The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer around 1386, is a
collection of tale told by pilgrims on a religious pilgrimage. Three of these tales;
'The Knight's Tale', 'The Wife of Bath's Tale', and 'The Franklin's Tale',
involve different kinds of love and different love relationships. Some of the loves
are based on nobility, some are forced and some are based on mutual respect
for each partner. My idea of love is one that combines aspects from each of the
tales told in The Canterbury Tales.
In 'The Knights Tale', the love between the two knights and Emily is
intensely powerful. The love that Palomon and Arcite feel towards Emily is so
strong that the two knights feel that it is worth more than life. At one point
Palomon says to Arcite, ' Though I have no weapon here . . .
This is a representation of THE PLATE UNDER THE RE...
English: An illustration of "Franklin's Tale" by G...
Acting troupe perform the 'Wife of Bath's tale' fr...either you shall
die or you shall not love Emily.' The love that Palomon feels for Emily is so
overwhelming that he is willing to take on an armed man, in mortal combat, just
for the love of a woman. Perhaps he feels that without her he will surely die, so
why not die trying to win her.
The ironic fact about the relationship between the two knights and Emily
is that Emily does not wish to marry either of the knights. she expresses this in
a prayer to Diana, the goddess of chaste, ' Well you know that I desire to be a
maiden all my life; I never want to be either a beloved or a wife.' This is so
ironic because Arcite and Palomon are about to kill each other for her love and
she doesn't want to beloved by either of them. She enjoys the thrills...