"The Knight's Tale" tells the story of two cousins who are condemned by the great conqueror and ruler of Athens, Theseus
Theseus
Theseus was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. Like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, Theseus battled and overcame foes that were identified with an archaic religious and social order. His role in history has been called "a major cultural transition, like the making of the new Oly…
Thebes
Thebes is a city in Boeotia, central Greece. It played an important role in Greek myths, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus, Heracles and others. Archaeological excavations in and around Thebes have revealed a Mycenaean settlement and clay tablets written i…
Full Answer
What is the summary of the Knight's tale?
Summary and Analysis. The Knight's Tale. Summary. Part I: Duke Theseus returns from overthrowing Scythia with his new wife, Hippolyta, and her sister, Emilie. Outside Athens, he meets a band of weeping women and learns that the tyrant Creon has murdered their husbands and dishonors the dead by leaving them unburied.
How is the Knight described in the Canterbury Tales?
" The Knight's Tale " (Middle English: The Knightes Tale) is the first tale from Geoffrey Chaucer 's The Canterbury Tales. The Knight is described by Chaucer in the " General Prologue " as the person of highest social standing amongst the pilgrims, though his manners and clothes are unpretentious.
What does the Knight imply about the prime mover?
In this tale, the Knight (or Chaucer) implies that the lives of men are influenced by what seems to be chance but, in actuality, is a Prime Mover (God) who controls the ostensibly chance occurrences of the world. The women at the beginning of the tale bemoan the harshness of fortune. By chance, Emilie walks beneath the prison.
How do Knights fall in love in the Odyssey?
The theme of knights falling in love through a single glance at the object of their desire is common in chivalric tales. The ritual of the gaze forms the basis of courtly love, which does not need to involve physical consummation. The cry awakens Arcite, who asks Palamon what ails him.
What happens in the end of the knight's Tale?
Arcite dies and Theseus arranges a great funeral for him. After a long period of mourning, Palamon and Emilie are married and live out their lives in "a love unbroken." Part I: The Knight's Tale perfectly fits the Knight himself: That is, he chooses a story filled with knights, love, honor, chivalry, and adventure.
What happens in A knight's Tale?
After the untimely death of a jousting knight in the middle of a match, the knight's peasant squire William Thatcher dons the dead knight's armor and with the help of his two friends complete the match and wins the jousting tournament.
Who won in the knights tale?
TheseusTheseus agrees and beats Creon. In the process, he wins two noble Theban hostages, cousins Palamon and Arcite.
Who ends up marrying Emily in the knight's Tale?
This causes a dispute between the two deities, until the god Saturn steps in and says that he will ensure that Arcite has his glory but that Palamon marries Emily.
Who is the hero in the knight's Tale?
hero TheseusThe Knight's Tale is the first and longest of all The Canterbury Tales. The Knight narrates this tale of love and war, but it's no autobiography. The tale casts Greek hero Theseus in the main role. Theseus is best known for slaying the Minotaur in the labyrinth on the Mediterranean island of Crete.
What is the conflict of the knight's Tale?
The Conflict of Agency In the Knight's Tale, Emily has an inarguable amount of power: she is the cause of friction between the two knights, and the battle for her hand in marriage leads to a grand tournament and eventually to Arcite's death.
Does Arcite marry Emily?
On his deathbed Arcite apologises, they had once been as close as brothers and now they were rivals in love. Arcite tells Palamon to marry Emily, and then he dies. After a while, Palamon marries Emily, and they all live happily ever after.
What happens to Palamon?
Theseus's heralds pluck Palamon's half-dead body from a pile after Theseus's battle with Thebes. Theseus imprisons Palamon without ransom in a prison adjoining his garden.
How does William become a knight?
How does William become a "knight?" 1.) William becomes a knight at the end of the movie when Prince Edward knights him.
Why is Arthur's knight sentenced to death?
In Arthur's court, however, a young, lusty knight comes across a beautiful young maiden one day. Overcome by lust and his sense of his own power, he rapes her. The court is scandalized by the crime and decrees that the knight should be put to death by decapitation.
How do the knights get freed?
How do the Knights get freed? Palamon is pardoned, and Arcite escapes. Arcite is pardoned, and Palamon escapes. They knock out the guard, steal his keys, and run out of the castle.
