The Knight’s Tale: Chivalry, Emotion, and the Silenced Voice

The Knight’s Tale revolves around themes of chivalry, knighthood, and courtly love, values that define the knight himself. He is a man of duty and a follower of chivalric ideals, and his story promotes those values.

The tale begins with:

“Once on a time, as old stories tell to us, There was a duke whose name was Theseus.” The story centers on Duke Theseus, a noble and powerful governor of Athens. He has conquered many lands, and through him, we are introduced to two imprisoned knights: Palamon and Arcite. Both fall in love with the same woman, Emily.

Arcite is released and disguises himself to return to Athens, while Palamon escapes from prison. Eventually, they fight for Emily’s love. Arcite wins the battle but dies shortly after. On his deathbed, he tells Emily to marry Palamon.

This is a story of love: two knights, a lady, and the ideals of courtly love. Both fight bravely, driven by their devotion to the same woman.

Personal vs Universal Tone

Fletcher says, “Both passages have a noble simplicity of tone, but one important difference is evident. The Anglo-Saxon poem has universality but lacks a truly personal note; Chaucer’s passage is both universal and individual.” There is a striking line in The Knight’s Tale:

“I know my life no longer may endure. Alas the woe! Alas, the pain that I have suffered for you so long! Alas the death, alas, mine Emily! Alas, departing of our company! Alas, mine heart's queen! Alas, my wife! Mine heart’s lady, ender of my life! What is this world? Now with his love, now in his chilling grave alone, with no kind of company.”

Here, Arcite is speaking just before he dies. This moment is written in a highly stylized, formal way. “Alas the woe!” is a literary expression, not something you’d say in daily conversation. But within that formal style, we can see deeply personal emotions. There is a detached, philosophical tone, but also personal grief. The diction is formal, “Alas, death!” is general, but when he says “my Emily,” the grief becomes personal. The structure might be elevated, but the content is full of human emotion. That’s why Chaucer’s diction is formal but still allows room for personal, relatable feelings.

Emily’s Voice

“Emily’s only expression of individuality, her wish not to get married, is quite understandable. After all, Emily is a young Amazon, but she is as helpless in the male world as her heavenly patron is” (Vaneckova 53). Her heavenly patron is Diana (also known as Artemis). In The Knight’s Tale, each character visits a temple:

The Parliament visits the Temple of Venus

Arcite goes to the Temple of Mars

Emily prays at the Temple of Diana

Arcite and Palamon both receive signs or prophecies from the gods that they will succeed. But Diana cannot grant Emily what she wants.

Emily’s prayer is very clear: “O chaste goddess of the greenwood, you who look upon earth, heaven, and the sea, O chaste goddess, you know well that I desire never to be a mistress or a wife.”

Despite being loved by both knights, Emily does not want to get married. Yet no one ever asks her what she wants. The tale emphasizes chivalry and male heroism, but in this moment, we hear Emily’s individual voice, showing her struggle in a male-dominated world.