The+Knight's+Tale


 * The Knight's Tale **
 * Study Guide **
 * Part 1- 4 **

WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE ANSWERS
 * Terms: **
 * Anachronism- **
 * Chivalry- **
 * feudalism- **
 * cosmic irony- **
 * ecphrasis- **


 * Questions **

1. Of what Greek city is Duke Theseus the "lord and governour"?What is Theseus's wife's name? What has Theseus just finished doing to her homeland of Scithia, where the Amazons lived? Athens, Hippolyta, Conquered the homeland and took their queen for his bride 2. Who is Emelye related to? Hippolyta (sisters) 3. What sight interrupts Theseus' victory march? A company of ladies all in black grieving 4. When Theseus is particularly angry at this sight, what motivation does he suggest the women have for making such a ruckus? Theseus thinks the women cry because they are envious of him 5. When the eldest women speaks, to whom does she attribute Theseus's victory over the Amazons? (//**Hint**//**:** it's not God or fate.) To fortune 6. Where have the women been waiting for the last two weeks? Why is that an appropriate place for them to wait while planning to ask Theseus's mercy? They have been waiting in Pity's temple, an appropriate place because they hope Theseus will be affected by their wretched state and offer help. 7. The eldest woman speaking in the company of mourners is the widow of what ruler? Who is now ruling her husband's old country? King Capeneus, Creon now rules the country 8. What has Creone ordered concerning the bodies of his defeated enemies?How does Theseus react to the women emotionally after hearing of their plight? Creon orders the bodies to be left unburied and unburned. Theseus' heart broke for the women and he felt pity. He vows to take vengeance on Creon for his actions. 9. What emblems does Theseus carry on his banner and coat-of-arms? Why is this image appropriate or inappropriate? The image of Mars with spear and shield. The image is appropriate because Mars is the god of war, but the knight is telling a story about the ancient Greeks and uses a Roman god. The Greeks would not have believed in mars but instead in Ares. 10. When Theseus orders his forces to loot and strip the bodies of the deceased who fought against him, what do his men discover among the bodies? Two wounded knights with the same crest (meaning they come from the same family) 11. How are Palamoun and Arcite related to each other? Cousins (Their mothers are sisters) 12. What does Theseus order be done with Palamon and Arcite? What is unusual about this? Theseus orders Palamon and Arcite to be taken as prisoners of war and kept imprisoned in Athens. The text states "no gold might help them to take flight." 13. When Emilye arises to enact Mayday honors for Spring, what type of flowers does she gather (i.e., what colors are they?) A Lily on a stalk of green and a red rose (Envy and blood) 14. Which imprisoned knight spots Emilye first? How does he react? Palamon eyes the lady first. He cries out as if he has been wounded. 15. What is Arcite worried about Palamoun after Palamoun falls in love? What reason does Arcite give for the pair's unhappy imprisonment? He worries he has been offended and asks that he be patient with the imprisonment as they are the victims of Fortune. 16. What does Palamoun assume mistakenly about Emily's identity? He believes she may be a goddess 17. To what deity does Palamoun pray after he is uncertain about Emily's identity? Palamon prays to Venus, the Roman goddess associated with love, sex and fertility. Her Greek equivalent in Aphrodite. 18. What happens to Arcite when he looks out the window to see what has so impassioned Palamon? Arcite falls in love with the lady as well. 19. When Palamon realizes Arcite is gawking at Emilye and hears his protestations of love, what does Palamon ask Arcite? He asks if he acts in earnest or is he joking. 20. When Palamon reiterates that he saw Emilye first, what does he conclude about which knight should "have" this maiden? Palamon claims that because he saw her first, it is Arcite's duty as a knight to help Palamon win the woman. 21. How does Arcite respond to Palamon's argument about "I saw her first"? Why does he think Palamon's point about seeing her first doesn't count? (I.e., what did Palamon mistakenly think as he viewed Emilye, according to Arcite?) Arcite claims that he loved her first. Because Palamon mistakenly thought she was a goddess, it was worship and not love. 22. What does Arcite argue in response to Palamon's claim that Arcite is bound by oath to help Palamon achieve his desires? Arcite argues that lovers are not bound by law, therefore the knightly code of conduct does not apply. 23. What favor does the visiting Duke Pirotheus ask of Duke Theseus when he is visiting? Pirotheus asks Theseus to free Arcite. He knew him for many a year in Thebes and loved the knight. 24. What limitation does Duke Theseus put on Arcite's freedom? What is the punishment if Arcite violates this condition? Theseus allows Arcite to go free but banished him from Athens. If he returns, he will be killed. 25. Why does Arcite envy Palamon even though Palamon is still in prison? Arcite can still lay eyes on Emily daily. 26. When Arcite bemoans his fate, he notes that "we [humanity] seken faste after felicitee" [I (A) 1266]. What prevents humanity from finding this felicity, according to his earlier discussion? Fortune 27. Why does Palamon envy Arcite even though Arcite is banished from Athens and stuck in Thebes? Arcite envies Palamon becasue he can return to Thebes, cull an army, and return to Athens and attack Theuseus. 28. What problem does Palamon leave to "dyvynys" (diviners or theologians)? Why does man suffer twice, once in life and again in death? 30. In lines 1346, to whom is the Knight apparently addressing in his discussion? He asks, who has it worse, Palamon or Arcite. It appears he is asking the fellow pilgrims.


