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 chivalrye, Trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye" (43-46). 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). All of these moral judgements are very straight forward, showing that Chaucer the Pilgrim believes all of them to be true; the reader is left to wonder about the possible irony Chaucer the writer is allowing...