The Knight's Tale..... A Greek Mythology and Medieval Twist

I’m not sure if I’m the only person who thinks this… but constantly when reading this story I visualized the scenery and a lot of the characters as the movie “A Knights Tale” Obviously the title is almost exactly the same, but overall the plot is pretty similar to throughout reading I pictured Arcite as Heath ledger… probably just because he is one of the main knights who is one of the top in fights and fierce battles.

 The biggest difference between the two is the movie doesn’t have the somewhat of a Greek mythology twist that I sensed a lot while reading. I feel like most if not most of the stories we have read so far contain religion and praying and relying on god in their journeys. But The knights tale was a little bit different. The addition of 3 temples to the gods, to protect him in battle showed in my opinion that their beliefs wasn’t that god or the gods could protect them or watch out for them, but more the gods had full power over them, which was a concept that I feel wasn’t really showed in some of our other stories. When the story talked of the temple of the gods I couldn’t get the image of Hercules in the temple of Zeus in the Disney movie when he was talking to his dad, a giant, moving, marble statue

I don’t know why but I was somewhat disappointed when Arcite died… I was kind of rooting for him throughout the story to win the battle and marry Emelye. I know the story pushed the thought of dying an honorable death is a great thing…. But in my opinion I could care less how someone dies. After he died Theseus gives his long speech of how everyone dies and dying in battle is honorable and somewhat of a great thing, I feel like I would much rather be alive and healthy than die a painful war related earth caused by battle wounds… even if it is considered honorable.

One thing that I thought was unique about The Knights Tale was how little gender related it was. Sure, a main concept of it was to win the love of a woman, and I guess that means she was no say over who she marries, but I feel like Emelye had a lot more power and in a sense of freedom than most of the other women in the other stories we have read. 

The knight's Tale...or is it the Gods' Tale?

Before I started reading The Knight's Tale, I wondered (and maybe and hoped a little) that the story would be like the movie A Knight's Tale with Heath Ledger. I'm going to be honest, I was kind of disappointed when it turned out to be completely different. I mean, come on, who wouldn't love a story about a guy "changing his stars" (as the movie puts it), and getting the girl of his dreams despite lying about who he is at first?!

Well, although the story we read for class is completely different, I suppose it was still a good story.

I was a little taken aback by the setting of this story in particular because I do not generally associate Ancient Greece with the medieval romance stories about kings, queens, and knights. I guess it still works though because they still had the aspects of courtly love and medieval romance in general in the story. They had the knights fighting for what they love...aka a beautiful woman that they do not even know, a king to guide them, and rules, of course.

I just want to take this opportunity to talk about how accommodating the gods/goddesses are...well kind of. They come to a compromise of sorts. Mars and Venus get what they want for Arcite and Palamon, while Diana has to tell Emelye that she has to marry one of the them (which she kind of said was okay if she could not get what she really wanted− to remain unmarried). So, thanks to Saturn, everyone sort of gets what they asked for.

Overall, I think this story was interesting, but I feel bad for Emelye. Yeah I know she got her second choice, but she's really the only one losing in this situation.

Divine Intervention? More like Godly Playtime

As I was reading this, one thing that really stood out to me was the Gods’ interventions. There was only the one small part where one of them physically intervened (when they killed Arcite), but when I looked at it a second time, I saw that their responses actually foreshadowed the result of the battle.

                When Palamon visited the temple of Venus, he never got a definite answer that he was going to win the fight, but we later read that her father was going to do something to make sure that her champion wins Emelye. And what do you know, they were right! Palamon was never told that he would win so he lost the battle, but then Arcite was killed so he was the only one left to marry Emelye.

                Then there was Arcite. He went to Mars and prayed for victory in battle, but doesn’t even mention Emelye. So what does he get? He wins but doesn’t get the girl, exactly what was promised to him. Although, I have to admit that his whole section really annoyed me. The only reason he entered this fight is because he thought that he love/deserved Emelye more than Palamon. But when it came time to actually fight for her, he completely forgets about her! Is that what he calls love? Because it just seems like a bad case of possessiveness to me. He saw something pretty so he wanted it.