 * (Part 2)**
 * 1) What happens to Arcite's appearance as the months go by? What bodily humor dominates his "celle fantastik" (the visual imagination organ of his brain)? **He becomes skinny and ugly because he is not taking care of himself.**
 * 2) What deity comes to Arcite in a dream? What does this deity prophesy concerning Arcite's situation? **The goddess of love comes to him and tells him to go back to Thebes**
 * 3) How does Arcite arrange to travel back to Athens without being arrested? **He disguises himself**
 * 4) What sort of work does Arcite do for Emilye? Why is he particularly suited for such jobs? What //nom de guerre// does Arcite adapt instead of his own name? How long does he stay hidden in this role? **He carries water and wood. He is a prince so this is not what he normally does. He stays hidden for two years**
 * 5) How many years does Palamon pine away in prison? **He is in prison for seven years.**
 * 6) How does Palamon escape from prison? **He drugs the guard**
 * 7) Why does Palamon return to Thebes? What does he hope to accomplish? **He goes to thebes to get the girl of his dreams.**
 * 8) How far out does Arcite ride on his trip to do May observances? Where does he ride out to? (i.e., what sort of terrain?) Who, by chance, is hidden in the brush nearby, eavesdropping? **He rides for seven days and seven nights, he rides out to the forest where he sees Arcite.**
 * 9) What does Arcite do at the end of his lamentation? What does Palamon do after that? **He confesses the Palamon jumps out and calls him out.**
 * 10) Why do Arcite and Palamon postpone their fight until the next day? Why don't Arcite and Palamon immediately start fighting? **They postpone the fight to prepare for battle**
 * 11) When the two cousins meet for their duel, how do they treat each other? **They treat each other like enemies.**
 * 12) The two knights are compared to what two animals as they fight in 1656? To what animals are they compared in line 1699? **They are compared to two lions fighting for a lioness.**
 * 13) How high does the blood flow from the two knights' wounds as they engage in combat? **The blood flows from one sword to another.**
 * 14) Our narrator (presumably the Knight), pauses the combat scene to talk about the "ministre general." Who or what is this "ministre general"? **He declares who the ultimate winner is because he is the one creating the story.**
 * 15) What is Theseus doing that brings him out to the same area where Arcite and Palamon are fighting? **Theseus is out hunting for animals.**
 * 16) How does Theseus break up the fight? By what god does he swear as he does this action? **He draws his sword and swears on Mars**
 * 17) What does Palamon ask Theseus to do to both him and Arcite?
 * 18) Around line 1745, what punishment does Theseus initially decree for them? Who or what talks him out of that initial verdict? **He wants the Gods to do their worst to them but then he soon changes it because he feels pity. he feels pity because he remembers the women who were mourning over their husbands.**
 * 19) Why does Duke Theseus say the god of love is particularly powerful in his miracles? **It is a miracle that they are alive because their wounds are so bad.**
 * 20) What solution does Theseus offer since Emilye cannot marry both of them? **He offers a duel, they both should gather an army**
 * 21) How many knights should each suitor bring with him? How long do they have to prepare for the tournament? What else should they bring? **They should bring 10 gold coins, 100 knights, and they only have a year to prepare.**
 * 22) Where does Theseus build the tournament lists for the contest? **He builds it in Thebes**
 * **//Pars Tercia (Part 3)://**
 * **Venus's Temple**:
 * What torments are depicted on the wall of Venus's temple? List two or three. **All the recent and future tournaments in Thebes. The battle between Mars and Valencia, also the battle between Theona and Oculus.**
 * In the painted garden, what personified being is the "porter" who lets lovers into the Garden of Love? **A Goddess with long red curly hair named Evelyn.**
 * What does the statue of Venus look like? **A woman with straight brown hair down to her waist**
 * What physical handicap does Cupid (Cupido) suffer from? Why is that appropriate or inappropriate?
 * **Mar's Temple**:
 * What cold, rocky region is depicted as the setting for Mar's Temple in the wall paintings? Why is this region historically appropriate or inappropriate?
 * When the narrator describes Mars as being "armypotente," what word in Christian theology is he punning upon?
 * What is the temple of Mars made out of? What is the door to the temple made of?
 * What are some of Mars' personified companions in the temple paintings? List two or three of them.
 * What animal stands before the feet of the statue of Mars?