Who wins Palamon or arcite?
meet a group of crying women. They beg Theseus to take vengeance on Creon, King of Thebes, because of his refusal to allow them to give their husbands' bodies a proper burial. Theseus agrees and beats Creon. In the process, he wins two noble Theban hostages, cousins Palamon and Arcite.
What finally happens to arcite Palamon?
Arcite fights in the joust. His forces take Palamon prisoner, ending the battle and winning it for him. During his victory ride, a freak earthquake causes Arcite to tumble from his horse and injure himself badly. Arcite dies with Palamon and Emily at his bedside, commending Palamon to Emily as a husband.
Why is Arthur's knight sentenced to death?
In Arthur's court, however, a young, lusty knight comes across a beautiful young maiden one day. Overcome by lust and his sense of his own power, he rapes her. The court is scandalized by the crime and decrees that the knight should be put to death by decapitation.
How does William become a knight?
How does William become a "knight?" 1.) William becomes a knight at the end of the movie when Prince Edward knights him.
Who are arcite and Palamon in love with?
In the tale the cousins Palamon and Arcite both fall in love with Emelye, sister of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, who is married to their captor Theseus. A tournament is held in which the two rivals compete for Emelye's hand.
What is the Knight's Tale?
For the 2001 film, see A Knight's Tale. " The Knight's Tale " ( Middle English: The Knightes Tale) is the first tale from Geoffrey Chaucer 's The Canterbury Tales . The Knight is described by Chaucer in the " General Prologue " as the person of highest social standing amongst the pilgrims, though his manners and clothes are unpretentious.
Why does the Knight-Narrator skip past the details?
The Knight-narrator repeatedly admits that he must skip past such details so that other pilgrims will get a chance to tell their stories. The tale is considered a chivalric romance, yet it is markedly different from either the English or French traditions of such tales.
What does Theseus say about Arcite?
Theseus's comfort to Emelye and Palamon is that Arcite died in just such a manner, having acquitted himself well in a feat of arms.
What is the Great Chain of Love?
Theseus begins with a reference to the First Mover, the primum movens, or unmoved mover of Aristotelian philosophy creating the “Great Chain of Love”, the kyndely enclyning, or natural inclination, that holds the universe together in Medieval cosmology. He describes the inevitability of death for all things at their proper time, using the destruction of an oak tree, a stone, and a river as examples, and listing all the classes of medieval society as universally subject to death. He then shifts to a discussion of the proper way to respond to this inevitability of death. Theseus maintains that, since every man must die when his time comes, that it is best to die with a good name and reputation, on good terms with his friends, and having died with honour. Theseus's comfort to Emelye and Palamon is that Arcite died in just such a manner, having acquitted himself well in a feat of arms.
What happened to Arcite and Palamon?
He later secretly returns to Athens in disguise and enters service in Emelye's household, to get close to her. Palamon eventually escapes by drugging the jailer, and, while hiding in a grove, overhears Arcite singing about love and fortune.
What is the story of Trinity Tales?
The story is one of the tales that inspired the 2001 movie A Knight's Tale, in which Chaucer himself is one of the principal characters. It was also adapted for the BBC's The Canterbury Tales in 2003.
How old is Chaucer's son in the Prologue?
He is accompanied on his pilgrimage by the Squire, his 20-year-old son. The story introduces themes and arguments typically encountered in the literature of knighthood, ...
What is the Knight's story?
The Knight provides an elaborate frame narrative for his story: before he reaches the heart of the tale (that is, the story of the two knights), the Knight spends a lot of time setting the stage and describing the backstory of Theseus’s world. Active Themes.
What is the theme of knights falling in love?
The theme of knights falling in love through a single glance at the object of their desire is common in chivalric tales. The ritual of the gaze forms the basis of courtly love, which does not need to involve physical consummation. Active Themes. The cry awakens Arcite, who asks Palamon what ails him.
How many knights did Theseus order?
Theseus orders Palamon and Arcite to return in exactly fifty weeks’ time with a hundred knights each, ready to do battle for the hand of Emelye .
What does Emelye ask Diana to do?
