Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Knights Tale :: Chaucer Knights Tale Essays

In his prologue, Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are mired in this fictional journey and who will control the tales. One of the well-nigh interesting of the characters introduced is the Knight. Chaucer refers to the Knight as a most distinguished manhood and, indeed, his sketch of the Knight is highly complimentary. Another Knight seen in the Canterbury Tales is the rapist knight in the Wife of Baths Tale, who is not a very noble knight and doesnt follow a past code. This knight seems more realistic as opposed to the stereotypical warning knight that Chaucer describes in the Prologue. It is hard to believe that such a perfective knight existed during that time. Today we look back at knighthood, chivalry, and curteisye as sentimentalist and unreal. It is true that a code of behavior did exist, and Chaucer presents the Knight as a real representative of the code. However the Knight in the Wife of Baths tale, is the sweep through opposite of this one, and violates all of the rules of Knighthood. By way of contrast the Knight in The Wife of Baths Tale is more common during the position Ages, and stories of rape by knights were not uncommon. Chaucer goes against the normal chivalric ideal of a knight by presenting a knight as he rattling might have been, which is the knight presented in The Wife of Baths Tale. As all of the different tales reflect back on the characters of the pilgrims who tell them, the ideas in the Knights Tale are reflected back on the Knight. His tale is a tale of ideal love and chivalry, and fits the character of the Knight. Furthermore, designation the Knights character, his tale has no incidents of vulgarity, the love is a wanton love, with no hint of sensuality. The love exists on a high, platonic level. In the article Costume Rhetoric in the Knights enactment Chaucers Every-Knight and his Bismotered Gyphon, by Laura F. Hodges, featured in the April 1995 edition of the Chaucer Review, Hodges examines the reasons b ehind Chaucers decisions on the clothing of his Knight. Hodges said that the fact that the Knight was wearing colly clothing is an allusion to the fact that the knight was soiled religiously. However I gestate his shirt was much stained by where the armor had left his mark, and he just arrived from service and went directly on his pilgrimage.