 * **Diana's Temple****:**
 * What sort of paintings appear in Diana's temple? Describe one or two of them.
 * What animals is Diana riding upon "ful hye" in the paintings? What animals run about her feet? What does Diana have beneath her feet?
 * The statue of Diana wears what color of cloth?
 * What does Diana carry in her hand?
 * **Tournament** (Continued)
 * For which knight (Palamoun or Arcite) does Lycurgus fight? What country does Lycurgus rule? What is the unusual color(s) of Lycurgus's eyes?
 * Emetreus is king of what country? Does he fight for Palamoun or Arcite in the tournament?
 * For a king of such a country, Emetreus has some unusual hair coloration. What color is his hair? (**Hint**: it is //**not**// iron-gray--the word "yronne" in line 2165 is a past-participle meaning "fashioned").
 * When Palamon wakes up on Sunday night before dawn, he takes a pilgrimage. To what location does he go? To what deity does he pray? What does he ask for from this deity?
 * What omen or divine sign appears as Palamon kneels in front of the statue?
 * When dawn comes, and Emilye awakens, where does she go to make sacrifice? How does she ritually clean herself, and what is the narrator's attitude to this activity?
 * To what deity does Emilye pray? She asks for one of two wishes to come true. What is the first wish she requests? If that wish won't come true, what does she ask as an alternative?
 * What pyromantic evidence suggests the deity hears her prayer? What noise follows this omen? What leaks out from the torches after this?
 * Why do you suppose Chaucer chooses to place Emilye's prayer between Palamon's prayer and Arcite's prayer? How is that effect different than if the two knights had prayed first and Emilye prays last?
 * An hour after Emilye's prayer, Arcite gets up to pray. To what god does he address his prayers? What sacrifice does he make to Mars?
 * What signs indicate that the god Mars has heard Arcite's plea favorably?
 * At the end of these three prayers, what causes strife in heaven/Olympus? Which god alone has the power to resolve the conflicting promises? Why is this god particularly appropriate or inappropriate as one to have the final word
 * **//Pars//** //Quarta **(Part 4):**//
 * How do Duke Theseus's men quiet the noisy crowd as they await the joust?
 * When the herald addresses the crowd, what change to the rules does he announce? How do the people react to this change in the rules?
 * When the contestants enter the arena, which gate does each one pass through?
 * What color is Palamoun's banner? What color is Arcite's banner?
 * While Arcite and Palamon fight, who sneaks up behind Palamon and stabs him? What happens to this sneaky combatant after he stabs Palamon?
 * Who does Duke Theseus declare the winner?
 * What does Venus do when she hears who is declared the winner? What does Saturn do when he sees Venus's reaction?
 * When Arcite pulls off his helmet and looks up toward Emilye, what is Emilye's emotional reaction?
 * What causes Arcite's horse to panic (i.e., what god is responsible)? What happens to Arcite as a result?
 * Why do you suppose Chaucer has Arcite's breastbone crushed? Why not his neck or skull or some other injury?
 * When Arcite is dying, what are some of the "pet-names" he gives to Emelye? What command does he give to his "wife" concerning Palamon?
 * What are Arcite's last words?
 * When the entire town breaks into mourning, who is the one person who can console Duke Theseus? What does this character know or understand in particular?
 * Where does Theseus decide to build the tomb for Arcite? What happens to all the trees of the area? How is the mythological ecology disturbed by this?
 * According to Theseus's final speech, what being/force from philosophy is responsible for determining the length and duration of pain in the "wrecched world"? What examples does Theseus provide to illustrate the impermanence of the world?
 * If Theseus is correct in his assessment of the physical world, what is the only wisdom that matters?
 * Why does Theseus argue people should be more glad for a friend who dies honorably?
 * When Theseus says he will make one perfect joy out of "sorwes two," what is he talking about?
 * When Theseus says he will begin "wher moost sorwe is herinne," which person is he talking about?
 * In line 3097, we hear that all is "blisse melodye" after Theseus orders Emilye to marry Palamon. Does this seem realistic to you? Why or why not? What does this reveal about the Knight as a narrator or what does it reveal about the Knight's worldview?
 * In line 3097, we hear that all is "blisse melodye" after Theseus orders Emilye to marry Palamon. Does this seem realistic to you? Why or why not? What does this reveal about the Knight as a narrator or what does it reveal about the Knight's worldview?