The Knight’s Tale

1. The Knight’s Tale By: Jordan Clarke

2. A duke, Theseus, is riding into a city and four women, all of which once having husbands that were either dukes or kings, stop him begging him to bring their husbands that had died in battle to them so that they could either burry or cremate them, because the lord of Thebes told them no. Theseus gets mad and defeats Creon, who is also killed, and lets the women burry their husbands. After the war the duke spares two opposing warriors, Palamon and Arcita, who were wounded on the battle field, but not without sentencing them to a life in prison. Summary

3. One day they see the duke’s sister-in-law, Emily, in the garden, and they instantly fall in love with her. Upon seeing her Palamon prays the Greek god Venus asking that he be freed from his imprisonment. They start hating each other, and at first they fight over her then realize that it is useless because neither of them can ever have her( although never losing their love for Emily). After awhile another duke, Parotheus, a friend of Theseus since childhood and friend of Arcite fights to have Arcite freed. Arcite is allowed to be free only if he never returns to Athens. Summary

4. Arcite isn’t happy that he is now a free man because he can never see Emily again and Palamon still can. After awhile his body even begins to change because of his longing for Emily. Palamon becomes love sick to. Arcite has a dream that a Greek god’s messenger, Mercury, tells him to go back to Athens. He returns to Athens in disguise and gets a job that puts him fairly close to Emily, but he wants to have her. Summary

5. Palamon escapes from prison after several years. He finds Arcite in the woods telling his entire story out loud. Upon hearing this and also seeing through his disguise the two begin to fight over Emily. Theseus also finds them in the woods killing each other. They stop fighting each other and tell the duke who they really are. The duke is about to kill them both, but his wife, the Queen, and Emily beg him not to and he agrees. However, he makes them get one hundred of the best warriors they can find and return to Athens in one year to joust for Emily’s hand in marriage. Summary

6. Emily, Palamon, and Arcita each pray to a God on their own behalf. Emily prays to the Greek god Diana asking to not have to marry at all, but if that’s not possible see that she marry the one that really loves her, Palamon prays to the Greek god Venus asking to be married to Emily, and Arcita prays to the Greek god Mars asking that he win the battle. The Greek god’s are confused as to what to do seeing that each prayer is pretty much asking the same thing, until Saturn, the Greek god of Destiny comes up with a solution that will answer everyone‘s prayers. On the day of the battle Palamon is badly wounded and loses the battle, Arcita dies when his horse falls on him before he could claim Emily, so Palamon gets to marry Emily. Summary