A Character Sketch of Chaucer's Knight in General Prologue
Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in approximately 1385,
is a collection of twenty-four stories ostensibly told by various people who are
going on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral from London, England.
Prior to the actual tales, however, Chaucer offers the reader a glimpse of
fourteenth century life by way of what he refers to as a General Prologue. In
this prologue, Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are involved in this
imaginary journey and who will tell the tales. Among the characters included in
this introductory section is a knight. Chaucer initially refers to the knight
as "a most distinguished man" (l. 43) and, indeed, his sketch of the knight is
highly complimentary.
The knight, Chaucer tells us, "possessed/Fine horses, but he was not
gaily dressed" (ll. 69-70). Indeed, the knight is dressed in a common shirt
which is stained "where his armor had left mark" (l. 72). That is, the knight is
"just home from service" (l. 73) and is in such a hurry to go on his pilgrimage
that he has not even paused before beginning it to change his clothes.
The knight has had a very busy life as his fighting career has taken
him to a great many places. He has seen military service in Egypt, Lithuania,
Prussia, Russia, Spain, North Africa, and Asia Minor where he "was of [great]
value in all eyes (l. 63). Even though he has had a very successful and busy
career, he is extremely humble: Chaucer maintains that he is "modest as a maid"
(l. 65). Moreover, he has never said a rude thing to anyone in his entire life
(cf., ll. 66-7).
Clearly, the knight possesses an outstanding character. Chaucer
gives to the knight one of the more flattering descriptions in the General
Prologue. The knight can do no wrong: he is an outstanding warrior who has
fought for the true faith--according to Chaucer--on three continents. In the
midst of all this contenton, however, the knight remains modest and polite. The
knight is the embodiment of the chivalric code: he is devout and courteous off
the battlefield and is bold and fearless on it.
one page 11) this indicates that he is a selfish man and cares for his
meant much more. It included a love of G-d and doing the will of G-d as well as
In the engraving, Knight, Death, and Devil, it appears that the hero (the Knight) is gaining a moral victory over death. The Knight has often been interpreted as Erasmus’s sturdy Christian soldier who scoffs at death and the devil as he goes about God’s work in his journey through life. The conception of the ‘Christian soldier’ embodies and ideal of manly virtue which the traditional instincts of the Germanic race, German mysticism and Northern versions of Renaissance ideals all contributed to form.
The portrayal of the Pardoner in the Canterbury Tales gives Chaucer a chance to satirize religious men in their deceitful, lying ways. The Pardoner is a liar. He persuades people to purchase certificates of forgiveness by preaching his moral stories. Chaucer creates the Pardoner to be a very greedy and deceitful preacher when he writes, "'And thus I preach against the very vice/ I make my living out of--avarice,'" (Chaucer 24-25). The Pardoner is telling his crowd that he preaches certain stories to make a living rooted in greed. He is so obssesed with greed, and want for money, the Pardoner will blatantly lie every day of his life. Chaucer is satirizing religious men in the story to make fun of them, and try to improve their behavior in the
myself be a full vicious man, A moral tale yet I you telle kan.’ The
In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.
There are two types of people in this world, the first ones are, the people who doesn't really like reading books because most of them doesn't have pictures on it, and they find it extremely boring. Then the other type of people, who simply gets lost into their book every time they read, because they just simply love reading. Some of them even say that when they're reading, it is taking them to a different world that only their imagination can create. That is why some people consider their books as their most priced possessions, because of how much it means to them and also some books can be rather pricey. Indeed, books can really be expensive, however, you might be too astonished when you see the following books, because they're considered
An age discrimination action happens when an employee or job applicant receives less favorable or unfair treatment because of how old they are. Both state and federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibit employers from discriminating against protected employees or prospects because of how old they are. Workers 40 and older are protected by the act. The ADEA applies to organizations with 20 plus employees, including labor organizations, employment agencies, state and local governments, and the federal government.
Three major laws that protect employees are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and The Americans with Disability Act. Title VII makes it unlawful to refuse to hire or terminate anyone based on race, gender, national origin, color, or religion. This law applies to any business that has 15 or more employees, government, labor, and employment agencies (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2012). Title VII also does include harassment, compensation, and advancement issues based on these categories as well. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits discrimination for anyone from being employed or terminated over the age of forty. This law does not protect those under the age of forty and they may be discriminated against because of their age. This law also requires specific record keeping which employers must maintain for three years. The required information is name, address, and date of birth, occupation, pay rate, and compensation earned each week. In addition to that information this information is required to be maintained for one year: job applications, records of promotions: demotions, transfers, layoffs, terminations, tests and test papers, as well as job ads. Some states go beyond the ADEA and provided greater protection to those older workers. The Americans with Disa...
