Magnaniposition In The Knight's Tale

A true knight is one who demonstrates the virtues of generosity and magnanimity. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses characters such as the Knight and the Landowner who tell stories that reflect on their own personalities. The Knight tells a story about Theseus, Palamon, and Arcite, who are all true knight’s. The Landowner tells about characters like Arveragus, Aurelius, and the magician who are lacking the virtues of a true knight. In the story The Knight's Tale, Theseus, Palamon, and Arcite are tested as knight’s and prove themselves by always showing the virtues in everything that they do. In The Landowners Tale, Arveragus, Aurelius, and the magician all show how they are not true and noble knight’s. Theseus, Palamon, and Arcite all are noble knightly characters, they show the virtues of generosity and magnanimity. Arveragus, Aurelius, and the magician do not, which exemplifies why they are not

Theseus shows the virtues throughout the story. He first shows magnanimity when he comes home from war and he is met by weeping women. The beg him to go and avenge their husbands who died in the siege of Thebes. They ask him to avenge them because the new ruler, King Creon has disgraced their bodies and is a cruel ruler. Theseus even though he just came home from war, holds off the celebration and goes to Thebes because he is large-hearted and decides that their needs outweigh his. Theseus shows his generosity, when he spares the lives of Palamon and Arcite instead of killing them for what they did. He exemplifies his generosity by allowing Arcite to leave prison as long as he never returns to Athens. He portrays his magnanimity when he finds Palamon and Arcite in a duel and allows them to live even though Palamon broke out of prison and Arcite came back to Athens. Theseus was tested many times, but prevailed and proved himself as a virtuous