The Canterbury Tales | The Knight's Tale Summary & Analysis | Geoffrey Chaucer
Summary
TLDRThe tale follows Theseus, the Duke of Athens, as he returns from war with his new wife, Hippolyta, and her sister Emily. He encounters grieving women whose husbands were killed by King Creon, prompting Theseus to conquer Thebes and avenge them. He takes two knights, Arcite and Palamon, as prisoners, both of whom fall in love with Emily. After a series of events involving escape, rivalry, and divine intervention, a grand battle is held for Emily’s hand. Though Arcite wins, fate takes a tragic turn, leading to Palamon marrying Emily in the end.
Takeaways
- ⚔️ Duke Theseus, a powerful conqueror, returns home with his wife Hippolyta and her sister Emily.
- 😢 Theseus encounters grieving women whose husbands were killed by King Creon, and they cannot retrieve their bodies.
- 💪 Angered, Theseus sets off to Thebes, kills Creon, captures the city, and returns the remains of the slain men to their wives.
- 🛡️ He takes two prisoners, Arcita and Palamon, cousins and sworn brothers, who both fall in love with Emily after seeing her through their cell window.
- 🚶 Arcita is released from prison and, though exiled, disguises himself as a servant in Emily's household, becoming one of Theseus' trusted men.
- 🏃 Palamon eventually escapes from prison and confronts Arcita, leading to a duel in the woods, which Theseus interrupts.
- 🤝 Theseus proposes a formal battle between Arcita and Palamon, with 100 knights each, for Emily's hand in marriage.
- 🙏 Palamon prays to Venus for love, Arcita prays to Mars for victory, and Emily prays to Diana to remain a virgin, though Diana tells her she must marry.
- ⚔️ Arcita wins the battle, but as he rides towards Emily, his horse suddenly dies, causing him to be fatally injured.
- ❤️ In the end, Theseus encourages Palamon and Emily to marry, ensuring a peaceful and happy conclusion, where love triumphs.
Q & A
Who is the Duke of Athens in the script?
-The Duke of Athens is a mighty conqueror who returns home from a conquest with his new wife, Hippolyta, and her sister Emily.
Why is the Duke of Athens angered in the story?
-The Duke of Athens is angered because he comes upon a crowd of grieving women whose husbands have been killed by King Creon and cannot retrieve the bodies.
Who are Palamon and Arcite?
-Palamon and Arcite are cousins and sworn brothers who both fall in love with Emily when they see her through the bars of their prison window.
What does Arcite do after being released from prison?
-After being released from prison and exiled, Arcite dresses like a poor worker to serve in Emily's household, becoming one of Theseus' most valued men.
How does Palamon escape from prison?
-Palamon escapes from prison after spending several years there, and he goes into hiding in the woods.
What happens when Arcite and Palamon encounter each other in the woods?
-When Arcite and Palamon encounter each other in the woods, Palamon recognizes Arcite and challenges him to a duel.
How does the Duke of Athens intervene in the duel between Arcite and Palamon?
-The Duke of Athens intervenes in the duel when he comes upon the fighting men while hunting with Hippolyta and Emily, breaking up their fight.
What solution does the Duke of Athens propose to resolve the conflict between Arcite and Palamon?
-The Duke of Athens proposes that Arcite and Palamon each bring one hundred knights and battle for Emily's hand in marriage.
What are the temples devoted to in the stadium built by the Duke of Athens?
-The temples in the stadium are devoted to Venus, Mars, and Diana.
What does Emily pray to Diana for?
-Emily prays to Diana that she may remain a virgin.
How does the contest between Arcite and Palamon end?
-The contest ends with Palamon being wounded and unhorsed. The Duke of Athens declares Arcite the winner, but then a sudden turn of events leads to Palamon being chosen to marry Emily.
What is the final resolution of the story regarding the marriage of Emily?
-In the end, the Duke of Athens tells Emily and Palamon to marry and live in contentment and love unbroken.
Outlines
🏰 The Duke's Conquest and Love's Emergence
The Duke of Athens returns victorious from battle with his new wife, Hippolyta, and her sister Emily. Upon encountering grieving women whose husbands were killed by King Creon, he avenges them by conquering Thebes and killing Creon. He takes Palamon and Arcite as prisoners, who both fall in love with Emily. The story sets the stage for a love triangle and the eventual conflict between Palamon and Arcite.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Theseus
💡Emily
💡Palamon
💡Arcite
💡Creon
💡Venus
💡Mars
💡Diana
💡Fate
💡Chivalry
Highlights
The Duke of Athens is depicted as a mighty conqueror returning from a conquest.
