be compared to that of the quarterback of a football team. That knight truly took the leadership of his role and lived out all of its responsibilities. On the other hand, in midst of the popularity, a large majority of knights truly embraced only certain aspects of the pledge of Chivalry. They used their title and their pledge to court women and gain an upper hand on everyone else around them. The corrupt behavior of these knights is why the general consensus of a knight’s success in following the pledge of Chivalry is failure. The mind of a man still finds its origin in the Social Darwinism concept of a man’s mind. This idea plays the leading role in the failure of knights in the medieval period to live out their oath of Chivalry in every aspect of this oath.
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.
Closely associated to the romance tradition are two idealized standards of behavior, especially for knights: courage and chivalry. The protagonist within many medieval romances proved their worth by going on quests, as many a knights went in those times, thus returning with great tales of their travels and deeds. Many modern people think of chivalry as referring to a man's gallant treatment of women, and although that sense is derived from the medieval chivalric ideal, chivalry could be seen as more than that. Knights were expected to be brave, loyal, and honorable-sent to protect the weak, be noble to...
In the Middle Ages, when The Canterbury Tales was written, society became captivated by love and the thought of courtly and debonair love was the governing part of all relationships and commanded how love should be conducted. These principles changed literature completely and created a new genre dedicated to brave, valorous knights embarking on noble quests with the intention of some reward, whether that be their life, lover, or any other want. The Canterbury Tales, written in the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer, accurately portrays and depicts this type of genre. Containing a collection of stories within the main novel, only one of those stories, entitled “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, truly outlines the 14th century community beliefs on courtly love.
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales embodies Middle Age ideas while incorporating his own values. He conveys these ideas and values by creating stories for twenty nine different men and women taking the religious pilgrimage to the Canterbury Cathedral. These characters include immoral clergymen, poor, yet virtuous farmers, an honorable knight and more. Chaucer’s value of honesty, humility, and hard work juxtaposes Middle age ideas such as religion, wealth and hierarchy.
Chivalry dealt with loyalty honor, and service to women on and off the battle field’ (“The Medieval Period: 1066-1485” 76). The Knight in The Canterbury Tales is the perfect example of someone who follows the code of chivalry. Chaucer describes him with much admiration as “a most distinguishable man, who from the day on which he first began to ride abroad had followed chivalry, truth, honor generousness and courtesy” (Chaucer, "The Prologue." 117). While Chaucer praises the knight for ... ... middle of paper ... ...
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.