Chaucer's The Gentil Knight
The General Prologue to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is easily comparable to an introduction of a story. Using careful language and a subtle manipulation of words, Chaucer gives a slight glimpse inside each of the pilgrim's characters. It is a difficult task, however, to distinguish the difference between Chaucer the writer and Chaucer the Pilgrim. How much of what is written on the page are we supposed to believe to be true, and how much are we supposed to perceive as irony? The description of the Knight leaves such an uncertainty to the reader. After reading Chaucer's brief portrait of the Knight, one is left to question the validity of Chaucer the Pilgrim's claims. It feels as though he asserts too much perfection on the character for the reader to believe it is true; we are left wondering if we should be questioning what we have read. Chaucer the writer's craftsmanship and literary technique leave us no other option. The Knight is portrayed as an ideal and perfect Knight. Chaucer the Pilgrim makes many moral judgements about the Knight in the General Prologue. He begins his description by saying that he was a "worthy man," and that "fro the time that he first bigan / To riden out, he loved ch
The last lines of the Knight's description are the most significant. Chaucer, the Pilgrim and the Writer, just wanted to set the scene, make you think, and seek out the ending. The description then takes an unexpected turn. Chaucer wanted his readers to think about his writing, which is why he employs various literary techniques such as repetition and multiple negatives to emphasize strong points and raise question about what the truth of the matter really is. He was only wearing a tunic that was "al bismotered with his haubergeoun," or all rusted from wearing his coat of mail (76). Chaucer than continues to tell that he had recently come back from an expedition and came right to the journey for the pilgrimage they were all taking. Chaucer says, "In Gernade at the sege eek hadde de be / Of Algezir, and riden in Belmatye; / At Lyeis was he, and at Satalye, / Whan they were wonne" (56-59). Chaucer the Pilgrim says, "But for to tellen you of his array, / His hors were goode, but he was nat gay" (73-74). He also makes another bold moral judgement, saying that, "and though that he were worthy, he was wis, / And of his port as meeke as is a maide" (68-69). It seems more conceited than humble. These lines are significant because they seem to act as a type of conclusion to all that the pilgrim Chaucer had said about the Knight. These virtues, truth, honor, freedom and courtesy, are the central chivalric virtues; Chaucer the pilgrim claims that he is not only a worthy man, but he also has loved and respected all of the chivalric values since he began to ride as a Knight. Chaucer continues with his description citing that he is noble, brave, and "evere honoured for his worthinesse" because of the wonderful and honest person he is (50). The reader is left to think about the possibilities; either the Knight is a very popular guy or he likes to talk about himself and all of his victories to others. This idea seems strange at well, that the Knight would keep his horses fully dressed and not even bother to change his rusted shirt.
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