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Close reading canterbury tales

 

             Overriding friendship, law, and even blood, Love prevails above all else. The aforementioned resonates as the principal theme throughout Arcite's reply to Palamon in "The Knight's Tale." To begin proving his point to Palamon, Arcite recalls the old saying, "'All's fair in love,'" conveying that love conquers all, and actions and crimes committed in the act of love are fair. Arcite then continues to elaborate upon his explanation as he states that "love is a greater law / than any other that may be given to any earthly man" (307-308). This places love on a pedestal above all other things known to man. Love is placed before any law, any friendship, and any blood, no matter the circumstances. Arcite continues to describe the decree to which love overrides such laws, and as he does so, he also reminds Palamon that they will never "be in her grace," (315) so their argument with each other about this matter of love with Emily, is pointless. In relating to the bigger picture of "The Knight's Tale" as a whole, Arcite and Palamon both, as Arcite states, do not have a chance with this woman of their dreams. Chaucer utilizes the following simile to emphasize this concept: "We vie like dogs fighting for the bone: / they fought all day, and yet had no part of it; / while they were raging, a kite came / and bore off the bone from between the two of them." (319-322). Chaucer likens Arcite and Palamon to dogs, and Emily, their love, to a bone. This simile accentuates the irrationality of their argument. Since they will remain in prison, Emily will not even realize either's love; a man will eventually come along and, like the kite, will take Emily, the bone, right from under their noses. Arcite ends the passage by telling Palamon, that he cannot stop him from loving her, and he knows he cannot stop Palamon from loving her as well; however, each must fight for himself. This significantly ties the passage together as it contains the main theme that love prevails above all, yet it also shows through the advice Arcite gives that although he loves Palamon as a brother, he would take his chance with Emily if he had one which forshadows what is yet to come.


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1. The Catholic Church and The Canterbury Tales

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2. The anti-antifeminist Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales

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3. Women in Chaucer's Canterbury

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4. the reeve's tale

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5. Chaucher

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6. The Use Of Love In Troilus And Criseyde

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8. Poetry

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9. The Book of the Duchess and Other Poems

... , again shows Chaucer poking fun at the narrator. However, the poor insomniac narrator receives an immediate answer to his prayer (although it is implied that he simply fell asleep while reading). Once he finally falls into a deep sleep, his dream is so fantastic that it apparently defies description. Nevertheless, in a common literary reversal, the narrator endeavors to tell the reader anyway ... example of the dream-vision genre, is a good example of Chaucer's flexibility and vast classical knowledge. The difference between this kind of poetry and, for example, the majority of  The Ca...

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