She asks Diana to cure Palamon and Arcite of their love for her and to restore the bonds of friendship between them. If she must marry one of them, however, Emelye asks that she marry the one who desires her the most. One of the sacrificial fires suddenly goes out, and Diana appears in an image to Emelye. Diana tells her that the gods have decreed she must marry one of the knights, but that she cannot say which one.
What does Arcite think of Palamon?
Arcite thinks that Palamon is bemoaning their imprisonment, but Palamon replies that he has received a wound through his eye straight to the heard: he has seen woman below who is so beautiful that he does not know whether she is a woman or a goddess. He guesses that she is Venus and prays to her to release himself and Arcite from captivity.
What is the purpose of the Knight's description of Theseus's accomplishments?
The purpose of the Knight’s description of Theseus’s accomplishments becomes clear when Palamon and Arcite, the two main protagonists of the story, arrive on the scene. Again, Theseus’s justice is demonstrated by the fact that he lets the knights live (albeit as permanent prisoners). Active Themes.
What is the theme of the story of Theseus?
Active Themes. As Theseus is riding into Athens, he sees a group of women in black clothing weeping and wailing by the side of the road. He asks them why they are grieving, and they tell him that they are noblewomen from Thebes who have come to Athens to seek Theseus’s help against the tyrant Creon.
How many reviews does A Knight's Tale have?
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 58% based on reviews from 148 critics. "Once you get past the anachronism," according to the site, " A Knight's Tale becomes a predictable, if spirited, Rocky on horseback." On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 54 out of 100, sampled from 32 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Where was Knight's Tale filmed?
A Knight's Tale was "filmed entirely on location in the Czech Republic at Barrandov Studios, Prague ."
What happened to William in the final match of the World Championship?
William returns to the tournament to face Adhemar in the final match, but Adhemar cheats with an illegally sharpened lance, seriously injuring William. Entering the final pass, William is losing by two lances and must unhorse Adhemar to win. He demands to be stripped of his armor while Chaucer buys time by performing the introduction of William that he omitted earlier. William, unable to hold the lance due to his injuries, asks Wat to strap it to his arm. Finally, he tilts against Adhemar, with his father and Jocelyn in attendance. Bellowing his true name as he charges, he knocks Adhemar to the ground with a crushing blow. On the ground, Adhemar experiences a vision of William and his friends mockingly telling him that he has been "weighed, measured, and found wanting". With this final blow, William wins the world championship tournament. In the ensuing celebration, as Jocelyn and William embrace, Chaucer remarks that he should write an account of these events .
What is the plot of the Black Plague?
Plot. At a jousting tournament in 14th century Europe, several years after the Black Plague, squires William, Roland, and Wat discover that their master, Sir Ector, has died. With just one more pass, he could have won the tournament. Destitute, William wears Sir Ector's armour to impersonate him, taking the prize.
What does William demand from Chaucer?
William demands Chaucer be released and promises payment. During the competition, William's armor is badly damaged; he goads Kate, a female blacksmith, into repairing it without payment. He wins the tournament's sword event, enabling him to pay Chaucer's debt.
What does Edward say about William?
He acknowledges William's honor and an ability to inspire his friends' dedication that is in the best traditions of knighthood. Edward then announces that William is in fact descended from an ancient noble family, and knights him "Sir William". He asserts that as Prince-royal, his declaration is "beyond contestation".
Why does William wear Sir Ector's armour?
Destitute, William wears Sir Ector's armour to impersonate him, taking the prize. Although only nobles are allowed in tournaments, William is inspired to compete and win more prizes. Roland and Wat would rather take their winnings and leave, but William convinces them to stay and help him train.
What is the Knight's Tale about?
The Knight’s Tale is a romance that encapsulates the themes, motifs, and ideals of courtly love: love is like an illness that can change the lover’s physical appearance, the lover risks death to win favor with his lady, and he is inspired to utter eloquent poetic complaints. The lovers go without sleep because they are tormented by their love, and for many years they pine away hopelessly for an unattainable woman. The tale is set in mythological Greece, but Chaucer’s primary source for it is Boccaccio’s Teseida, an Italian poem written about thirty years before The Canterbury Tales. As was typical of medieval and Renaissance romances, ancient Greece is imagined as quite similar to feudal Europe, with knights and dukes instead of heroes, and various other medieval features.
Who supplicates for their husbands' remains at the story's opening?
