ipl-logo

Chivalry In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

631 Words3 Pages

Chivalry is dead. According to a lot of woman it has been dead for a while now. Men have stopped opening doors (Madamenoire 1), getting up from their seats on the bus (Madamenoire 2) and moving heavy objects for women (Madamenoire 6). Chivalry started in the 5th century and ended around the 15th. The Canterbury Tales takes place in the 14th century meaning that chivalry should be alive. Three of the four tales express the idea of Chivalry the best. The Knight’s Tale, The Wife of Bath’s Tale and The Franklin’s Tale give evidence as to what Chaucer’s opinion on chivalry is. Based on evidence from the tales, Chivalry is admired in The Canterbury Tales. The Knight’s Tale expressed the rule “to preserve to the end in anything they do” (Knight …show more content…

A knight rapes a woman and instead of being sentenced to death, he is tasked with finding what women desire the most in the world. He sets off on a journey to find the answer but it is proving to be more difficult. He gets a variety of answers. He believes all is lost until he sees a old, ugly woman. He asks her the question and she says she has the perfect answer but he must do him a favor in return. Having no other choice he agrees. He goes to the queen and tells her the answer, women most desire to be in control of their husbands. He gets the question right and is saved. The ugly woman asks the knight to marry her. He says yes after saying no the first time and the two get married. After, the go to bed together and the knight “wallowed back and forth in desperate style” (Chaucer 175). The knight doesn’t want to be there in bed with her but stays because it is what is right. The ugly woman offers him a choice, he can have her be ugly and loyal or pretty and unfaithful. The knight thinks and finally says “My lady and my love, my dearest wife, I leave the matter to your wise decision” (Chaucer 180). The knight was suffering being married to the ugly woman, but he then finds respect for her calling her his love and wife. She rewards him for answering correctly by giving him a woman who is pretty and loyal. Because he gives her control over him, to do what she wants and decide for him, he honors her and is

Show More
Related

  • Use Of Satire In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    898 Words  | 4 Pages

    The king and his knights wake up early one morning to go on a hunt for a boar. While they are gone, the lady of the castle goes to Sir Gawain’s room. On her way out, “she kissed him,” (12) and then was on her way. Because the lady of the castle is married to the king, the love shared between her and Sir Gawain must stay a secret. Although they just met, he is very polite to the lady and wins a kiss from her in the end.

    Read More

  • Chivalry In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight And Morte D Arthur

    795 Words  | 4 Pages

    The three Ideas of Chivalry (How Chivalry is connected in the stories?) Have you ever been taught how to treat a lady? Have you ever been told how you should be treated? Today, respect for women is different, but I think it’s the same way for men as well. In the old ways, women had to respect their men, and obey them.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of May In The Canterbury Tales

    884 Words  | 4 Pages

    Geoffrey Chaucer has greatly influenced English literature with many of his works. He comprised more than twenty tales in his most famous collections The Canterbury Tales. There are several of his many tales that expresses love, marriage, and romanticism to display an important message. The Merchants Tale in particular refers marriage and love between the characters. First, the story introduces the narrator Chaucer, whom tells the story of a knight.

    Read More

  • All Women In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    1290 Words  | 6 Pages

    Reluctantly the knight marries the old woman, yet he constantly complains about how old and hideous she is. Therefore, the old woman offers her husband a deal: either she can become young, beautiful, and a cheater, or she can remain old and faithful. The knight tells his wife that he wants her to choose whatever shall make herself happy, for that will make him happy as well. The old woman becomes young and beautiful, while also remaining faithful to her husband. Women have been the subject of subservient roles for centuries and medieval literary icons such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales both depict plots that disvalue women and their

    Read More

  • The Pardoner And The Monk In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

    568 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, the Pardoner and the Monk both did not uphold their role in medieval society, nor did they follow the rules. They both lived their lives as they saw fit and put the desires before their duties in the church. Both characters displayed selfishness and dishonesty through their actions as well as their behavior. Moreover, the Pardoner and the Monk shared many similarities and differences throughout the

