Essay about A Knights Tale - 1672 Words

The Canterbury Tales begin with The Knight’s Tale; which chronicles the tragic love triangle of Palamon, Arcite and Emilye. The following tale, which is told by the Miller, is also a love triangle, and is in many ways similar to the Knight’s tale. However, the Miller’s tale sharply contrasts the Knight’s, almost parodying it. The Knight’s tale is a tragic of nobility, heritage and focuses heavily on mythology and astrology, whereas The Miller’s tale is a comedy, focusing on the common-man and his less civilized, and bawdy lifestyle. The two stories mirror one another in many ways, but are presented from completely different sides of the spectrum. When the two tales are looked at closely, it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that they occur†¦show more content†¦Nicholas does not share Palamon or Arcite’s passion for true love, and comes up with a simple hoax to trick Alison’s unintelligent husband John into leaving he and Alison alone for a night. The Miller’s story continues to stray from the Knight’s as a third luster is presented for Alison’s affection; Absalon, a parish clerk. As opposed to an epic battle for courtship, the story devolves into slapstick humor, with Absalon kissing Alison’s rear, and burning Nicholas’ in attempted revenge. The balance of the love triangle is also thrown awry in the Miller’s tale. Not only if a fourth man present, Alison’s wife John (who is not even included in any form of romance throughout the tale) but Alison’s affection seem to only be for Nicholas. She is easily seduced by Nicholas and has little, to no romantic interest in Absalon, fooling him into kissing her rear and then laughing about it with Nicholas. These elements merely add to the Miller’s tale of perversion, distancing and parodying itself from the Knight’s tale of honor and true love. Throughout the Knight’s tale, t here is an aura of divinity present, with destiny being almost predetermined. The Greek gods intervene in the mortal realm, and the prayers of Palamon, Arcite and Emelye are all answered by the respective gods prayed too. Fate is practically inescapable, with the universe being in a perfect order from the beginning.Show MoreRelatedA Comparison Of The Canterbury Tales And A Knights Tale880 Words   |  4 Pagesfilm, A Knight’s Tale. Helgeland adapted Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"The Knight’s Tale,† one of the poems that make up the volume The â€Å"Canterbury Tales†. Not many of the characters from the poem made it into the movie. The only characters that are noticeably in A Knight’s Tale are Arcita, Palamon, and Emily. These characters are represented as William, Count Adhemar, and Jocelyn. The movie is very entertaining. 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I intend to launch my investigation of the Knights Tale with a scrutiny of these three statements, and perhaps we shall find an interesting conclusion in this, albeit a disputableRead MoreThe Inconsistancies of Life in In The Canterbury Tales and The Knights Tale, by Geoffrey Chaucer1707 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Canterbury Tales, composed by Geoffrey Chaucer, the fundamental topic of the tales is the inconsistency of human life — satisfaction and suffering are never far separated from one another, and no one is truly safe from experiencing a tragedy. When an individuals fortunes are up, other individuals are down. 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