The Triangulation of Love in The Knights Tale
Jaime Korman 1/3/11 The Triangulation of Love in “The Knight’s Tale” In “The Knight’s Tale,” the first story of The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses the triangle to investigate the abstract complexity of life’s most powerful emotion—love. Since “love is law unto itself,” it can be a challenge to examine its erratic nuances critically. Yet Chaucer, through the symbolic geometry of a triangle, masterfully establishes a narrative structure based on the simultaneous balance and tension between the conflicted lovers, Palamon, Arcite and Emily. Palamon and Arcite’s relationship forms the base of the triangle. The two men are inextricably bonded by their origin and fate and dearly love one another, in a brotherly way. Until their paths diverge, Palamon and Arcite are treated as identical characters. Half dead from an attack by Duke Theseus, they are rescued from a pile of bodies, only to be imprisoned in a tower next to Theseus’ garden. Their undifferentiated personalities and unquestioned loyalty to one another form the original strong and stable foundation of the triangle. Palamon and Arcite’s first vision of Emily instantly creates the third point of the love triangle and completely restructures the geometry of the story. This love at first sight brings a new dimensionality to the relationship and individuality of Arcite and Palamon.
To what extent does the Pardoner manipulate his audience?
Daniel Lovell To what extent does the Pardoner manipulate his audience? The Pardoner has had a graduate education in the rhetoric of confession. Chaucer might intend it to be merely cutely ironic that this confessor confesses -- as in "isn't that a turning of the tables, la!" On the other hand, it may well be that the Pardoner is practicing his rhetorical prowess on the other pilgrims, and on us, with the extreme skill of a cynical and perceptive man who's heard every villainy and mastered every deception. His intention, in his "confession" to the pilgrims, is obviously not to manipulate them into pity, forgiveness and acceptance, any more than it is to get them to actually pay to touch his "holy relics"; it is a confession, but one entirely without contrition. His objective, however, is not to garner sympathy; it is to showcase his manipulative talents, to expose the gullibility and selfish depravity which underlie many displays of religious belief, and to shock, mock and violently strip his listeners of their illusions. In the Canterbury Tales, the Pardoner is the cynical but authoritative voice of truth at its most foul. If a man is clever and perceptive -- if he is not prone to self-delusion, if he has keen insight into himself, into others and into human nature -- then that man will have an ability to manipulate and exploit others -- that is, a consequent temptation
Chaucer is successful in creating humour in the Wife of Baths prologue and tale.
With close reference to at least three episodes, show how Chaucer creates humour in the Wife of Bath’s prologue (&/ or) Tale. Chaucer was born in 1343, and was known for his renowned collection of the Canterbury tales. A group of pilgrims of different social ranks travelled to Canterbury, each telling their tale on the remarkable journey. From the Tabard Inn to the shrine of St Thomas á Becket which lay in Canterbury, they made a pact to illustrate stories to one another. Chaucer uses each individual character prologue to capture the reader’s attention, as well as engage them to a feel for each pilgrim’s behaviour. Chaucer is successful in creating humour in the Wife of Bath’s prologue and tale. A heavy use of fabliaux, (which are extended jokes that are commonly known to be bawdy and full of sexual innuendo) is used to emphasize the ridicule of the wife of Bath in whom Chaucer satirizes. An example of this is found in lines 706-710 where the wife of Bath is implying that mature scholars unable to hold an erection anymore write ‘tell-tale’ attacks against women at the bitterness of their impotence. It is possible that she may be indirecting Jankin’s future with her as he himself is indeed a scholar. She says “Therefore no woman of no clerk is preysed. The clerk, when he is oold and may nought do, of Venus werkes worth his olde sho, Thanne sit he down and
Is Absolon to be mocked or pitied?
