Arcite's Death

Duke Theseus of Athens meets a group of crying women. They beg him to take vengeance on Creon, King of Thebes, who refused to allow them to give their husbands' bodies a proper burial. Theseus defeats Creon in battle. In the process, he wins two Theban hostages, Palamon and Arcite.Theseus throws Palamon and Arcite in prison. One day in early May, Emily walks in the garden, gathering flowers. Palamon sees Emily from the prison window and it is love at first sight. When Arcite sees Emily, he falls for her too. The knights argue about who gets Emily. Later, Arcite gets out of jail. Arcite has to leave Athens and never come back to the city again. Arcite later returns to Athens disguised as a servant. He works his way into Theseus's household and becomes Emily's manservant. Arcite challenges Palamon to a duel. As two knights begin their duel, Theseus makes them stop.Theseus decides that each of the knights must return …show more content…
Palamon thinks he should get Emily because he saw her first,"I loved her first and told my grief to you, as to the brother and the friends that I swore", (Chaucer 34) Emily exists as an object of desire for Palamon and Arcite. They are both madly in love with her and end up fighting to the death for her. "Love her if you want to; I shall love her too, and that is all there is to say or do", (Chaucer 35) Theseus's wife Hippolyta is important because she convinces her husband to let Arcite and Palamon fight for Emily instead of killing them.Mercury, the messenger of the gods, told Arcite to go back to Athens for emily. Palamon prays to Venus, goddess of love; Emily prays to Diana, goddess of chastity; and Arcite prays to Mars, god of war. After seven years in prison, Palamon manages to escape. “It happened in the seventh year, in May” (Chaucer 42) When Theseus comes upon the dueling cousins, he decrees that they must return to Athens in a year's time with 100 men.They return a year later to