Canterbury Tales Fate and Fortune Quotes

Wel hath Fortune yturned thee the dys,
That hast the sighte of hire, and I th’absence.
For possible is, syn thou hast hire presence,
And art a knyght, a worthy and an able,
That by som cas, syn Fortune is chaungeable,
Thow maist to thy desir somtyme atteyne.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. The newly released prisoner Arcite says that Fortune has turned the dice for Palamon. For his love rival is able to see Emily from his tower cell every day, and Arcite is not. And an able and worthy knight such as Palamon may sometime attain her desire.

Allas, why pleynen folk so in commune
On purveiaunce of God, or of Fortune,
That yeveth hem ful ofte in many a gyse
Wel bettre than they kan hemself devyse?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Why do people complain about the providence of God, or of Fortune, that gives them something better than they can themselves imagine, Arcite asks? He is referring to the fact that when he was a prisoner in Theseus’s tower he could see the woman he loves Emily, but now that he has freedom and is banished from Athens he cannot see her.

O crueel goddes that governe
This world with byndyng of youre word eterne,
And writen in the table of atthamaunt
Youre parlement and youre eterne graunt,
What is mankynde moore unto you holde
Than is the sheep that rouketh in the folde?
For slayn is man right as another beest…
And whan a beest is deed he hath no peyne;
But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne,
Though in this world he have care and wo.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Palamon complains bitterly about the cruel gods treating men worse than the beasts. Men and animals die, but animals have no pain after death whereas man must weep and lament after his even though in this world he has cares and woe.

And seyde, "Doghter, stynt thyn hevynesse.
Among the goddes hye it is affermed,
And by eterne word writen and confermed,
Thou shalt ben wedded unto oon of tho
That han for thee so muchel care and wo.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. The goddess Diana speaks to Emily, telling her not to be sad and that her fate is in the hands of the gods. She is assured that she will end up wedded to either Arcite or Palamon, who care so much for her and are about to compete for her hand in the tournament.

And whan that Theseus hadde seyn this sighte,
Unto the folk that foghten thus echon
He cryde, "Hoo! namoore, for it is doon!
I wol be trewe juge, and no partie.
Arcite of Thebes shal have Emelie,
That by his fortune hath hire faire ywonne.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Theseus, saying that he is the impartial judge, calls a half to the jousting competition. He announces Arcite as the winner and says that he bh his fortune will have the hand of Emily which he has won fairly.

What maketh this but Juppiter, the kyng,
That is prince and cause of alle thyng
Convertynge al unto his propre welle
From which it is deryved, sooth to telle,
And heer-agayns no creature on lyve
Of no degree availleth for to strive.
Thanne is it wysdom, as it thynketh me,
To maken vertu of necessity,
And take it weel, that we may nat eschue;
And namely, that to us alle is due.
And whoso gruccheth ought, he dooth folye,
And rebel is to hym that al may gye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Theseus turns inspirational speaker here on the question of death. He says it is outside of man’s control and in the hands of the god Jupiter, who causes all things to return to their own origin from which they are derived. He advises to make a virtue of necessity, saying anyone who complains or rebels against their fate is foolish.

Paraventure in thilke large book
Which that men clepe the hevene ywriten was
With sterres, whan that he his birthe took,
That he for love sholde han his deeth, allas!
For in the sterres, clerer than is glas,
Is writen, God woot, whoso koude it rede,
The deeth of every man, withouten drede.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. This foreshadows that the Sultan’s love for Constance will end in his death – "That he for love sholde han his deeth." The Man of Law suggests that when a person is born, their fate and death is written in a metaphorical book in heaven by God.

In sterres, many a wynter therbiforn,
Was writen the deeth of Ector, Achilles,
Of Pompei, Julius, er they were born;
The strif of Thebes; and of Ercules,
Of Sampson, Turnus, and of Socrates
The deeth; but mennes wittes ben so dulle
That no wight kan wel rede it atte fulle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. When anticipating the death of the Sultan, the Man of Law says that the death of all human beings is written in a book in heaven by God, before they are born. That includes all the great men like Hector, Achilles, Pompei, Caesar, Sampson and Socrates. But mortals are too dull-witted to read and interpret the divine book of fate.

O sodeyn wo, that evere art successour
To worldly blisse, spreynd with bitternesse,
The ende of the joye of oure worldly labour!
Wo occupieth the fyn of oure gladnesse.
Herke this conseil for thy sikernesse:
Upon thy glade day have in thy mynde
The unwar wo or harm that comth bihynde.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. The Man of Law comments that woe always follows joy, as the marriage feast ends in the slaughter of the Sultan and all the Christians except Constance. He is expressing the idea that even as we enjoy our greatest bliss and good fortune, we are vulnerable and death will end the celebration of life.

"My newe wyf is comynge by the weye.
Be strong of herte, and voyde anon hir place;
And thilke dowere that ye broghten me,
Taak it agayn; I graunte it of my grace.
Retourneth to youre fadres hous," quod he;
"No man may alwey han prosperitee.
With evene herte I rede yow t’endure
The strook of Fortune or of aventure."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. The Marquis unceremoniously tells his wife Griselda to clear out of the palace and return to her father’s house, because his new wife in coming. He asks Griselda to endure this stroke of fortune or chance with a tranquil heart. However, it wasn’t fortune that brought all this woe to Griselda, but Walter’s monstrous and diabolical behavior. He also tells her to take back her dowry, knowing that she had no dowry.

Toward hir fadre hous forth is she fare.
The folk hire folwe, wepynge in hir weye,
And Fortune ay they cursen as they goon;
But she fro wepyng kepte hire eyen dreye,
Ne in this tyme word ne spak she noon.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Griselda responds with shocking calmness after Walter kicks her out of the palace to make way for his new wife. On the way to her father’s house she neither weeps nor speaks. But the people following her weep and they curse fortune. Yet it is not fortune that has brought Griselda to this low, but the shocking tyranny and abuse of power of her husband the Marquis of Saluzzo.

Deffie Theofraste, and herke me.
A wyf is Goddes yifte verraily;
Alle othere manere yiftes hardily,
As londes, rentes, pasture, or commune,
Or moebles – alle been yiftes of Fortune
That passen as a shadwe upon a wal.
But drede nat, if pleynly speke I shal:
A wyf wol laste, and in thyn hous endure.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. The Merchant urges January to defy the advice of philosopher Theophrastus and his hatred of women and marriage, and instead listen to him. The narrator goes on to describe a wife a gift from God. Comparing her with lands, rents, pasture and personal possessions, he uses the language of commerce and objectifies women. A wife will ensure unlike these gifts of Fortune which pass like a shadow upon a wall, says the Merchant.

Swich deyntee hath in it to walke and pleye,
That he wol no wight suffren bere the keye
Save he hymself; for of the smale wyket
He baar alwey of silver a clyket,
With which, whan that hym leste, he it unshette.
And whan he wolde paye his wyf hir dette
In somer seson, thider wolde he go.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. In summer whenever he desires it January has sex with his beautiful young wife in his walled garden. The garden gate is kept locked and only January has the key which he has always on his person. He likes to keep beauty in a prison.

I seye for me, it is a greet disese,
Whereas men han been in greet welthe and ese,
To heeren of hire sodeyn fal, allas!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, Prologue of the Nun’s Priest’s Tale. The Knight interrupts the Monk’s tale on the theme of tragedy and how Fortune is fickle. The Monk related a series of 17 tragedies based on the fall from glory of figures like Lucifer, Adam, Hercules, Sampson and Nero. But the Knight says they want to hear no more about people’s sudden fall.
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