Chaucer Tale Breakdown:
Lines 855-900
Outline:
Sense of mythology regarding King Arthur and “elf-queene”
Knight rapes the maiden
King gives the Queen the power to decide his fate
Key Quotes:
1. “But now kan no man se none elves mo, for now the grete charitee and prayers”
Church is being satrised as corrupt, it takes away the magical landscape - ironic
2. “a lusty bachelor”
oxymoron, a knight is supposed to be a man of high status who is gentlemanly and chivalric
but he isn’t – he’s overcome with sexual desire
3. “By verray force, he rafe hire maidenhed”
He raped her, the language is plosive and violent.
4. “That dampned was this knight for to be deed, By cours of lawe, and sholde han lost his heed”
Element of justce the law
5. “yaf him to the queene, al at hir wille to chese wheither she wolde him save or spille”
Female empowerment, the queen has been given the power to seal his fate, queston is
whether to be merciful or kill him
Relevant Context:
Quite significant to suggest that the church is corrupt in a world where the church dominated
life and when they are actually on a religious pilgrimage
Lines 900-950
Outline:
Queen decides the Knights fate which is that he must discover what women desire
Knight tries to discover what women want and he finds multple answers
Everything he lists and discovers her acknowledges as false and not the correct answer
Key Quotes:
1. “Thou standest yet”
Significance of the word “Thou” which is used when speaking to someone inferior which in
itself is significant because it’s used by a woman talking to a high born man
2. “I grante thee lyf”
Sense of power that is to some extent god-like
3. “Be war, and keep they nekke-boon from iren! And if thou kanst nat tellen it anon”
The knight has control of his own fate. Guillotne.
4. “With swich answere God wolde him purveye”
sense of divine justce that will give him the answer
5. “Somme seyde women loven best richesse […] jolinesse [..] lust abedde […] rich array”
Listng the potental answers as to what women want
6. “But that tale is nat worth a rake-stele”
all of this is false and none of this is actually what women want
Lines 855-900
Outline:
Sense of mythology regarding King Arthur and “elf-queene”
Knight rapes the maiden
King gives the Queen the power to decide his fate
Key Quotes:
1. “But now kan no man se none elves mo, for now the grete charitee and prayers”
Church is being satrised as corrupt, it takes away the magical landscape - ironic
2. “a lusty bachelor”
oxymoron, a knight is supposed to be a man of high status who is gentlemanly and chivalric
but he isn’t – he’s overcome with sexual desire
3. “By verray force, he rafe hire maidenhed”
He raped her, the language is plosive and violent.
4. “That dampned was this knight for to be deed, By cours of lawe, and sholde han lost his heed”
Element of justce the law
5. “yaf him to the queene, al at hir wille to chese wheither she wolde him save or spille”
Female empowerment, the queen has been given the power to seal his fate, queston is
whether to be merciful or kill him
Relevant Context:
Quite significant to suggest that the church is corrupt in a world where the church dominated
life and when they are actually on a religious pilgrimage
Lines 900-950
Outline:
Queen decides the Knights fate which is that he must discover what women desire
Knight tries to discover what women want and he finds multple answers
Everything he lists and discovers her acknowledges as false and not the correct answer
Key Quotes:
1. “Thou standest yet”
Significance of the word “Thou” which is used when speaking to someone inferior which in
itself is significant because it’s used by a woman talking to a high born man
2. “I grante thee lyf”
Sense of power that is to some extent god-like
3. “Be war, and keep they nekke-boon from iren! And if thou kanst nat tellen it anon”
The knight has control of his own fate. Guillotne.
4. “With swich answere God wolde him purveye”
sense of divine justce that will give him the answer
5. “Somme seyde women loven best richesse […] jolinesse [..] lust abedde […] rich array”
Listng the potental answers as to what women want
6. “But that tale is nat worth a rake-stele”
all of this is false and none of this is actually what women want
