Fate and Fortune in the Canterbury Tales - 2034 Words

Fate and Fortune in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. This masterpiece is one of the greatest classics of English Literature, it was and continues to be still very popular. Many manuscripts survived and it was the first work to be printed by William Caxton. It is a story about pilgrims travelling together, who tell stories on their journey to Canterbury, to pay tribute to Saint Thomas Becket. As it is a collection of tales, it varies in genre (there is beast fables, romances, fabliaux, saints’ lives†¦), subject, mood, length (some tales are 80-page long whereas some are much shorter), form (in verse –several verse-form are also found- or in prose). For this†¦show more content†¦Moreover, it is a common belief that to her, human kind is nothing, and Palamon apostrophes Fortune in The Knight’s Tale to say it: â€Å"o cruel goddess, that governe/ this world (†¦) What is mankind moore unto yow holde/ than is the hee p that rowketh in the folde? / For slain is man right as another beest / and dwelleth eek in prisoun and areest / And hath siknesse and greet adversitee / and ofte times gilteless, pardee† (1303-1312). Fortune cannot be trusted: â€Å"who may truste on Fortune any throwe?† (The Monk’s Tale, 2136), â€Å"For whan men trusteth hire, thane wol she faille† (The Monk’s Tale, 2765) because she is also changeable: she can favour one person one day, and turn her tail the day after. The Monk tells the story of Alexander in saying â€Å"Fortune him made the heir of hire honour† (2643) at the beginning, and stating at the end â€Å"Thy sis Fortune hath turned into aas / And yet for thee ne weep she nevere a teere† (2661-62). Her ceaseless change can be sumned up into one single sentence: â€Å"Fortune was first freen, and sitthe foo† (2723). With Fortune, you get what you ask for: in prison, Palamon asks to see Emily every day and Arcite to be freed. Palamon stays in prison, seeing Emily every day through the window fenced with iron bars, whereas Arcite is released from prison thanks to one ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on the Knights Tale1622 Words   |  7 PagesDiscuss Questions The Knights Tale. 1. Do you admire Palamon and Arcite for sacrificing everything, including their friendship, to pursue Emily? Or, like Theseus, do you think its sort of stupid? 2. Are Palamon and Arcite two different characters, or the same character in two different bodies? 3. Why is Emily the only character whose prayer to the gods is not granted. The Canterbury Tales: The Knights Tale Theme of love and order that is combined The Knights Tale shows what happens whenRead More The Pardoner from Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay665 Words   |  3 PagesThe Pardoner from Chaucers Canterbury Tales In Chaucers Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner tells a story in the form of a sermon, an exemplum, to be exact. He intends to teach the congregation that love of money is the root of all evil and that consequences of sin is death. The symbolic function of The Old Man is debatable; is he, for instance Deaths messenger, Death himself, or a satanic figure who tempts, much in the fashion of the Devil as serpent in the Adam and Ever story. TheRead MoreAristotelian Criticism : The Monk s Tale2417 Words   |  10 Pages Aristotelian Criticism: The Monk’s Tale Abstract: Aristotle’s theory of Greek Tragedy was originally intended for Greek plays, but it can be extended to other non-Greek pieces such as novels, short stories, and poetry. The formula contains four key components recommended for tragic tales. The elements of this theory (koros, hubris, ate, and catharsis) can be noted in every tale told by the Monk within The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer. This relationship will be the main focus of the succeedingRead MoreHypocrisy In The Knights Tale And The Wife Of Bath1437 Words   |  6 Pages In the Canterbury Tales a variety of characters are mentioned, many of which fit into well-known societal roles. Some of these characters, however, are quite hypocritical and do not follow the standards set upon them either by themselves or by society. Two wonderful examples of this hypocrisy can be found in The Knight’s Tale and The Tale of The Wife of Bath. A pair of knights that appear in The Knight’s Tale displayed t his regarding chivalry while The Tale of The Wife of Bath showed hypocrisy towardsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Crucible 1294 Words   |  6 Pagesof them can attain being imprisoned and even when they do battle to determine who wins Emily’s hand that is ultimately left to fate as the gods intervene when Arcite initially wins the bout. They make no attempt, as romantic heroes, to romance the object of their affection. Furthermore, despite the Knight’s tale being a romance, its center is more on the competition between the two men as opposed to the relationship Emily would have with one of them. Chaucer devotes two pages to their argument onRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an1600 Words   |  7 PagesThe Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous author, are both sophisticated fourteenth-century examples of medieval romance. Medieval romances captured the heart of their audiences as narratives and stories that featured a protagonist, often a knight, and dealt with religious allegories, chivalry, courtly love, and heroic epics. The concept of the knight emerged from the remnants of the Anglo-saxon literature and ideals and influence of theRead MoreCanterbury Tales Character Analysis1272 Words   |  6 PagesThe Canterbury Tales, penned by Geoffrey Chaucer gives its audiences insight on the corruption that exists to this day in humanity. As you read through the chapters Chaucer reveals the dark sides to supposedly respectable people such as the Summoner, along with people he favors like the Knight, the Wife of Bath, and women in general. His comical descriptions and stories that coincide with each character express his thoughts on real people in his society. My perception of the Summoner’s tale moralRead MoreThe Role Of Fate In Medieval Literature2182 Words   |  9 PagesTHE ROLE OF FATE IN THE DESIRES OF MEN IN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE Two of the most common themes found in many medieval literature are those of desire and fate. Sometimes these themes are explicitly explored by authors to illustrates their understanding or to make a point about them. Other times the authors make implicit, nuanced suggestions through the plot of their tales that allows the readers to discover their own understandings about two and to make connections between them. Chaucer’s The Wife ofRead MoreUnderstanding Fate, Women, And Oaths2337 Words   |  10 PagesUnderstanding Fate, Women, and Oaths in ‘The Franklin’s Prologue and Tale’ From a Comparison with ‘The Knight’s Tale’ ‘The Franklin’s Tale’ narrates the romantic conflict between Dorigene, a distressed maiden, Arveragus, a â€Å"meke† knight (739), and Aurelius, a besotted squire. Although Dorigene and Arveragus are contently married, Aurelius continues to court Dorigene and attempts to win her over by removing â€Å"alle the rokkes, stoon by stoon† (993) from the coast of Brittany. When Aurelius informsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tragedy Of Macbeth2482 Words   |  10 Pagescomplicated. He falls into an absolute situation of controversy. He seemingly believes in fate, since he claims that [he] d chance [would] have [him] King, the chance may crown [him](I. iii. 144-145). Even this might indicate that he doesn t regard the witches as the voice of the fate, but of chance, Macbeth eventually decides he would assist hischance by murdering Duncan(The Witches of Macbeth: Fate, Free Will, and the Influence of Evil.). With a simple gibberish from the weird sisters ,