The widows who supplicate for their husbands’ remains at the story’s opening are mirrored by Emelye and Theseus’s queen, who supplicate Theseus to spare Palamon and Arcite’s lives. Palamon’s appeal to Theseus to rightly judge their quarrel echoes the knight’s appeal to the listeners to decide who is more miserable.
What happens to Palamon and Arcite?
As it happens, Palamon has escaped from seven years of imprisonment that very day and hears Arcite’s song and monologue while sneaking through the woods. They confront each other, each claiming the right to Emelye. Arcite challenges his old friend to a duel the next day. They meet in a field and bludgeon each other ruthlessly. Theseus, out on a hunt, finds these two warriors brutally hacking away at each other. Palamon reveals their identities and love for Emelye. He implores the duke to justly decide their fate, suggesting that they both deserve to die. Theseus is about to respond by killing them, but the women of his court—especially his queen and Emelye—intervene, pleading for Palamon and Arcite’s lives. The duke consents and decides instead to hold a tournament fifty weeks from that day. The two men will be pitted against one another, each with a hundred of the finest men he can gather. The winner will be awarded Emelye’s hand.
What does Palamon reveal about Emelye?
Palamon reveals their identities and love for Emelye. He implores the duke to justly decide their fate, suggesting that they both deserve to die. Theseus is about to respond by killing them, but the women of his court—especially his queen and Emelye—intervene, pleading for Palamon and Arcite’s lives.
Why do the lovers go without sleep?
The lovers go without sleep because they are tormented by their love, and for many years they pine away hopelessly for an unattainable woman. The tale is set in mythological Greece, but Chaucer’s primary source for it is Boccaccio’s Teseida, an Italian poem written about thirty years before The Canterbury Tales.
Who are the prisoners in the Athenian Tower?
The prisoners, named Palamon and Arcite, are cousins and sworn brothers. Both live in the prison tower for several years.
When one person's fortunes are up, another person's are down?
Moreover, when one person’s fortunes are up, another person’s are down. This theme is expressed by the pattern of the narrative, in which descriptions of good fortune are quickly followed by disasters, and characters are subject to dramatic reversals of fortune.
Where does Theseus decide to fight for the sepulcher?
Theseus sets about providing for the sepulcher. He decides it will be in the grove where he first came upon Arcite and Palamoun fighting for their love. He orders trees cut for the fire and arranges the bier, spread with cloth of gold, upon which lay Arcite, crowned with laurel. Theseus has the bier brought into the hall.
What does Arcite want out of prison?
Arcite is devastated by the news of his release. He would rather remain in prison, for then he would at least have the sight of she whom he loves. He repents that he ever wanted out of prison; alas, how little we understand the workings of Fortune. We often desire what brings our own destruction; I wanted freedom from prison; now that freedom exiles me from happiness; without the sight of Emelye, I shall die.
What does Theseus say about Emelye?
Theseus says that indeed they shall both die. But his queen, moved by womanhood, begins to weep, and so does Emelye and all others. They kneel and beg Theseus for mercy until at last his anger abates; pity comes quickly to a noble heart. A lord should have pity and take account of circumstances in rendering judgment.
What does Palamoun think of Arcite?
Arcite replies that he loved her first --Palamoun thought she was a goddess, not a woman. Besides, love is a greater law than any other, and other laws may be easily broken in its name. But, why are we arguing, he asks; we are doomed to remain here in prison and neither of us can have her.
Where does Arcite return to?
Arcite returns to Thebes, where he so suffers for love that he neither eats nor drinks. He is so afflicted with love-sickness that his entire appearance, even his voice, is so changed that no one would recognize him.
Where did Theseus lead his army?
The noble Theseus, moved by their plight, turns aside from Athens and leads his army to Thebes, where he slays Creon and defeats his army. He captures the city, tears down its walls, and has the bodies of the ladies' husbands properly cremated and buried.
Who sent the pillagers to Athens?
As the pillagers ransack the bodies, the heralds recognize among the wounded two princes of the royal blood, born of sisters. Theseus sends them to Athens to dwell in prison perpetually.
