Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Gentleman: Group 2
Gentleman: Group 2
For this post, I would like to focus on the idea of gentleness and nobility that is so prevalent within this tale. On pages 289 -291, the old lady, that the Knight marries, ridicules the knight for not being nice to her on there first night saying “…Behaves every knight this way to his wife as you? Is this the law of Knight Arthur’s household?”(Pg 289) She then asks why he acts the way he does, and on discovering the cause, she says she can amend this if only he would kind and virtuous to her. She then proceeds to tell how it is said that a man ought to be kind and gentile and that this “gentleness” is passed down through generations by blood, which is a reference to the justification of the nobility. However she claims this is false, saying that even men in nobility sometimes do acts of evil, “…men may often find a Lord’s son doing shame and villainy.” (Pg291) She argues that the virtue of gentleness, has nothing to do with material position or to what family you belong, but that such character can only come from God “Your gentleness comes from God alone.” (Pg 293). I interpreted here argument to be Chaucer’s way of pointing some flaws in the social and political values that were established in his time. Values such as Chivalry, and the hierarchy of nobility through lineage.
1: Why did the knight see 24 or more ladies dancing in the forest before he met the old lady? Is this referencing to something?
2: Why does the Queen give the knight 12 months and a day to discover the answer to her question? A year and 1 day seems an oddly specific amount of time. Is there any significance to this?
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I agree that Chaucer could have used this passage to poke fun at or disagree with the codes and values of the time. Throughout the tales, he often refers satirically to the woman wanting control, but I find it relevant that you speak of the men's role as well. Chaucer did not limit his satire to women, but to the values of the time period and beyond. Also, a possible answer to your first question might be witchcraft from the old woman.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the fact that Chaucer is taking a stab at the structure of how nobility sees themselves. I even laughed at times because it seems like he may be the first to point this out, or in a lone minority. I find it funny that when we talk about the wife making a very valid point about the society in which she lives in, we also talk about her being seen as a witch, when in reality she speaks truths.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your first question, I think that the old woman casted a spell so that he would be attracted to go towards the 24 dancing ladies. I think this because they disappear as soon as he goes to see them closer.
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