                And then there was Emelye. Oh man did this piss me off! She went to the temple of Diana to beg to keep her chastity and not have to marry one of them, but she was basically patted on the head and told “that’s nice”. I know they didn’t really care about what women thought about marriage at that time, but she literally begged! And no one cared! She was stuck doing what everyone else told her to do.

So yeah, needless to say: I didn’t like this part. All of their actions annoyed me (except for Palamon because he did actually do this for love), and the gods just messed with things for kicks and giggles.

Knightly Taste Aversion … Is There an End in Sight?

The first time I was introduced to Chaucer’s The Knight’s Tale (as I suspect is true for most) was in a high school English class. Even though I have fond, fond memories of the two days I spent watching Heath Ledger parade around a fictional medieval world with perfectly tousled hair and sexy, shiny armor… I can’t remember one interesting piece of information from our class’ actual discussion of the tale itself. The only thing I do remember (save for Heath’s lovely smile) is the lasting sour taste the story of Arcite and Palamon left behind in my mind.

The ‘taste aversion’ to The Knight’s Tale that I began to develop in high school (much to my dismay) only grew stronger over the following years as I subsequently encountered the text again and again. Try as I might to connect with the story, there was always some aspect of it that simply put me off. The most glaring example is of course the character of Emelye, who has basically no say (except for her ability to pray) or choice in the matters that directly affect her life. Although I understand that this is due to the social structure of the medieval world... it is still enraging as a modern female reader to encounter a story where the women are depicted as such. In all reality, this is probably the number one reason why I have such an aversion to the character of the Knight and to his tale (although there are many other reasons as well). Even though I do value the tale a great deal on the whole, the fact remains that I simply do not enjoy reading it. Or at least that was what I thought.

After being faced with the reality of having to read The Knight’s Tale yet again, I decided that, even though I had officially filed the story away into my ‘unpleasant reads’ folder (or to borrow a term from Sherlock and the ancient Greeks, my mind palace), I would try as much as possible to resurrect it and remain open to new insights. Although the tale isn’t my favorite choice, I was determined to find something about it that I had previously overlooked to like. Thankfully, I succeeded.

Although it may seem a bit dark, re-reading the tale and paying closer attention to the prayer’s of Emelye, Palamon and Arcite helped me to better understand (and take a bit of pleasure in) the latter’s death. In previous readings of the tale Arcite’s death puzzled me and I have never quite been able to resolve my feelings about it. Now however, I’m certain that I am able to derive a great deal of satisfaction from it. By praying to Mars and desiring victory in battle above all else (in an attempt to obtain Emelye, who he sees as having to be won by force) instead of putting his love for her first and praying to Venus like Palamon, Arcite looses both his life and his ‘love.’ Palamon on the other hand, eventually wins Emelye’s hand in marriage and even though my somewhat feminist heart is screaming that he is still undeserving of her, I feel much more contented after finishing this latest reading. At least Palamon put love before war. In my book this makes him the lesser of two evils.

Overall even though this tale my not be my personal cup of tea, I am certainly glad that there is a possible end in sight for my ‘taste aversion’ to it. In previous readings I considered Arcite and Palamon to be almost one in the same (perhaps the reason I was so puzzled by why Arcite had to die and not Palamon) but now that I have paid more attention to the subtle differences in their actions it is looking less and less like this is the case. Finding something new to enjoy during this reading of Chaucer’s tale has certainly given me hope for the future (although I don't think I'll be pulling this out of the 'unpleasant reads' folder anytime soon). 

What is Love? Nah.. More like an unfair fight!!

 

I have to admit that I like the fact that Greek Gods were involved. Seeing as I am kind of obsessed. But onto the story Theseus is either weird or willing to spend boatful’s of money on a tournament and three temples for the Gods: Venus, Mars and Diana. Then as the tournament gets closer the people all gather to watch the battle. Both of our knights, Palamon and Arcite return with their magnificent armies. The before the battle each person, Palamon, Arcite and Emelye go to one of the temples to ask for help. Palamon goes to the temple of Venus and tells her how much he desires to be with Emelye and asks Venus to help him win in the name of love. Venus sends him this mysterious sign and basically says, “I am on your side of this battle.”

