Satire of the Knight in the Prologue and Knight's Tale of "The Canterbury Tales"

As the English Actor, Tom Hiddleston, stated, “Never stop. Never stop fighting. Never stop dreaming.” Young peasant, William, decides to pretend to be a knight with both his friends Roland and Wat and later on the found naked Chaucer to win money since their life style isn’t convenient. As a final point, despite some minor inaccurate information, the movie A Knight’s Tale is historically accurate based on factual evidence that was displayed.

In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.

The Knight and the Nun are two significant pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous poem The Canterbury Tales. The Knight is respected by many and his main job was to defeat enemies successfully. The Nun had a lower social position than the Knight and her overall job was to praise the Lord and serve others. While the Knight appears to be a more respected pilgrim in comparison to the Nun, Chaucer uses both of the characters to contribute to the overall theme of humankind’s tendency to strive to be accepted and respected by their peers.

In The Canterbury Tales, the knight is a modern type of knight. Although the description of this character’s personality is vague, it is not hard for modern day people to visualize him. In the prologue, it mentions that the knight follows the five basic ideals that a good knight should possess: “chivalry, Truth, honour, generousness, and courtesy” (Chaucer 4). The knight fought in the Crusades, wars in which Europeans traveled by sea to non-Christian places and tried to convert people’s culture by brute force, which was considered noble and brave hearted. From his love of the five basics ideals previously mentioned to his impressive military career, the knight is a perfect example of how a knight should be represented. Indirectly, the tale is discussing both the knight and the idea of how a knight should be. The tale does not describe much about the knight as in physical appearances and characteristics of this knight but as the tale comes to an end, the book starts to unfold how this story connects with this character. The tale itself is not important yet it’s what the tale represents that is important, such as pursuing courtly love, risking death, and respecting women. All of the previously mentioned attributes are ones that knights should possess to achieve expected standards.

In terms of literary quality, Chaucer went great lengths to give all elements a bit of attention. The work is primarily about a knight who is pardoned from a rape on the condition that he acquires the answer to one of life’s

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem, The Knight’s Tale, the author encapsulates chivalrous characteristics in his telling of a battle for love. In its fundamental form, chivalry idealizes a knight’s conduct, both on and off the battlefield (Gregory-Abbott). Chaucer employs this “heroic code [of] bravery, loyalty, and service to one's lord” to illustrate the idillic knight throughout the narrative (Rossignol). Chaucer’s poem, The Knight’s Tale, exhibits the ideals of chivalry in the form of two knights, desperately in love with the same woman, and a wise Duke who embodies the voice of reason. Each knight upholds honor through compassion, troths, and heroism on the battlefield, despite their afflictions with each other.

“The Knights Tale” is the first tale in Geoffrey Chaucers “The Canterbury Tales”. The story introduces various typical aspects of the knighthood such as chivalry, ethical dilemmas, and courtly love. Knights all have this characteristic which they call the code that they portray through out the tale. In Geoffrey Chaucers “The Knights Tale” is an effort on the knight’s part to preserve a virtuous code.

Chivalry and courtly love were two major parts of being a knight in the medieval time period. Chivalry was the code that knights lived by and consisted of bravery, unselfishness, and other traits of being a good protector. Courtly love is the love between a knight and a woman that he was attracted to. In the movie, A Knight’s Tale, William has courtly love with Jocelyn, but so does Adhemar. They fight for her heart so that she can see which one she wants to love and adore. William conveyed more knightly traits than Adhemar through his love for Jocelyn, showing mercy when he was jousting the prince, and playing the role of a knight.

In the Canterbury Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer, born in circa 1340 - October 25, 1400, London, England.Chaucer expresses his beliefs of how should love be through the Knight's Tale and Miller’s Prologue since both presents a love triangle.Chaucer on the stories shows two types of love which had similarities and differences between the characters and the events of both stories.

Although this film has some aspects that are historically inaccurate, various elements hold true to a medieval time. For example, the article “Knights in the Middle Ages” states that a “boy became a squire in his

Satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues” (Oxford). Another term that people would be more familiar with to describe this would be sarcasm. Language can be utilized in a nasty way, especially when wanting to demoralize another. Sarcasm is evil in and of itself and is a very Odyssean way of attacking someone. This is a powerful weapon used in Chaucer’s, Canterbury Tales. “The Canterbury Tales is the major work by Geoffrey Chaucer, medieval England's leading

The knight seemed thoughtless when committing his crime. “By very force [the knight] took [a woman's] maidenhead” (Chaucer 79). From this readers can interpret that this knight isn't like others. When one thinks of a knight,

of the poor outfit of the Knight. Instead he attempts to point out that the

Although at the end of the poem, the knight gets rewarded with a beautiful wife even though he committed a horrendous deed, the knight does exhibit the capability of reforming his understanding of women. Through his acceptance of the queen’s decree, instead of running away in cowardice or falling prey for women’s stereotypes, and by relinquishing his sovereignty to both the queen and the crone, the knight truly gaining an understanding of what a woman longs for.

The narrator insists: "He was a verray, parfit, gentil knight," but some modern readers, ill at ease with idealized warriors, and doubtful about the value of the narrator's enthusiasms, have questioned this evaluation. His son, the Squire, is by contrast an elegant young man about court, with fashionable clothes and romantic skills of singing and dancing. Their Yeoman is a skilled servant in charge of the knight's land, his dress is described in detail, but not his character.