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Canterbury Tales - Role Of Women

        The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer serves as a moral
manual for the 1300s and years after.   Through the faults of both men
and woman, he shows in each persons story what is right and wrong and
how one should live.   Under the surface, however, lies a jaded look
and woman and how they cause for the downfall of men.
        The Knights Tale is one of chivalry and upstanding moral
behavior. However,   beneath the surface lies the theme of the evil
nature of women.   Emily plays the part of the beautiful woman who
captivates the hearts of two unsuspecting men.   Those two men are
cousins Arcite and Palamon, both knights who duel for Emilys hand in
marriage.   The two start out as the best of friends and then roommates
in a jail cell that is to be shared for eternity.   But with one look
at Emily, the two start bickering instinctively and almost come to
blows over something they will never be able to have, or so it seems.
Chaucers knack for irony revels itself as Arcite is released from his
life sentence but disallowed from ever coming back to Athens.   He
would be killed ever caught within the city again by King Theseus.  
Because Arcite is doomed to never again see Emily, his broken heart
causes him sickness as hes weakened by love.   It is only after he
comes up with the plan of returning to Athens under an assumed name
that he starts to get better. Meanwhile, Palamon remains back in
captivity, rendered helpless due to his lifelong punishment in prison.
He knows that he will never be able to talk to Emily and certainly
not marry her because of his plight.   All he can do is watch her from
a distance and admire her beauty.   Arcite believes that this is a
better punishment than his, though, as he says:

O dere cosin Palamon, quod he,
Thyn is the victorie of this aventure
Ful blisfully in prison maistow dure;
In prison?   Certes nay, but in paradys!
Wel hath fortuen y-turned thee the dys,
That hast the...