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