Geoffrey Chaucer – A Knight’s Tale

Genre: Epic / Romance

Plot Outline: Two Knights, Arcite and Palamon, are captured by Duke Theseus of Athens. Whilst in prison, Palamon looks out of the window to see Emily in the garden below him and falls instantly in love. His moan of love is heard by Arcite, who then looks out of the window to also see the woman. The two men argue over Emily’s love, causing them to break the bond of brotherhood they held to one another. After a number of years, both escape the prison and are interrupted in their fighting by Theseus, who – by request of Emily and his wife to spare the convicts lives – decrees that Emily’s hand will be won by the victor of a tournament. A year passes and the fight begins, each of the men praying to their Gods for victory…

Characters: With a ‘main cast’ of four characters, it’s easy to keep up with who-is-who. Despite the plot being mostly action base, the development of each of the main characters is interesting to see. The female, Emily, is given a voice rather late-on in the story, but this is a strategy that works well to jostle the way in which she’s seen through the earlier parts. I found it easy to warm to each of the characters, and although they all seem to be flawed in some way, that merely serves to make them more realistic.

Style: Unlike the Miller’s Tale, the Knight’s Tale is written in a higher vocabulary, with the use of rhetorical devices. It’s written in Middle English, although you’re able to get some rather good translations if you’d prefer to read in modern language. The tale has a nice flow to it, with each line rhyming with another. Although admittedly, the somewhat archaic word order might take a bit of getting used to for those who aren’t familiar with it.

Critics: The Knight’s Tale is the most critiqued of all the Canterbury Tales. Every theme from Marriage (G. Kitteredge) to Mercenaries (T. Jones) has been looked at over the years. Such criticisms are interesting to look at, allowing a view of the tale that may not previously have been thought of.

Opinions: I can certainly see why this tale has received so much literary criticism. It’s a good read, although I’d have to be honest and say it isn’t for anyone searching for a ‘light read’. For those of you who enjoy epic poetry or myths and legends, you might want to give this a try. Translations of the poem are even found online, so unless you want it in book form, you don’t need to spend a penny.

Audience: 16 / 18+

One Response to “Geoffrey Chaucer – A Knight’s Tale”

1. Bleach Video says:

   December 7, 2009 at 11:08 pm

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