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Canterbury Tales

    1395 Words  | 6 Pages

    (lines 93-98) It appears as if women are hard to understand and decipher when it is men who simply have a misunderstanding of the women’s needs. It seems as if the knight will never find his answer to such a simple question until he comes across an old lady who

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Wife Of Bath's Tale And The Pardoners Tale

    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    (Chaucer 902-906). On his way home, the old lady saved the knights life by telling him what it is that women most

    Read More

  • Stereotypes Of Women In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

    579 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stereotypes of Women in The Canterbury Tales Stereotypes of women have not changed throughout the years of history. Throughout the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer portrays women through negative stereotypes. Women are portrayed as selfish, lustful and immoral. In the Wife of Bath’s Prologue women are portrayed as selfish.

    Read More

  • The Canterbury Tales In The Pardoner's Tale

    742 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Canterbury Tales, out of “The Miller’s Tale”, “The Wife of Bath”, and “The Pardoner’s Tale”, “The Pardoner’s Tale” should win the storytelling contest. The contest rules include that the story must have a moral and be entertaining. “The Pardoner 's Tale” meets both of those requirements. The moral is a valuable lesson, and also entertaining by incorporating dramatic irony into the story for the reader. In “The Pardoner’s Tale”, there are three men who are drunk at a tavern.

    Read More

  • What Is Sir Lancelot's Code Of Chivalry

    416 Words  | 2 Pages

    In medieval times, chivalry was something that many men lived up to. If a man lived up to the expectations of chivalry he was said to be loyal, brave and courageous. For some it was difficult to follow certain codes especially when it came to romance, an example: Sir Lancelot in the movie “First Knight.” Medieval romance was taken seriously during its time. Not only did men/knights have to follow rules and codes about war, but also about romance.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Chivalry In King Arthur

    974 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Arthurian Code: Chivalry “Chivalry is dead” is a very common phrase, however what does it actually mean? This famous saying refers back to the time of King Arthur in the Middle Ages. In order to be a knight, one had to follow the Arthurian Code of Chivalry. The word chivalry was used to describe what a perfect knight would be, and the code outlines the basic understanding of how a knight should act. The regulations assigned the ethics and morals that a knight had to attain, and the rules were held with great respect and honor.

    Read More

  • The Meaning Of Chivalry In King Arthur's Knights

    1002 Words  | 5 Pages

    Things as little as holding the door open for a girl can be chivalry, I truly believe women want a gentleman so when you are being one you are acting kind of like her knight. Obviously, when you read the tale of King Arthur you receive several messages as to why his knights were very Chivalrous. First of all, in order

    Read More

  • How Does Chaucer Use Sexism In Chaucer's Tale

    527 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Canterbury tales is written by Geoffrey Chaucer takes place in the late 14 hundreds . Chaucer and 30 pilgrims are traveling to Canterbury, and to pass time each pilgrim tells a tale about their life. These tales are told through Chaucer's point of view, where he uses his humor to attract the reader in many different ways. Chaucer’s humor consist of three main attributes , sarcasm, sexism, and appearance. SEXISM - Chaucer uses Sexism to draw humor into The Canterburry Tales.

    Read More

  • Comparing Wife Of Bath's Tale And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    762 Words  | 4 Pages

    Once one lies, credibility to oneself disappears. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” and the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, agreements are made but truths become impure which is a direct reflection on one’s character. Once an agreement is made, a truth is made, a pact that must be fulfilled. Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath's Tale” centers itself around agreements.

    Read More

  • The Use Of Satire In The Canterbury Tales

    588 Words  | 3 Pages

    When he comes across a decrepit lady who makes him a deal, it saves his life. Subsequently, she forces the Knight to marry her. He’s compelled to corporate, and marries the old and hideous lady. During the story, Chaucer says, “He who accepts his poverty unhurt I’d say is rich although he lacked a shirt.

    Read More

More about Chivalry In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

Open Document