Greek Mythology, Destiny and Fortune's Wheel in the Canterbury Tales
             The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffry Chaucer, are pieces of literature that contain an accumulation of a motley set of belief systems. The beliefs that appear in "The Knight's Tale", "The Wife of Baths Tale" and "The Pardoner's Tale", consist of Greek Mythology, Destiny and the Bible. In the beginning of "The Knight's Tale", the story starts with two ancient Greek legends: Theseus who killed the Minotaur, defeated the Amazons and also conquered Athens. As well as the story of Thebes with Creon, Polynices and Etocles. The Bible in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" also plays a major role in how the Wife of Bath feels that there is discrimination towards women, in that women should not have many husbands. She makes many references to the Bible, stating that Abraham, Jacob and other holy men who had more than one wife. In "The Pardoners Tale", Fortunes Wheel is very apparent, when all the thieves die by the others hand. Fortunes Wheel was believed to be destiny; whatever happens should just be accepted. All three of these belief systems are embodied into the stories in, "The Canterbury Tales".
             Greek Mythology appears throughout the story of "The Knight's Tale". In the beginning of the story, Chaucer introduced Theseus, who killed the Minotaur. He rode to Thebes, to avenge the deaths of those who died, but were not buried because of King Creon's law. As he rode, he wore a "pennon, on which was embroidered an image of the Minotaur, which he had slain in Crete."(p. 47) When Theseus reached Thebes, "he fought with Creon, king of Thebes, and slew him in manly and knightly fashion."(p. 49) Theseus thus won Thebes. Theseus killed Creon because of Creon's law; no traitor shall have a proper burial. People of that era believed that if someone did not have a proper burial then their soul could not leave this earth and go t...