            Then a few hours later Emelye goes to the temple of Diana and asks to remain a virgin and not have to marry either of them. Then Diana appears in front of her and tells her that she has to marry one of them. Then Emelye just goes back to her room and basically just accept the fact she has to marry someone who she doesn’t really know. I think that when a woman is getting married shouldn’t she be … don’t know somewhat excited to get married not indifferent. But you know that is just my opinion I think marriage should be about EQUAL LOVE on the side of both the man and the woman. Not that “Oh I have to marry you because Diana said so and because you’re the only one left alive.”

 

            Later that same day Arcite goes to the temple of Mars and begs the god of war for help winning the battle and he gets a sign as well and Mars whispers  “Victory!” which in my mind the way I envisioned it was a little eerie and creepy. Then we get to see the god’s point of view. Where Saturn, Venus’s dad tells her that Palamon will win even if Mars helps Arcite.

 

            Then comes the FEAST. Because you cannot have a battle without a gigantic feast.

 

 Then the battle starts and Theseus goes on about the rules of the battle and then the bloody massacre begins.

 

 

Palamon fights alright but in the end Arcite wins and everyone is happy especially Emelye when Theseus states that Arcite is the winner but because Venus starts crying and her daddy wants to fix everything he kills Arcite by making and earthquake appear and injure him. On his death bed he tells Emelye how much he loved her and that she should marry his cousin if she were to get married. Then after a time warp of mourning Palamon and Emelye get married and are eventually happy.

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life is like a box of fancy chocolates.. there are always some crappy flavors... but enjoy the good ones.

I don't know about that pigs n taters... but at least these chocolates are labeled. 

The “Shoving Almost Every Courtly Love Rule Award” goes to ... Geoff with a G Chaucer… for “The Knight’s Tale!”

I am not kidding. Out of every story that we have read so far, this story is the ultimate portrayal of Courtly Love. The only rule missing is the whole “adultery in a marriage is cool” rule. All the jealousy, obsession, and suffering rules are present in the story.

Anyways, I feel like this tale is really about fortune and destiny. Arcite, Palomon, and Emelye’s futures seem to be predetermined by the games of the gods and goddesses. This story really reminds me of “The Iliad”. The Gods determined the destinies of the characters, but this does not necessarily mean that the mortals are powerless. They make the decisions of how to act if they are dealt with bad fortune or good fortune. (Which honestly, even if a character receives good fortune, do they really get to enjoy their good fortune for long? Cough… Arcite.) I mean, I feel like this guy’s destiny was determined by the gods from the beginning. Mercury tells him to go back to Athens… and he makes the decision to go back. This results in his death, but he probably would have died anyways from love deprivation. He makes the best of his “freak accident” death by dying in honor. Emelye’s destiny is to marry one of the knights. Even though she tries to get out of the marriage, Diana says no. Emelye decides to accept it, and she eventually does end up in a happy marriage with Palomon.

I frequently hear that this tale focuses on gender roles and feminism, but I disagree with this. Every man and woman is ultimately powerless to the gods. The gods decide the course and fate of everyone. The woman are portrayed as emotional and have the power to persuade; however, I do not think Chaucer added this in as a way to show feminism or gender roles. I mean Emelye can’t even get out of the marriage. It’s more to show that the true power lies in the hands of the gods. Before the battle, Chaucer goes into long descriptions about the extravagance of each temple and worships to the gods. In some ways, I feel like Chaucer is either mocking religion or showing the importance of devotion in religion. Overall, I think Chaucer is basically saying that…

Life is full of suffering… tough luck... but, you can make the best of it.

<---- Suffering

That Thoroughly Raging Moment When the Author Totally YEETS Your Joy Near the End Of the Tale, and Your Smile Completely Vanishes Forever

That Thoroughly Raging Moment When the Author Totally YEETS Your Joy Near the End Of the Tale, and Your Smile Completely Vanishes Forever

                Yes, I know that Chaucer was not exactly trying to appeal to our ideals of a happy ending for the guy we were rooting for, when Pluto decides to throw Arcite into the black hole of horror with an earthquake, to SHOCKINGLY, please the will of a woman (goddess in this case).

Giving me personally, a reaction much like this one…

                Also, I just want to point out how funny it is to me that these two cousins were thrown into prison together, they had to look like this when they were being locked up…

                Forgive me with my Fresh Prince use, but how can I not?? Cousins?!?! Genius if you ask me. Plus this is when Arcite (Will) first laid eyes on lady Emelye... Look at that concentration.  

