The Knight's Tale Essay

The Knight’s Tale is a romantic poem that was adapted from Boccaccio’s Teseida, and the plot concerns the rivalry of cousins Arcite and Palemon who vie for the love of Emilye, sister to Theseus’s wife, Hipolyta. The cousins battled each other for the right to marry Emilye, and while Arcite won the battle, there was an earthquake which killed him. Palemon eventually marries Emilye several years after Arcite was killed. While this plot is the main feature of the poem, but does not sustain close scrutiny. A reasonable understanding of conventionalism requires the understanding that the experience of the idealizing imagination is no different than that of realistic observation. While the themes of Chaucer’s poems all seem to lean toward the same
idea of recognizing the supernatural in human affairs, each poem uses a different method of realizing this point. Chaucer’s conventionalism should not be dismissed or taken for granted. The Knight’s Tale has often had this problem with criticism because these assumptions brought the poor dramatics to the view of the readers rather than the rich symbolism. One such example of the symbolism used can be seen when Theseus is described to the audience:
The rede statue of Mars, with spere and targe,
So shyneth in his white baner large
That alle the feeldes glyteren up and doun;
And by his baner born is his penoun
Of gold ful riche, in which ther was ybete
The Mynotaur, which that he wan in Crete.
Thus rit this duc, thus rit this conquerour,
And in his hoost of chivalrie the flour,
Til that he cam to Thebes and alighte
Faire in a feeld, ther as he thoughte to fighte (Knight’s Tale, 975-84).
This passage is short, but in it Chaucer bestows power that suggests a function that is even deeper than mere ornamentation. This passage links itself to many others throughout the poem others that express Theseus’ superiority in war and chivalry. Even the opening of the poem, the compressed but extremely powerful description of how Theseus conquered the Amazons and married Ypolita, is devoted to how Theseus is chivalrous, but also a superior warrior. Even the texture of the mourning women of Thebes who plead for Theseus to help them, and acts as a pseudo-prologue to the Knight’s Tale, gives the audience a sense of how Theseus will be as a ruler, conqueror, judge, and a man of pity. The grandeur of the lists and Arcite’s funeral is also closely associated with Theseus’
sympathies. There is much characterization of Palemon and Arcite in the poem, and one view could be that they are quasi-allegorical: one represents active life and the other contemplative life.
But which cousin is more contemplative, or admirable? If it is Palemon, the ending is poetic justice, because he was the man who prayed to the goddess of love for victory, which proves that love conquers all. Conversely, it would be irony if Arcite won, for he prayed to the god of war for victory in battle, which would show that physical prowess is stronger than love. Palemon is the cousin who marries Emilye, thus the ending is a poetic justice. However, if they would not have prayed to the Gods and fought, Arcite would not have needed to
die. This poem becomes a tragedy at this point because Arcite died. In praying to Mars for victory in battle, rather than Venus for victory in love, Arcite had been determined to die by the Gods:
That Palamon, that is thyn owene knyght,
Shal have his lady, as thou hast him hight.
Though Mars shal helpe his knyght, yet nathelees
Bitwixe yow ther moot be som tyme pees,
Al be ye noght of o compleccioun,
That causeth al day swich divisioun.
I am thyn aiel, redy at thy wille;
Weep now namoore; I wol thy lust fulfille." (2471-8)
While Venus promised Palemon that he would have Emilye as his bride, Mars promised Arcite that he would win the fight, which is to determine which man she will wed. Venus is angry that both are promised victory, but Jupiter calms her by saying that Palemon will get his prize, even though Arcite wins the duel. Jupiter causes this to happen as he has Pluto create an earthquake when Arcite walks to Theseus to claim his prize:
Out of the ground a furie infernal sterte,
From Pluto sent at requeste of Saturne,
For which his hors for fere gan to turne,
And leep aside, and foundred as he leep;
And er that Arcite may taken keep,
He pighte hym on the pomel of his heed,
That in the place he lay as he were deed,
His brest tobrosten with his sadel-bowe (The Knight’s Tale, 2684-91).
By waiting to have Arcite die till after the duel, both Mars and Venus were able to keep their promises to their respective warriors; Arcite asked to win the duel, and Palemon asked to marry Emilye. In the Teseide, Chaucer saw a plot that could effectively present one of the problems of love which the votaries of courtly love enjoyed considering, but if there were some alterations made. People wanted to know which of the two young knights would win the lady, as the men were of equal worth and equal claim. While the problem may seem foolish if stated in these simple terms, readers who were interested in questions of love no doubt believe this question to be poignant. The characterization of Arcite and Palemon, as well as Theseus, went far into creating a believable story of courtly love and strife. Arcite’s and Palemon’s characters would leave the audience guessing as to what would win: justice or irony, which was helped by the interference of the gods rather than free will.