Is Absolon to be Mocked or Pitied? How far does Chaucer guide our view? Absolon is a parish clerk and is introduced as a failed courtly lover. We see how he takes great pride in his appearance, so as to impress the women of the area. We see Absolon as a feminine character and there are contrasts drawn between Nicholas and the Miller and himself. Chaucer presents Absolon as a foolish character. I feel that as a reader you mock Absolon as he appears very differently to men of the time. We see this through his vanity, his hair is described as 'strouted as a fanne'. This suggests that Absolon takes a great pride in his hair and this is further suggested as we are told 'gold it shoon'. This suggests that Absolon frequently washes his hair which would be an act associated with the women of the time. Absolon's biblical namesake also was proud of his hair and he to is shown to be a fool. It was because of his vanity and need to have long hair that Absolon's namesake was killed. I sense that there is a connection which can be established in the downfall of these characters and their vanity. Absolon is mocked because of his hair and attention to detail in his appearance and therefore he is not taken seriously ending in his final embarrassment at the window. We are also told of Absolon's shoes which are 'Poules window carven on his shoes'. This shows us that Absolon has a reasonable
Paying close attention to the passage, comment on what insights this offers into the Pardoner's concerns and methods - (The Pardoner's Prologue, lines 141-176).
Paying close attention to the passage, comment on what insights this offers into the Pardoner's concerns and methods. (The Pardoner's Prologue, lines 141-176) In this passage, we are introduced to the Pardoner's motivations in tricking people, how he tricks people and his corrupted nature. Through this, we are given insights into the Pardoner's concerns, that of his trade and the idea of sin. We also gain an insight on the Pardoner's method of performance. One of the insights we gain through the Pardoner's description of his job in the passage is on the theme of hypocrisy. The Pardoner says here, "kan I preche again that same vice/ Which that I use, and that is avarice". From this, we see how illogical it is for someone to be criticising about the extreme love for money when he himself is obsessed with amassing a large amount of wealth. It shows that the Pardoner does not really mean what he says and that what he does is all just a performance. While it is ironic that the Pardoner is successful in preventing people from sinning by committing sins himself, we see that the Pardoner seems to be very proud of this achievement. We can see this from how he boasts "kan I maken oother folk to twynne/ From avarice, and soore to repente" and "A moral tale yet I yow tell kan,/ Which I am wont to preche". Thus, we see that the Pardoner does not see the seriousness of his sins, and
To what extent are Nicholas and Absolon courtly lovers?
To what extent are Nicholas and Absolon courtly lovers? Nicholas and Absolon both execute elements of the courtly love tradition, though the elements they express differ from each other and from the ideal courtly lover. Both Nicholas and Absolon attempt to use the language of the courtly lover to win Alison. When Nicholas attempts to seduce Alison into sleeping with him, he declares "For deerne love of thee, lemman, I spille." At first glance this may appear to be the elevated language of courtly love, with Nicholas revealing to Alison that he loves her so much that if she were to reject him, he would die. Upon closer inspection, however, we notice that his term of affection for Alison is "lemman" which was often used in medieval times in a sexual context. Furthermore, the word "spille" can mean to die, though its cruder meaning (and the meaning more fitting with Nicholas' physical treatment of Alison in this section) is to ejaculate. Here, the overall impression that Nicholas gives is that he uses the language of courtly love to cloak his dishonourable intentions. Absolon uses the language of courtly love in a different way. He utilises more romantic terms of endearment than Nicholas, such as "hony-comb", "faire brid" and "sweete cinamome" and at the same time, unknowingly, uses highly unromantic imagery to describe himself. He tells Alison "for youre love I swete",
How does his presentation compare to what is known of merchants in Chaucer's day and how do you respond to him as a reader?
"What do we learn of Chaucer's merchant from the information provided in the General Prologue and the prologue to the tale itself? How does his presentation compare to what is known of merchants in Chaucer's day and how do you respond to him as a reader?" Chaucer describes the Merchant in a subtle but detailed way. The Merchant is presented as favourable and yet several indistinct statements challenge this initial portrayal. Chaucer's typical use of irony excels here for the reader to interpret the Merchant openly. Taken literally, the Merchant could be seen as a conservative member of the developing middle class and yet the more popular interpretation, taking into account that the ambiguous statements are ironic, implies that the Merchant is enigmatic and somewhat dubious. The General Prologue gives us a clear physical description of the Merchant. He is well-dressed and considered contemporarily stylish with his "Flaunderissh bever hat", his "bootes clasped faire and fetisly" (line 274-75) and his "forked berd" (line 272). This makes him appear as a successful merchant who can afford to dress in the fashionable way. He is also described as "His reasons he spak ful solempnely", which again describes him as a respectable member of society, "solempnely" meaning "with dignity". However, the next few lines undermine this image of him being a dignified citizen as they describe
Geoffrey Chaucer provides humor in many of the tales from Canterbury Tales.