Discrimination occurs when an employee suffers from unfavorable or unfair treatment due to their race, religion, national origin, disabled or veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Employees who have suffered reprisals for opposing workplace discrimination or for reporting violations to the authorities are also considered to be discriminated against. Federal law prohibits discrimination in work-related areas, such as recruiting, hiring, job evaluations, promotion policies, training, compensation and disciplinary action. (employeeissues.com, 2006)
One of Geoffrey's less believable main characters is the Knight, for reasons of chivalry. The knight displays many traits which make him seem almost too good to be true, and a true gentleman that rarely exists in reality. The narrator sums up the knights character by stating that "Though he were worthy, he was wys,/And of his port as meeke as is a mayde." (pg. 5, The Canterbury Tales) The knight holds four main admirable traits, making him the most liked traveler in "The Canterbury Tales," and also amplying the doubt of his realism. The reader is prepared to learn of each of his noble accomplishments and importance when the narrator remarks that" A knight ther was, and that a worthy man,/That fro the tyme that he first bigan/To ryden out, he loved chivalrye,/Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye." (pg. 4, The Canterbury Tales) From the characters impressive introduction, it is clear that this man is the most valued and honorable traveler among the group. This perfect gentleman holds a love of ideals that are often not displayed by people. First and foremost, he believes in the ideals of chivalry, and always stays true to its principles. He also feels that one should be honest, truthful and faithful, which many people are not all of these ideals. The knight thinks one should only do what is right, and what will gain him honor and reputation. This character also believes in freedom and generosity towards all, and displays this ideal repeatedly throughout the novel. And lastly, the knight also strongly feels that any proper person should display courtesy and elegance at all times. Another aspect of this character's life which makes him seem too prestigious to be truthful is his impressive military career. He fought in the holy war, known as the Crusades and was involved in 15 "mortal battles." In the prologue, the narrator informs the reader that "Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,/And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,/As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,/And ever honoured for his worthinesse.
In his story titled "The Canterbury Tales" Chaucer seems to truly admire some of the pilgrims while displaying disdain and sarcasm towards the others. The pilgrims that he most seems to admire are the Knight, the Oxford Clerk and the Parson. The knight he seems to admire based on his notation of all the campaigns in which the knight has participated in service to just causes. Chaucer makes mention of the knight 's worthiness, wisdom and humility "Though so illustrious, he was very wise And bore himself as meekly as a maid." (67,68 Chaucer). It seems as though Chaucer admires the knights great ability both in warfare and practicing what he preaches. This can be seen in his description of all those he seems to admire in the tale. The Oxford Clerk
Tales written in Canterbury Tales divulge the characteristics of 31 characters, each one particularly refined in their own unique way. Geoffrey Chaucer made it easy for the reader to divulge oneself in the characteristics of just one character. One of these characters includes the Pardoner. In many of the stories in Canterbury Tales, they often reflect the characteristics of the character telling them, as if each story is meticulously crafted to reflect upon the characters telling them. The Pardoners allegoric tale appears to be especially evident to this, as The Pardoners tale conveys many personal traits including greed, hypocrisy, and arrogance.
There are many types of discrimination. Ageism is most often directed towards old people, or adolescents and children.
In the book Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, gives us a stunning tale about a rooster named Chaunticleer. Chaunticleer, who is the King of his domain in his farmland kingdom. Like a King, he quotes passages from intellectuals, dreams vivid dreams, has a libido that runs like a bat out of hell, and is described as a very elegant looking Rooster. He has every characteristic of a person belonging to the upper class. Chaucer's hidden meanings and ideas make us think that the story is about roosters and farm animals, but in reality he is making the Aristocracy of his time period the subject of his mockery by making the reader realize how clueless the Aristocracy can be to the way things are in the real World. Chaucer describes Chaunticleer in many different ways. One of them is his language. Chaunticleer's language is that of a scholar. He quotes many different scriptures in a conversation with Pertelote, such as, Saint Kenelm, Daniel and Joseph (from the bible), and Croesus. From each author he tells a story about an individual who had a vision in a dream and the dream came true. He may have been making all the stories up in order to win the argument with Pertelote, but, this seems unlikely because he does not take heed to his own advice and stay away from the fox that encounters him later. He is educated enough to know these supposed quotations but not intelligent enough to understand the real meaning of them. It is if he simply brings because they help him win the argument with his spouse and not because he actually believes what they say. Chaucer is using the idea that the Aristocracy has schooling throughout their childhood, but it is only done to have seemingly important but empty conversations. His physical appearance is also described with such beautiful passion that it makes us think Chaunticleer is heaven on earth. "His comb was redder than fine coral, and crenellated like a castle wall; his bill was black and shone like jet; his legs and toes were like azure; his nails whiter than lily; and his color like the burnished gold." Chaucer describes Chaunticleer as the quintessential Cock, so perfect that his description is no longer believable when we realize he is describing a Rooster. Chaucer is setting up Chaunticleer to be as regal and grandiose as a King.