The Knight's Tale Courtly Love

“The Knight’s Tale” is a tale that is fit for a knight. The story itself is filled with knights, love, adventure, honor, and most importantly chivalry. In the story, it focuses mainly upon rules of honor and proper conduct. The story in short, is about two prisoners, Palamon and Arcite who fight for Emelye. Through their mutual love for Emelye, it drastically shows the concept of courtly love. This type of love exists outside the thought of marriage, in that it doesn't have to consummated. Through the characters and plot, “The Knight’s Tale”envelops the classic themes, motifs, and ideals of courtly love. Chaucer’s “The Knight’s Tale “ is a story set in Ancient Greece, about a man named Theseus. Theseus was a great conqueror and duke, and
The first is Venus, the goddess of love, the second is Mars, the god of war, and the last is Diana, the goddess of chastity. The Sunday before the tournament is about to begin, Palamon visits the temple of Venus, and tells her of his love for Emelye. He asks her to help bring him to victory in the name of love. Emelye also pays a visit to the statues, but that of Diana. She begs Diana to help prevent the marriage, for the sake of her wanting to remain pure. Unfortunately, Diana tells her that she must marry either Palamon or Arcite. Lastly, Arcite visits Mars, and asks for victory in the battle. The tale, then shows that of the gods, where Saturn is shown telling Venus that it will be Palamon who wins the battle, and therefore Emelye’s hand. When the battle begins, Palamon and Arcite fight valiantly, but Arcite brings his sword to Palamon’s throat. As Theseus proclaims Arcite victorious, and Emelye celebrates, Saturn makes the earth shake beneath Arcite. Arcite, who’s on horseback, gets thrown off, and crushed by the horse. Unable to be healed, Arcite dies, but not before he expresses his love for Emelye, and tells her to pick Palamon who has all of the qualities of a proper knight. “At the end of the “Knight’s Tale,” Chaucer brings to bear the full weight of Aristotle’s teaching on honor and virtue, and in doing do gives a more positively
The first character is that of the Knight. He is the one telling the tale, and socially is the most prominent person on the pilgrimage. He breathes chivalry truth, and honor. It is only fitting that he tell this tale. A big part of chivalry, was that of loyalty, and with loyalty brings courtly love. Courtly love was a system of love, just like the chivalric code was to a knight. It demanded that a knight needed to be loyal to just one person and that the woman needed to be placed on a pedestal. The Knight had to see her as perfect in every possible way, and worship at her feet. Their love of for their woman had to make the Knights stronger and more honorable. With Palamon and Arcite, Emelye did this for