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The Knight In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

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The realism of the Knight’s description is represented through the values, actions, and personality displayed both in the Prologue as well as the Knight’s Tale. Both define how a knight should conduct themselves and features traditional knight characteristics. In the Prologue and tale, the Knight never strays from the clean-cut, noble knight role verifying that Chaucer’s portrayal of the knight was realistic.
In the Prologue of Canterbury Tales, Chaucer appetizes the reader by describing the personality of each character in his story before serving the main stories that each pilgrim tells. When describing the Knight, Chaucer only uses attaches positive words to his name. He describes the knight as “a most distinguished man” and had followed …show more content…

After both falling in love with her, they began to bicker over who should court her. This woman wasn’t just any wench off the street, she was honorable and virginal, a fair lady that any knight could hope to wed. This correlates back to the description of the knight. After describing a man who was chivalrous and wise, it would only make sense that the prize in his story would be to fight for the hand of a fair lady. Once again, Chaucer uses the characteristics of a knight to relate back to the narrator and also progress the story. As the story continues and the two soldiers cannot come to a resolution, Theseus sets up a tournament for the two men to fight for their lady’s hand. What would be nobler than a fair fight for their prize? In the battle, Arcite sees his chance for victory and seizes Palamon. Arcite is then claimed the winner, but as Arcite makes his way to Theseus, he is thrown off his horse crushing his chest and gravely wounding him. Knowing that death is inevitable he expresses his love to the young woman and tells her that if she decides to wed again, she should remember Palamon who possesses the qualities of a noble knight. Arcite was wise enough to realize he would never be with his love, but for the happiness of his love and his

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