Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale," written separately but included in his unfinished anthology The Canterbury Tales, is considered one of his greatest works. It could be several things at once: a dark meditation on providence, a parody of the chivalric stories that were gaining popularity at the time of its publication, or a work perhaps strongly influenced by Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy . Chaucer could be called many things, but he was clearly not a writer with simple intentions. If we take inspiration from Chaucer's other Tales as well as analyzes of his works, we can conclude that the poet had an overview of his generation and his environment and that he often made a point of integrating comments and social critiques in his stories. With “Knight's Tale,” the author turns his skeptical gaze toward the valued sentiments of the time—not only in popular chivalric literature, but in the everyday culture of which Chaucer was a part. He observed social institutions and pointed out their weaknesses for all to see. This commentary appears particularly in Chaucer's depictions of chivalry, providence and, through the fascinating character of Emelye, women. By approaching all these subjects with irony, Chaucer brings down the idealized and chivalrous romance from its pedestal and, to a certain extent, mocks its stupid structure. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Using the style and wit for which he became known, Chaucer explores above all the nature of "chivalrous" writings and ideals. He goes all out, so to speak, and by placing too much emphasis on what was considered chivalrous behavior, he exposes the undignified side of what used to be called “chivalry.” In short, it satirizes and perhaps sometimes parodies the concept of what it means to be a knight. This satirical tactic of extremes and irony (i.e. explaining traits that are "bad" or "stupid" by definition and linking these traits to titles of great respect or recognition) is applied in a manner heavier and more scathing towards the Church and representations of the Church. clergy in other Canterbury tales, but this does not mean that chivalric ideals escape the critic's pen. He sees clearly what is unheroic in displays of chivalrous heroism and writes with the aim of bringing them to his reader's attention. In the "Knight's Tale", the two main characters, Palamon and Arcite, fight violently, resulting (somewhat indirectly) in death. The battle is not only tragic, but also senseless: it is fought for the love of a woman neither of them knows very well. Neither of them spoke to her at the time of their duel and she doesn't want their attention either, but one of them nevertheless dies for "his own good". As Arcite dies, he cites Emelye as the reason for his death: "Mercy, Emelye" (verse 2808). Perhaps, then, Emelye only serves as a symbol of something to die for in order to allow Arcite to feel chivalrous - although there is clearly nothing worthy or courageous about a pointless death. As silly as the duels of friends-turned-rivals seem, the character who exhibits the most biting in Chaucer's satire is Theseus, the prince and supposedly the most "noble" character. Theseus, the "model ruler" in every respect (Woods, p. 281), spouts platitudes in a manner approving of Arcite's death and his broken friendship with Palamon, and his words are revered asof wisdom. “Just as no man has ever died,” he said, “so has he never lived on earth in any degree. » His words seem to comfort his audience. The reader can quickly assume that Theseus is saying nothing of value; his words are obviously simple and artificial. However, because his position is considered noble, his words carry weight and "heal" the situation (by stating, more or less, that people tend to die sooner or later, everyone's morale is lifted as a result). of the tragic death of Arcite). However, his response is more interesting than his reaction to death when he encounters Palamon and Arcite as they begin to fight. At first he stops them, but when he learns of their problem, rather than advising them against destroying each other, he insists that they destroy each other properly. After all, Chaucer seems to be saying, there is a protocol for a chivalrous death. So, at Theseus' request, the duels each summon a hundred knights to fight alongside them, including two kings, and the duel becomes a war. Of course, Chaucer seems to be saying sarcastically, because that's the way things are done, that's the way they should be. Another character who sets the tone for the entire story is the narrator, the knight himself, who seems very enamored of his ideals and seems to think his story is an excellent example of his courtly values ​​-- or at least that may be guessed by his enthusiasm for the story, that he begins with "myrie cheeres" in line 859 of the general prologue. We can also assume that the Knight is in agreement with the clichés of Theseus – in fact, in agreement with all the attitudes of the rather pompous Theseus – because he describes the princely character with reverence, rejoicing in his "wisdom and chivalry" as described in verse 865 (Robertson, p. 438). He also describes scenes of chivalric honor, as far as he judges, in great detail, as the account of Arcite's funeral arrangements shows. The knight reveals that: Of which all the world was full of mirth and joy, / And he tells his story, as it was resolved, / By advance and by composition, / As you are a flock; what are words for? / And when that good man said it was so, / As one that was and obedient / To keep his before by his free consent, / He seyde, syn I will bigynne the game, / What, welcome be the cup , a Name of God! (Lines 846-854)However, Chaucer mocks this from the start. The knight loudly says that he will comply with the cut, but if the company had decided not to draw lots to determine the order of the storytellers for their pilgrimage and had instead chosen to proceed in order of class or rank, the the highest-ranking character would have said in the first tale. This person would of course have been the Knight. By more or less saying that providence chose him, the Knight seems to be saying that he was destiny's first choice. Perhaps he is implying that even though he travels among those of a lesser stature than himself, he has been chosen and honored by God to begin telling the story, as if his story is somehow superior . However, the knight fails to take into account that if the pilgrims had chosen in an orderly manner (perhaps exactly what they were trying to avoid), then he would have found himself in the same position without any divine intervention. In this setup, the writer Chaucer sets to work to construct a world of principles according to our now familiar knight, and it is not surprising that in this world providence is king. The main characters – Palamon, Arcite, and Emelye – seem to have little to no say in their own lives and how it unfolds. They claim to be at the mercy of the gods and their policies or :. 2009.