The Duke encounters grieving women whose husbands were killed by King Creon.
The Duke is angered by the injustice and sets off to Thebes to avenge the women.
The Duke kills Creon, captures Thebes, and returns the remains of the slain men to their wives.
Palamon and Arcite, cousins and sworn brothers, are taken as prisoners by the Duke.
Both Palamon and Arcite fall in love with Emily at first sight.
Arcite is released from prison and exiled, unable to see Emily, which upsets him.
Palamon envies Arcite's freedom and his ability to see Emily.
Arcite has a dream where the god Mercury tells him to go to Athens.
Arcite disguises himself as a poor worker to serve in Emily's household.
Palamon spends years in prison and eventually escapes.
Arcite and Palamon meet in the woods and engage in a duel over Emily.
The Duke, Hippolyta, and Emily go hunting and come upon the duel.
Palamon reveals his identity and exposes Arcite's disguise.
The Duke proposes a battle between Palamon and Arcite for Emily's hand in marriage.
A large stadium and temples are built for the knights to battle.
Palamon prays to Venus, Arcite to Mars, and Emily to Diana for their respective desires.
The battle is restricted with rules set by the Duke to prevent unnecessary violence.
Palamon is wounded and unhorsed, leading to Arcite's victory.
Venus is angered that Palamon did not win the battle.
Saturn reassures Venus that her plans will come to fruition.
Arcite's horse suddenly stops, leading to a resolution of the conflict.
The Duke declares that Palamon and Emily should marry and live in love and contentment.
The tale concludes with a marriage, typical of romances where love triumphs over all.
The characters are idealized, emphasizing the themes of love, sex, and fellowship.
Love is portrayed as the ultimate force that can transform men and their relationships.
Transcripts
in the night stale in The Canterbury
Tales thesis Duke of Athens is a mighty
Conqueror returning home from a conquest
with his new wife
Hippolyta and her sister Emily he comes
upon a large crowd of grieving women
whose husbands have been killed by King
Creon that cannot retrieve the bodies
thesis is angered and sets off for
Thebes kills Creon captures the city and
returns the remains of the slain men to
their wives he takes two nights as his
prisoners cousins and sworn brothers are
Sita and Palamon Palamon and are Sita
see Emily through the bars of their cell
window and they both fall in love
instantly they argue about who saw her
first
Sita is released from prison and exiled
but cannot see Emily any longer and it
upsets him Palamon meanwhile envies are
Sita's freedom in part to are Sita has a
dream of the god mercury who tells him
to go to Athens he dresses like a poor
worker that serves in Emily's household
becoming one of theses most valued men
Palamon has spent several years in
prison and finally escapes her Sita goes
for a ride in the woods Aleman is hiding
there Palamon recognizes our Sita and he
bursts out and challenges him to a duel
meanwhile phthisis decides to go hunting
with Hippolyta and Emily he rides into
the woods and comes upon the men he
breaks up their fight
Palamon reveals who he is and says the
servant is really our Sita the woman's
eggs thisis to have mercy thisis
proposes that they each bring one
hundred knights and battle for Emily's
hand in marriage
in part three time passes and thesis
builds a large stadium with tiered rows
for spectators and three temples devoted
to Venus Mars and Diana Baur Sita and
Palamon arrive with their knights
Palamon prays to Venus to win her Sita
prays to Mars for victory Emily prays to
Diana that she may remain a virgin
anna tells her that she must marry both
men have been promised Emily the god
Saturn must work out a plan in part for
thesis forbids killing an injured man
weapons are not allowed to be used and
other restrictions are set for the
battle the contest lasts until evening
Palamon is wounded and unhorsed
exhausted he relents thesis declares our
Sita the winner Venus is angry that
Palamon did not win
Saturn reassures her her Sita rides
toward Emily and his horse suddenly
Susan honey dies thesis believing that
after grief there should be bliss tells
Emily and Palamon to marry and live in
contentment and love unbroken the Nights
tale is considered romance and typically
romances end with a marriage the
characters are idealized thesis is noble
and manly Emily is beautiful and gentle
the nights are chivalrous and eager to
fight the theme of love sex and
fellowship plays an important part in
this tale love trumps any other
friendships and makes men into fools
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