The Canterbury Narratives: The Perfect Love Essay, Research Paper
The Canterbury Narratives: The Perfect Love
The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer around 1386, is a
aggregation of narrative told by pilgrims on a spiritual pilgrim’s journey. Three of these
narratives ; & # 8220 ; The Knight & # 8217 ; s Tale & # 8221 ; , & # 8220 ; The Wife of Bath & # 8217 ; s Tale & # 8221 ; , and & # 8220 ; The Franklin & # 8217 ; s Tale & # 8221 ; ,
affect different sorts of love and different love relationships. Some of the
loves are based on aristocracy, some are forced and some are based on common
regard for each spouse. My thought of love is one that combines facets from each
of the narratives told in The Canterbury Tales.
In & # 8220 ; The Knights Tale & # 8221 ; , the love between the two knights and Emily is
intensely powerful. The love that Palomon and Arcite feel towards Emily is so
strong that the two knights feel that it is worth more than life. At one point
Palomon says to Arcite, & # 8221 ; Though I have no arm here. . . either you shall
dice or you shall non love Emily. & # 8221 ; The love that Palomon feels for Emily is so
overpowering that he is willing to take on an armed adult male, in mortal combat, merely
for the love of a adult female. Possibly he feels that without her he will certainly decease,
so why non decease seeking to win her.
The dry fact about the relationship between the two knights and Emily
is that Emily does non wish to get married either of the knights. she expresses this
in a supplication to Diana, the goddess of chaste, & # 8221 ; Well you know that I desire to be
a maiden all my life ; I ne’er want to be either a beloved or a wife. & # 8221 ; This is so
dry because Arcite and Palomon are about to kill each other for her love and
she doesn & # 8217 ; t want to beloved by either of them. She enjoys the bangs of maiden
goon excessively much to hold them ended by matrimony.
While all this is traveling on, no 1 stops to believe that neither Arcite
nor Palomon has of all time even spoken to Emily. When Palomon and Arcite are in gaol
Palomon says, & # 8221 ; The Beauty of the lady whom I see rolling yonder in the garden
is the cause of all my calls and woes. & # 8221 ; This is non something That I would desire
to establish my ideal love on. These two knights are willing to put on the line their lives for
the love of this adult female, whom they have ne’er even met. For all they know she
could be the most bothersome individual on Earth. In that instance they would be put on the lining
their lives, merely to pass the remainder of it with a beautiful and highly
raging adult female.
In & # 8220 ; The Wife of Bath & # 8217 ; s Tale & # 8221 ; A knight is forced to get married a deplorable old
adult female to avoid decease. The knight and the old adult female do non acquire along good, and
when the old adult female suggests that she can do things better, the knight responds
stating, & # 8221 ; Corrected? . . . It will ne’er be corrected! You are so nauseating and
old. & # 8221 ; A love relationship such as this could ne’er last because their is no
attractive force, physical or mental. A major factor in love is physical attractive force
between the two spouses, here their is no attractive force. Two people can non love
each other if they can stand to be around each other. The knight can barely
bare
to look at his married woman, allow entirely sleep with her.
Despite the fact that the knight despises her, the old adult female persists on
acquiring the knight to love her, which really works in some instances. While the
knight is kicking about how awful his matrimony is the old adult female says, & # 8221 ;
What am I guilty of? For God & # 8217 ; s interest state me and it shall be corrected, if I can
manage. & # 8221 ; After this the old adult female continues on converting the knight that she is
worthy of him and he eventually agrees. Sometimes it is necessary to convert the
other individual that they love you. The love between the knight and the old adult female
started out as a forced relationship and was greatly sorry. But after the
old adult female pointed out some good qualities their relationship blossomed into a
beautiful, loving relationship.
My ideal love is best expressed in & # 8221 ; The Franklin & # 8217 ; s narrative & # 8221 ; . The love
between the knight and his married woman is based greatly on regard. From the really
get downing the knight offers her regard and free will, & # 8221 ; He swore to her as a
knight that ne’er. . . would he take an autocratic function over her. . . nor
show green-eyed monster to her, but would obey her. . . as any lover ought his lady. & # 8221 ; The
knight in this narrative knows how to win a lady. By giving her regard and leting
her to make as she pleases, by non maintaining her on a short tether, he wins her
regard and hence they build a really powerful love relationship.
Another property to their strong relationship is faithfulness. When a
immature squire tells the knights married woman of his love for her she tells him, & # 8221 ; I will
ne’er be an unfaithful married woman in word or title, . . . I will be his to whom I am
knit. & # 8221 ; With fidelity comes safety. If a individual feels safe in a relationship
they tend to remain their, doing the relationship that much stronger.
Each of the love relationships I have merely described contains qualities
that I feel are of import in my ideal love relationship. I feel that passion is
of import, as in & # 8220 ; The Knight & # 8217 ; s Tale & # 8221 ; when Palomon is willing to contend Arcite for
Emily ; it adds exhilaration to the relationship. Sometimes continuity can play
an of import function in a love relationship, as it did in & # 8221 ; The Wife of Bath & # 8217 ; s
Tale & # 8221 ; when the old adult female persists that the knight should love her. Finally, I
feel that regard plays a cardinal function in doing a good love relationship. When to
people love and respect each other, as the knight and his married woman did in & # 8221 ; The
Franklin & # 8217 ; s Tale & # 8221 ; , it helps to construct a really strong and honoring love
relationship. But, for every quality that I like in each narrative, there is besides a
quality that I feel is damaging to a blissful relationship. For case, in
& # 8221 ; The Wife of Bath & # 8217 ; s Tale & # 8221 ; the knight is forced into a love relationship, which
I feel could merely take to an unfulfilling relationship. Besides in & # 8221 ; The Knight & # 8217 ; s
Tale & # 8220 ; , Arcite and Palomon are in love with a adult female to whom they have ne’er even
spoken to. this could merely convey on statements and would decidedly be a shabby
relationship.