Canterbury Tales: Knight's Tale

Part 1:

What does your characters's clothes represent?

The Knight wears a tunic made of coarse cloth, and his coat of mail is rust-stained, because he has recently returned from battle.

What your character is like—what do they believe, how do think of themselves, how do they act towards others or towards God? 

The Knight highly believes in chivalry, truth, honor, freedom, and courtesy. The Knight thinks himself to be a noble man. The Knight acts towards God with an understanding of how he works and how fate falls into place. The Knight's reaction towards others in the group is really a mysterious, because he does break up a fight between two members. Maybe he likes them all?

What is your character type?

The Knight is a honorable person following the knightly code.

Part 2: Short Story (Summary)

Part I: Duke Theseus returns from overthrowing Scythia with his new wife, Hippolyta, and her sister, Emily. Outside Athens, he meets a group of weeping women and learns that the tyrant Creon has murdered their husbands and refuses to give them a proper burial. Theseus quickly overthrows Creon and brings back the dead to the women for ceremonial burying. After the defeat of Creon's forces, Thesus's men find Palamon and Arcite who are not dead. Theseus decides against killing the knights and instead imprisons them with no hope of ransom. One morning, Palamon sees the beautiful Emily wandering about in her garden and cries out in pain. Arcite peers from the tower window and, upon seeing Emily, cries out his own love for her. Because both knights claim their love for Emily, their friendship starts to fade away. However, a friend to both Theseus and Arcite arrives in Athens and releases Arcite on the term that he never sets foot in Athens. Both knights think the other luckier: Palamon, because he can still see the beautiful Emilie; Arcite, because he can raise an army and capture her.

Part II: Back in Thebes, Arcite sinks into a depression. As a result of his poor hygiene, his physical appearance changes so much that he is no longer recognizable. One night, Mercury, the messenger of the gods, appears and orders him to return to Athens, which he does. Taking the name Philostrate, Arcite is employed as a manservant in the House of Emily. Several years pass and Philostrate/Arcite rises to a high and respected position in the court of Theseus.

Meanwhile, Palamon is still sitting in the prison tower. Then one day, Palamon escapes and flees to the forest. That morning, Arcite goes to the same forest and, thinking himself alone, recites his love for Emily aloud, blaming Juno, Mars, and especially Venus for his plight. Palamon, who had not recognized Arcite, finally identifies him through his speech and leaps up, swearing to kill Arcite for his treachery. The two arrange to duel the following day.

The next day, the men duel with full suits of armor that Arcite brought from the palace. Theseus and his men arrive upon the scene. Theseus stops the duel and scolds the knights for their behavior. Palamon tells all, demanding that both be killed for their crimes, and Theseus swears that the wish will be granted, but he changes his mind when his wife and Emily beg mercy for the knights. Theseus proposes a formal duel in one year with each knight supported by one hundred knights. The winner of the battle will get the hand of Emily.

Part III: At the end of the year, Arcite and Palamon, each with one hundred knights, return to Athens for the battle. Theseus welcomes them all and entertains them. On the evening before the battle, Palamon, Emilie, and Arcite pray. Palamon prays to Venus, goddess of love; Emilie prays to Diana, goddess of chastity; and Arcite prays to Mars, god of war. All receive a vision indicating that their prayers will be answered. The three prayers and resulting promises cause confusion in heaven until Saturn, god of destiny, promises that Palamon will win his love and Arcite will win the battle. Emily's pray is refused.

Part IV: The battle begins, and after much fighting, Palamon is badly wounded and taken from the field. Arcite is declared the winner. Saturn sends a fury from Pluto to make Arcite's horse act up, which causes the horse to throw Acrite off his back. Wounded, Arcite is carried to Theseus' palace. As he lies dying, Arcite acknowledges that Palamon is a great man and begs Emily to accept Palamon as her husband. Arcite dies and Theseus arranges a great funeral for him. After a long period of mourning, Palamon and Emily are married.

Part 3:

What type of literary tale is your story? 

It's like a iliad, it illustrates a point of view that powerful forces outside of human control are at work causing everything that happens in the world.

What does the tale mean (if anything). Connect the tale to a THEME? 

One theme can be Fate and Free Will. Palamon, Arcite, and Emily both pray to three different gods/goddesses before the final battle, because they believe that larger forces control their destiny and way of life. Palamon's and Arcite's are granted, but Emily's pray is refused, because she wishes to be free and stay one with nature.

What does the tale reveal about you character and who your character is? 

The tale reveals about the Knight that he honours the knightly code, believes in God(s), and that a knight should always follow the virtues of the knight. The Knight is very noble and lives a life of adventure. 

What—if any—kinds of literary devices does your tale use? 

Literary devices that are used are is a epic, meaning that things are described in the highest, or best, they could possibly be. Preterition is telling an audience something by saying you're not going to tell them about it. Ekphrasis is lengthy, dramatic description of a work of visual art in writing.

Part 4: Make a brief argument why your character won the bet: Who can tell the best story.

I believe the Knight won the bet, because his tale has love, adventure, death, war, sadness, thearchy, heroics, and honor. All the good things you can ever get in a tale rolled into one story. The tale also has moral lessons about accepting fate, or destiny, and that you can't always get what you want.