In The Canterbury Tales, “The Knight’s Tale,” Chaucer demonstrates how desire is a potent force. In the story, Palamon and Arcita, two Theban warriors are captured in an Athenian siege of Thebes, and sent to jail. They both immediately fall in love with the king’s wife’s sister, Emily. After a while, Arcita is freed, but exiled to Thebes. Palamon, on the other hand is still in jail, but escapes soon after. They return to Athens to duel for Emily, where they are discovered by the king.
Palamon and Arcita have been discovered by Theseus, who then plans to have them executed, but does not due to complaints from Emily and the other women hunting with him. Theseus instead chooses to have them fight for Emily in an arena. This passage is a …show more content…
This is also reminiscent of when, during a dream, Mercury appears to Arcita, who is currently in Thebes, and commands him “to Athens shall you wend” (13). Consequently, Arcita wakes up and chooses to return to Athens, despite being warned to remain out of the city. This shows courtly love, as Arcita is willing to risk his life to see Emily again. Arcita’s actions are similar to that of Lancelot’s and Guinevere's, since, neither Arcita nor Lancelot is supposed to be with Emily and Guinevere, respectively. Both Arcita and Lancelot are willing to risk their lives and honor to be with their special someone. Another comparison between Arcita and Lancelot is that they are both forgiven by their superiors. Lancelot, is forgiven by Arthur and graciously allowed to live and keep Guinevere as his wife. The same is true for Arctia, except Theseus allows Palamon and Arcita to fight for Emily. Would Arcita still be showing courtly love if had not listened to Mercury? It is more likely that if Arcita has stayed in Thebes, Palamon would have still escaped, but then captured, and put to death, as Palamon would not leave Emily. After Palamon would be killed, Arcita could return and work his way up and eventually marry Emily legally, thus avoiding the hassle of having to deal with Palamon. This would not be courtly love, but instead an official, public …show more content…
Now that Arcita is dead, Palamon regrets his decision to fight him in the first place. The whole city of Athens is also lamenting Arcita’s death, as he had become a prestigious squire, “for him there wept the child and wept the man;” (47). Just like Lancelot, Arcita was loved by many. The “fiery throbbing of strong desire,” is Emily’s wish that Arcita hadn’t died. This is evident when Emily faints out of sadness when the men are constructing the fire. Desire plays a prominent role in the Knight’s Tale. Palamon and Arcita desire Emily, and after Arcita’s death, Emily longs for him. Desire is root component of the aforementioned wall, as desire often acts as a barrier. Arcita tries to get rid of this desire, but he cannot. When desire overpowers common sense and safety, many problems arise. Courtly love is focused around the idea of desire, not proper customs and rules. Arcita is killed because his desire for Emily was more important to him than his safety. When an object is wanted more than it should be, crime and other violent acts can, and will, arise. This is why many religions try to eliminate worldly desire. It is Arcita’s desire that lead to his
Palamon and Arcita have been discovered by Theseus, who then plans to have them executed, but does not due to complaints from Emily and the other women hunting with him. Theseus instead chooses to have them fight for Emily in an arena. This passage is a …show more content…
This is also reminiscent of when, during a dream, Mercury appears to Arcita, who is currently in Thebes, and commands him “to Athens shall you wend” (13). Consequently, Arcita wakes up and chooses to return to Athens, despite being warned to remain out of the city. This shows courtly love, as Arcita is willing to risk his life to see Emily again. Arcita’s actions are similar to that of Lancelot’s and Guinevere's, since, neither Arcita nor Lancelot is supposed to be with Emily and Guinevere, respectively. Both Arcita and Lancelot are willing to risk their lives and honor to be with their special someone. Another comparison between Arcita and Lancelot is that they are both forgiven by their superiors. Lancelot, is forgiven by Arthur and graciously allowed to live and keep Guinevere as his wife. The same is true for Arctia, except Theseus allows Palamon and Arcita to fight for Emily. Would Arcita still be showing courtly love if had not listened to Mercury? It is more likely that if Arcita has stayed in Thebes, Palamon would have still escaped, but then captured, and put to death, as Palamon would not leave Emily. After Palamon would be killed, Arcita could return and work his way up and eventually marry Emily legally, thus avoiding the hassle of having to deal with Palamon. This would not be courtly love, but instead an official, public …show more content…
Now that Arcita is dead, Palamon regrets his decision to fight him in the first place. The whole city of Athens is also lamenting Arcita’s death, as he had become a prestigious squire, “for him there wept the child and wept the man;” (47). Just like Lancelot, Arcita was loved by many. The “fiery throbbing of strong desire,” is Emily’s wish that Arcita hadn’t died. This is evident when Emily faints out of sadness when the men are constructing the fire. Desire plays a prominent role in the Knight’s Tale. Palamon and Arcita desire Emily, and after Arcita’s death, Emily longs for him. Desire is root component of the aforementioned wall, as desire often acts as a barrier. Arcita tries to get rid of this desire, but he cannot. When desire overpowers common sense and safety, many problems arise. Courtly love is focused around the idea of desire, not proper customs and rules. Arcita is killed because his desire for Emily was more important to him than his safety. When an object is wanted more than it should be, crime and other violent acts can, and will, arise. This is why many religions try to eliminate worldly desire. It is Arcita’s desire that lead to his