Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

In the general prologue of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the character of the Knight is described, and in his description, Chaucer writes, “To riden out, he loved chivalrie” (Chaucer, Gen. Pro. Line 45). The word “chivalrie” is of interest, as it is a term often affiliated with knighthood, although the modern use of it, being tied to courtesy and nobility, as a little vague. It is vague in that, the question may be posed, ‘What is chivalry?’, which may be answered, ‘It is to be noble’, ‘Then what is it to be noble?’, and so on. Therefore, in order to gain a better understanding of the knight’s character, it behooves the reader to find the definition of “chivalrie”. The word “chivalrie” comes from Middle English, and comes from the

However, the general prologue is directly cited for the definition “bravery or prowess in war; warlike distinction or glory” (Oxford English Dictionary). This definition changes how the Knight is characterized, for a modern reader would affiliate the modern definition with the Knight, but really, Chaucer is saying that the knight loved glory, “Trouthe and honour, fredom and curtesie” (Chaucer Ge. Pro. Lines 45-46). A reader during the time of Chaucer’s life would understand this implication immediately, but a current reader would not understand that “chivalrie” can mean glory and prowess in battle, as the word is not used in that way any longer. The importance of this change in meaning is most obvious in trying to understand the Knight as a character, particularly later in the book when he tells his story. Either the Knight is primarily concerned with being courteous and polite, or he is concerned with those things, but also glory in battle. To go further, a purely modern understanding might make the Knight appear to be weaker without the definition utilized by Chaucer himself, that emphasizes a taste for warlike distinction. In short, a modern reader, unaware of the past definition of “chivalrie” may view the