Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Emilys Strength in Knights...

Emilys Strength in Chaucers The Knights Tale This passeth yeer by yeer and day by day, Till it fill ones, in a morwe of May, that Emelye, that fairer was to sene Than is the lylie upon his stalke grene, And fressher than the May with floures newe - For with the rose colour stroof hire hewe, I noot which was the fyner of hem two- (1033-1039) Thus is Emily, the least often discussed of the four central characters in the Knights Tale, described upon her first important entrance in the tale, when the knights initially view her in all of her loveliness. This description of Emily fits in with the common criticism that she is more a†¦show more content†¦This convention, however, is not necessarily of a negative nature. All of the imagery and language that envelops Emily is completely unparalleled within any of the portraits in the Prologue (Cooper 110); and, though she is a thoroughly two-dimensional character, it is through this limited perspective that Chaucer has tried so hard to create (Donaldson 48) that we realize Emilys true purpose. This purpose is to serve as a rhetorical device to allow the reader to come to a full realization of the ideals behind the tale. If she had any sort of individualistic characterization, it would completely detract from her place in the story (Cooper 110). She would fail to accomplish the main goal of the Knights Tale; to inform the readers of ideas and ideals of the world, rather than specific people, characters or incidents (Donaldson 49). True, Emily does not really have a mind of her own. According to one critic, she is even completely without any chance to leave an imprint on or change in any way the world around her (Spearing 43). She still, however has a good deal of power. After all, she is able to force two brothers into a state of total rivalry before they even speak to her (Spearing 43). Once she has served this purpose, she does recede into the background for a lengthy period of time; but, without her, the remainder of the plot would never occur. The happy ending, which teaches the reader the Knights belief in chivalric life and love, wouldShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Knight And His Tale2835 Words   |  12 PagesAnalysis of the Knight and His Tale in The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales, a poem consisting of several tales told by various pilgrims, is perhaps the most well known work of Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales Chaucer introduces the pilgrims in the general prologue many of the pilgrims in a satirical manner. In prologue to The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer introduces the Knight as â€Å"a true perfect gentle-knight,† (5) who exemplifies the code of chivalry. The tale that the Knight later narratesRead MoreKnights Of The Middle Ages1692 Words   |  7 PagesThe word ‘chivalry’ originates from the Old French word chevalerie which can be translated to â€Å"skill in riding a horse†. Only the men who could skillfully control the strength and speed of a horse were likely to survive in combat. Over time the word came to stand for much more, in particular, a code of behavior, conduct and ethics to which all knights were held. These knights were bound by a code of honor. Each knight had to swear that he wou ld defend â€Å"the weak, the poor, widows, orphans, and the