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Role of Women In Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer serves as a moral manual for the 1300’s and years after. Through the faults of both men and woman, he shows in each persons story what is right and wrong and how one should live. Under the surface, however, lies a jaded look and woman and how they cause for the downfall of men. “The Knight’s Tale” is one of chivalry and upstanding moral behavior. However, beneath the surface lies the theme of the evil nature of women. Emily plays the part of the beautiful woman who captivates the hearts of two unsuspecting men. Those two men are cousins Arcite and Palamon, both knights who duel for Emily’s hand in marriage. The two start out as the best of friends and then roommates in a jail cell that is to be shared for eternity. But with one look at Emily, the two start bickering instinctively and almost come to blows over something they will never be able to have, or so it seems. Chaucer’s knack for irony revels itself as Arcite is released from his life sentence but disallowed from ever coming back to Athens. He would be killed ever caught within the city again by King Theseus. Because Arcite is doomed to never again see Emily, his broken heart causes him sickness as he’s weakened by love. It is only after he comes up with the plan of returning to Athens under an assumed name that he starts to get better. Meanwhile, Palamon remains back in captivity, rendered helpless due to his lifelong punishment in prison. He knows that he will never be able to talk to Emily and certainly not marry her because of his plight. All he can do is watch her froma distance and admire her beauty. Arcite believes that this is a better punishment than his, though, as he says:“O dere cosin Palamon, quod he,Thyn is the victorie of this aventureFul blisfully in prison maistow dure;In prison? Certes nay, but in paradys!Wel hath fortuen y-turned thee the dys,...

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