                The most interesting part of this tale to me, was that Emelye did not want to marry because she wanted to remain a virgin, or at least that is how I took it with her quote “a mayden al my lyf”, in the temple of Diana. It was interesting to me that in a time where women had so much authority of their King’s decisions (life or death), that Emelye still has to be wedded against her will, to one of either of these men, to whom neither has she spoken at all. Inconsistency runs throughout these tales and courtly love and all of that. Because is it not ALL of women’s desires to have control over their own lives, as stated in The Wife of Bath’s Tale?? ALL WOMEN?!?!?! Just sayin’.

                It was actually a really depressing end for me, as I stated in my delightful title, but the King’s speech about death was actually quite appropriate to the text, given the situation the King finally took a role of comfort, not only for Emelye, but for all of his kingdom as well that was shaken by the death of Arcite. I enjoyed reading this tale, again, not in this middle English crap. But I guess I will have to get over it. But I am curious, when did the Greek God's decide to play such a role in this tale and none of the other? Very curious.

Thank you.  

 

Friend? Or One Pathetic Loser?

  Friendship

   What does this word mean to you?

   Well, if you see the word friendship and picture fighting over a woman neither you, nor your friend, have ever met...this story is right for you.

    If you see the word friendship, close your eyes, and imagine attempting to murder your friend over this same woman (whom you still barely know)...this story is right for you.

   If you see the word friendship and decide that, on your deathbed, you will look back at the passion you had for this woman, the time you spent fighting for her, the efforts you made to get near to her, and the way in which your best friend just attempted to kill you, and you decide to help him in his courtship of this woman...this story is right for you.

  This story was not right for me. In my opinion, Palamoun and Arcite aren’t doing friendship in the right way. They should try being less serious.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fariannarebolini%2Fgreatest-joys-and-struggles-of-being-best-friends-wit&ei=QQcaVcqtLZK_sQTz44HABA&bvm=bv.89744112,d.cWc&psig=AFQjCNGj8zqGg5a1Z6gjKIJ6DivfgUuW_w&ust=1427855503025658

       What a stud. Arcite is a stud, I think you’ll all agree. First, the man disguises himself in order to get closer to Emelye. He must be a pro at disguises, because his best friend doesn’t even recognize him until he speaks openly about his love for Emelye (something everyone does when they’re alone, of course).

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eatmedaily.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fsam-sifton-disguises%2F&ei=UggaVe6jFonBgwTepoLYAg&bvm=bv.89744112,bs.1,d.cWc&psig=AFQjCNHvSfQ1vSCgmwZ9gwbA5mRlkGb5Xg&ust=1427855805720399

        Second,  not only is Arcite great with disguises, but he is also great in battle. His death wasn’t exactly fair. If there wasn’t a random earthquake which made him hit his head, there’s a good chance he would have won the fight. In which case, I wonder if Palamoun would have been so noble on his own deathbed. I have a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn’t have been as “studsy” as Arcite. He seems to be a lesser knight than his friend. And I’m upset that he ends up marrying Emelye. I wanted him to be noble and decide that he doesn’t deserve her, considering he won the battle by sheer luck. I imagine his thought process to be a lot like this scene from Dumb & Dumber while he’s watching his best friend die:  

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fstacieleigh95%2Fdumb-and-dumber%2F&ei=XQoaVfX4CfHhsASAuIDwDQ&bvm=bv.89744112,bs.1,d.cWc&psig=AFQjCNH26g3cIkqnBugdePgnhikvftn0Qg&ust=1427856318311599

       Maybe my bitterness toward Palamoun is unwarranted. Maybe I’m upset because Arcite put in so much more effort than his friend, and ended up dying in the end. Palamoun just seems like he is too lucky in this story. Similar to The Wife of Bath’s Tale, I don’t know if he really deserves the great deal he gets in the end.

Let's Talk About Death Baby

I know that we're supposed to be taking a look at the gods and how they're prayed to but I figure that we're going to be talking about that enough in class that I'll talk about something less relevant. I do have some related questions but that'll come after the awesome death of Arcite. Personally, I don't care for either Palamoun or Arcite but that death scene was cringe worthy.

