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.