Overview
Synopsis
Two cousins and knights, Palamon and Arcite, are captured and imprisoned by Theseus, duke of Athens, after being found unconscious following his battle against Creon. Their cell sits in the tower of Theseus' castle, with a window which overlooks his palace garden. The imprisoned Palamon wakes early one morning in May and catches sight of Emelye, who is Theseus's sister-in-law, below in the courtyard picking flowers for a garland. He instantly falls in love with her, wo…
Sources and composition
The epic poem Teseida (full title Teseida delle Nozze d’Emilia, or "The Theseid, Concerning the Nuptials of Emily") by Giovanni Boccaccio is the source of the tale, although Chaucer makes many significant diversions from that poem. The Teseida has 9,896 lines in twelve books, while "The Knight's Tale" has only 2,250 lines—though it is still one of the longest poems in the Tales. Most of the epic characteristics of the Teseida are removed, and instead the poem conforms primaril…
The First Mover
The First Mover or the Firste Moevere is a speech delivered by Theseus, spanning lines 2129–2216, bringing the poem's narrative to its close.
The First Mover speech appears near the end of the poem, after the protagonists Arcite and Palamon have finished their duel for Emelye's hand; Arcite is fatally injured, and Theseus speaks to console Emelye and Palamon as they grieve for Arcite.
Adaptations and derivations
Richard Edwardes's 1566 play Palamon and Arcite is based on this tale, but the text of the play is lost. Another version of the story was performed in 1594, but this is only known from a reference in Philip Henslowe's diary. The Two Noble Kinsmen, a 1613 play co-written by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, is based on the tale.
John Dryden translated this story into the language of his time. Dryden's book is titled Palamon a…
External links
• The Knight's Tale with interlinear translation, prepared by Larry Benson
Overview
A Knight's Tale is a 2001 American medieval adventure comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Brian Helgeland. The film stars Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, a peasant squire who poses as a knight and competes in tournaments, winning accolades and acquiring friendships with such historical figures as Edward the Black Prince (James Purefoy) and Geoffrey Chaucer (Pau…
Plot
At a jousting tournament in 14th century Europe, several years after the Black Plague, squires William Thatcher, Roland, and Wat discover that their master, Sir Ector, has died. With just one more pass, he could have won the tournament. Destitute, William wears Sir Ector's armour to impersonate him, taking the prize.
Although only nobles are allowed in tournaments, William is inspired to compete and win more p…
Cast
• Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, the protagonist who is a brave and loyal peasant who has dreamt of being a knight since childhood.
• Shannyn Sossamon as Jocelyn, a lady of noble birth, bound to the church and encouraged to be faithful to God but enjoys the fun and tricks in life.
• Rufus Sewell as Count Adhemar, the antagonist who is a wealthy, battle hardened knight. Thatcher offends Adhemar by intruding upon a conversation between Adhemar and Joc…
• Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, the protagonist who is a brave and loyal peasant who has dreamt of being a knight since childhood.
• Shannyn Sossamon as Jocelyn, a lady of noble birth, bound to the church and encouraged to be faithful to God but enjoys the fun and tricks in life.
• Rufus Sewell as Count Adhemar, the antagonist who is a wealthy, battle hardened knight. Thatcher offends Adhemar by intruding upon a conversation between Adhemar and Jocelyn, lea…
Production
A Knight's Tale was "filmed entirely on location in the Czech Republic at Barrandov Studios, Prague" during the summer of 2000.
Lances were created that would convincingly explode upon impact without injuring the stunt riders. The body of each lance was scored so it would break easily, and the tips were made of balsa wood. Each was also hollowed out, with the holes filled with balsa splinters and uncooked lingui…
Music
The film, which notionally took place during the Middle Ages, is notable for its deliberate use of classic rock songs in its soundtrack. The ten that were credited in the film are listed in order of appearance:
• "We Will Rock You" – Queen
• "Low Rider" – War
Reception
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 58% based on reviews from 148 critics. The website's critical consensus says, "Once you get past the anachronism, A Knight's Tale becomes a predictable, if spirited, Rocky on horseback." On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 54 out of 100, sampled from 32 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4 and argued that the anachronisms made little differenc…
See also
• List of historical period drama films
External links
• A Knight's Tale at IMDb
• A Knight's Tale at AllMovie
• A Knight's Tale at Box Office Mojo
• A Knight's Tale at Rotten Tomatoes