Firstly, boy gets a page and a half of a death scene. I mean... I guess that's not very impressive in the context of this story...but they are some descriptive pages. His chest is broken to pieces, he's got blood poisoning, swelling. Just overall blech. I appreciate that this bit was left in and wasn't transformed into some glorious, honorable thing. I mean, he gets that through his own speech but his wounds aren't romanticized (and they shouldn't. THERE IS NOTHING SEXY ABOUT PUSS). 

Secondly, I don't actually have a second point. I'm on the fence with Arcite's dying words. Like...truth be told, if I were to write a fanfiction of this story Palamon and Arcite would be gettin it with each other. Even though his last words are a plea to Emelye, the most emotion is around Palamoun. Arcite lists off all these great things about Palamon (granting Emelye's prayer of their reconciliation) and they're meant to be mortal enemies in love. If that's not a rom-com plot then I don't know what is. Which is why him saying "Mercy, Emelye!" seemed like a cop out of love. In my opinion those are a lot less influential than what Arcite feels toward Palamoun but because Emelye is the pretty girl we need to tie in that romance plot (even though it's the weaker one in my opinion).

Thirdly, Arcite's death made me like Theseus a little bit more. I just appreciate that he brought some reality to the situation with the "everybody dies" speech. I know that at most deaths that's not the typical PC thing to say but I found the reminder helpful. I think that once you can normalize the death you've got control over your response. Yes, Arcite died of terrible battle wounds but people will always die...and...ya'know...your chances kinda increase when you challenge someone to a battle to the death. Just saying. 

Okay, so I don't really have a way to wrap this up so I'm just going to ask some unrelated questions. I'm curious to know what the feelings were about these mixed religions. You've got people praising God and the Greek Deities, so what's up with that? Why are some weapons seen as more honorable than others? That has never made since to me and it just makes me think of the logic of this scene.

Balance of Power

As per usual, women of medieval romance appear subservient to men in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Knight’s Tale,” the first story of The Canterbury Tales. After all, it appears that Emelye, the beautiful maiden, is basically objectified the entire way through the story, making her seem powerless and meaningless. There are, however, times when women are more powerful than they first appear because at times they have independent agency.

First, women exercise control over the health of men. When Arcita, one of the two imprisoned Theban knights, is exiled and can no longer seem Emelye, he starts to pine away. Eventually, things get so bad that he becomes emaciated to the point of being forever unrecognizable to those who previously knew him. At first, this situation seems like that of a child who goes on a hunger strike until he gets the toy he wants, which would further reduce Emelye’s status as a person; however, Arcita’s emotions are more robust than that. Chaucer’s knight explains that Arcita suffers from the “loveres maladye” (l. 1373), which supports the idea that Arcita truly does feel drawn to Emelye in an intimate, interpersonal way. Not only does Emelye influence the health of the more powerful men, but it appears she is also (at least to some degree) a person.

The influence of various women over the lives of men also shows that they hold some kind of power. When Theseus prepares to kill Palomon and Arcita, the queen and the women of the court begin to weep and beg Theseus to spare them. While this act requires the agency of a man, Chaucer displays that they help Theseus to act with a more profound agency: “And though he first for ire quook and sterte, . . . / And although that his ire hir gilt accused, / Yet in his resoun he hem bothe excused” (ll. 1762, 1765-6). They awaken reason in Theseus, which enables him to judge more wisely. Women, typically seen as unreasonable and overemotional, are actually the most reasonable people in this scene.

            Let’s not forget the fact that they save the knights’ lives.

 

Not such a strong knight anymore, eh?

            Finally, the women are able to express their desires, which raises them to personhood. Before the beginning of the grand tournament to decide who she shall wed, Emelye prays at the temple of Diana that she shall not have to marry either knight. Although her request is refused, the fact that she is able to make it is extraordinary because it shows that she is not a thing but rather a person with her own agenda.

            So, is this a feminist text? I’d say no. Really, it’s not even a proto-feminist text; however, I do think that Chaucer does an excellent job of balancing the power of men and women. Though they are unequal due to a difference in types of power (one group has physical and political dominance, and the other group has spiritual and emotional dominance), they are both equal in the fact that they have power. That seems too important to overlook.