Duke Theseus, king of Athens, first comes across Palamon and Arcite when they are brought to him, after he fights and kills King Creon, king of Thebes. Theseus decides to take them to prison as an alternative to putting them to death, saying that no money nor treasure will buy their freedom. Some years later, Princess Emily, Theseus's sister-in-law, rises early one May morning and walks among the garden paths, near the prison that houses Palamon and Arcite. That very same …show more content…
He instructs them to come back next year with a hundred knights, each and they will fight, and whoever takes the other prisoner, wins. So, a year later they both come back with a hundred knights, each and Theseus throws a feast for them before the actual fighting starts. A few hours before dawn, Palamon goes down to the temple of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, and prays that she help him win his love, and not the fight, but just Emily. While Palamon is at Venus's temple, Arcite goes down to the temple of Mars, the Roman god of war, and prays that he receives victory and wins the battle. While this happens, Emily rises and enters the temple of Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, moon, and protector of women, and prays that she can stay a virgin forever, but if not, that she gives her the one who loves her most, the best. Later that day during the fight, Arcite takes Palamon prisoner, ending the fight. While welcoming the praise, he gets thrown off his horse and onto his head, and brakes his breast. Arcite gets a lot worse, with no sign of surviving, and soon he calls Emily and Palamon into his room. he announces that he will soon be gone and that he loved Emily more than she'll ever fathom. He then bids Emily, if she is to ever marries, to take Palamon as her husband and takes his final breath and dies. Everyone grieves for his death, and Palamon leaves. A few years later, Theseus calls Palamon to come to him and asks Emily to take pity on Palamon and she does. So, after years of grieving, they finally get