Canterbury Tales tells many stories from medieval literature and provides a great variety of comic tales. Geoffrey Chaucer injects many tales of humor into the novel. Chaucer provides the reader with many light-hearted tales as a form of comic relief between many serious tales. The author interpolates humor into many tales, provides comic relief, and shows the reader a different type of humorous genre. Geoffrey Chaucer provides humor in many of the tales from Canterbury Tales. The Miller's Tale is one such tale. In the Miller's Tale, a carpenter marries an eighteen-year-old girl named Alison. The carpenter also houses a cleric named Nicholas. The clever Nicholas tries to take advantage of the carpenter's young wife while he goes away. Alison begins to like Nicholas and tells him that if he can trick her husband, then she will make love to him. Another man, Absalom attempts to capture Alison's love, but "Alison loved clever Nicholas so much that Absalom could go blow his horn elsewhere."(Canterbury Tales 65). Nicholas comes up with a plan to trick the carpenter. He tells the husband that he knows another great flood will come and that he, the carpenter, and Alison will be safe if the carpenter builds three separate barrels and hangs them from the ceiling where they can climb to safety. On that night, all three climb into the barrels and the carpenter immediately
"A shockingly cynical picture". In the light of this comment, discuss the Wife of Bath's account of her marriages to her first three husbands. In your response, you should consider:
"A shockingly cynical picture". In the light of this comment, discuss the Wife of Bath's account of her marriages to her first three husbands. In your response, you should consider: * what the account reveals about the Wife of Bath's character and personality * the account's significance in the poem's treatment of the theme of marriage * tone and style Within the Prologue the Wife of Bath leaps into account of her marriages to her first three husbands. We are treated to a vivid depiction of her distinct character and personality and gain profound insight into Chaucer's treatment of the theme of marriage. I will now discuss in detail how the wife paints a picture that is "shockingly cynical". To begin, the wife's merciless and uncaring nature should be considered. She takes delight in recounting the sexual demands she made of her husbands and the misery that she thus caused them. It is almost as if she gains a sadistic pleasure from doing this: "I laughe whan I thinke/How pitously a-night I made hem swinke". Moreover, the wife recalls with a boastful tone how "many a night they songen "weilawey!" She also prides herself on her ability to make them bring her "gaye things fro the faire" yet she still "chidde them spituously", highlighting a lack of respect towards her husbands. This is likewise apparent in the wife's tirade against them in which she employs a variety of
Considering in detail one or two passages, explore the significance of magic in The Franklins Tale.
Considering in detail one or two passages, explore the significance of magic in 'The Franklin's Tale.' You must * Look closely at effects of language and imagery; * Show that the relationship of the chosen passage(s) to the methods and themes of the tale as a whole Without Magic, the Franklin's Tale would have never unfurled in the way it does. The whole fact that Dorigen wants the rocks to 'disappear' suggests a magical element, and because the magic is successfully worked, this causes Arveragus to submit his wife to another man, permitting them to love each other. Magic is significant in The Franklin's Tale, because if Aurelius had never succeeded in making the rocks disappear then Dorigen would have never had to be unfaithful to her husband. Chaucer links this underlying theme of magic with the theme of courtly love, and he employs metaphor and setting as mechanisms to condemn the fictions of courtly literature. More specifically, he reveals the dangerous power of literary texts to create and scatter harmful ideas of courtly love. I will consider lines 507-536, to explore, primarily, the use of magic, and integrate it with other themes such as courtly love. Line 507 opens up in a sombre mood, telling the reader that 'they dede were' about the brother's former companions. The deaths of all these old friends can be taken as a warning of being immersed into a world of