“The Knight’s Tale” • Genre: Medieval Romance • Characters: Theseus, Hippolyta, Emily, King Creon, Arcite, Mars, Venus, Perotheus, Diana, Saturn One day Theseus, the ruler of Athens runs in to four weeping women. These women were unable to properly bury their dead husbands because of Creon, the lord of Thebes. Theseus pities the women and conquers the realm of Thebes. While the Duke is on the battlefield he notices to dying enemy soldiers laying on the battlefield, by the names of Arcite and Palamon. Instead of leaving these men to die Theseus them and then sentences them to eternal life in rison. While in prison both men fall in love with Emily, who is the younger sister of the queen. Years pass and eventually Arcite is set free by his friend …show more content…
At the beginning of the tale Chaucer even tells the reader if they do not wish to hear such a tale to skip it and not to blame him for what is included within its pages. In this tale the code of chivalry and courtly love are entirely absent which are what cause it to be an inversion of the Knight’s Tale. This tale also features several stereotypes. John is shown as being the wealthy and oblivious husband, Alisoun is portrayed as being a very young, beautiful and lustful woman who has an affair on her husband and Nicholas is the typical loose cannon that ends up getting the girl. One of the main aspects of the story that contributes to its humorous tone is the stupidity of John. The story is also quite ironic because John, “Thought himself quite likely to be stung” (Chaucer, p.89), so he ends keeping Alisoun in cage, which is the most likely cause of the affair. Alisoun even tells Nicholas before their affair that “’My husband is so full of jealousy”’ (Chaucer, p.91). The moment when Nicholas makes the biblical reference to an incoming rainfall resulting in a flood “Twice as bad as Noah’s Flood” (Chaucer, p.97), is when John is fooled. Without this reference I believe that it is unlikely John would have believed Nicholas’ false warning. I also like this tale because in the end everyone gets what they had coming. Johns mistreats his wife out of jealousy, so she …show more content…
The Reeve believed that the “Miller’s Tale” was meant as an insult towards him because it displays the carpenter as being stupid and jealous. I found the humor to be quite vulgar and over the top in the “Reeve’s Tale. The humor is based around Aleyn and John getting revenge on the devious miller. They do this by having sex with his wife and daughter. One of the reasons that the students so easily deceive Symkyn is because he is “As proud as any peacock and as gay” (Chaucer, p. 108) His pride is his largest downfall. This tale is a direct hit at the Miller, because the entire story is insulting the character by depicting him as a thief and showing that men take advantage of his wife and daughter. I also found none of the characters in the tale to be even remotely likeable. Even the wife is described having as much dignity “…as water in a ditch” (Chaucer, p. 109) The one part of the tale that I enjoy is the proverb at its ending, “Do evil and be done by as you did. Tricksters will get a tricking, so say I” (Chaucer, p. 119). I feel like this proverb not only represents the miller getting what he had coming for his thievery, but it also supports the entire “Reeve’s Tale” as a response to the “Miller’s