Knight’s Tale Quotes

Whilom, as olde stories tellen us,
Ther was a duc that highte Theseus;
Of Atthenes he was lord and governour,
And in his tyme swich a conquerour
That gretter was there noon under the sonne.
Ful many a rich contree hadde he wonne;
What with his wysdom and his chilvalrie.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. At the beginning of his tale the Knight introduces us to his most powerful character, Theseus, the duke and leader of Athens. He has conquered many rich countries and we are told there is no one greater under the sun.

He conquered al the regne of Femenye,
That whilom was ycleped Scithia,
And weddede the queene Ypolita,
And broghte hire hoom with hym in his contree
With muchel glorie and greet solempnytee,
And eek hir yonge suster Emelye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. After defeating the Amazons, Theseus takes their queen Hippolyta as his "prize" and marries her. He returns to Athens with Hippolyta and her young sister Emily amid much glory and great ceremony. This foreshadows how Emily will equally become the prize in a deadly battle for her hand between Palamon and Arcite.

And certes, if it nere to long to heere,
I wolde have toold yow fully the manere
How wonnen was the regne of Femenye
By Theseus and by his chivalrye;
And of the grete bataille for the nones
Bitwixen Atthenes and Amazones;
And how asseged was Ypolita,
The faire, hardy queene of Scithia.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. In the great battle between male-dominated Athens and the mythical Amazonian women, Athens wins the day under their leader Theseus, who besieged their strong queen Hippolyta and defeated her forces.

He was war, as he caste his eye aside,
Where that ther kneled in the heighe weye
A compaignye of ladyes, tweye and tweye,
Ech after oother clad in clothes blake;
But swich a cry and swich a wo they make
That in this world nys creature lyvynge
That herde swich another waymentynge

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. A group of weeping widows dressed in black clothes is kneeling on the road in front of Duke Theseus’s cavalcade as he returns to Athens. No living creature in the world is said to have heard such lamentation as from them.

And swoor his ooth, as he was trewe knyght,
He wolde doon so ferforthly his myght
Upon the tiraunt Creon hem to wreke
That al the peple of Grece sholde speke
How Creon was of Theseus yserved
As he that hadde his deeth ful wel deserved.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. When Duke Theseus rides victoriously into Athens after his great military successes, he is greeted at the gates by four weeping widows. They beg for his help to retrieve the bodies of their husbands, whom King Creon has refused to allow them bury. Theseus swears to avenge the ladies’ husbands by slaying Creon.

But shortly for to speken of this thyng,
With Creon, which that was of Thebes kyng,
He faught, and slough hym manly as a knyght
In pleyn bataille, and putte the folk to flyght;
And by assaut he wan the citee after,
And rente adoun bothe wall and sparre and rafter.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. As good as his word, Theseus fulfils his promise to the widows of the men killed by the Theban king Creon. He slays the king in battle, puts his army to flight, tears down the walls of Thebes and wins the city.

Thurgh-girt with many a grevous blody wounde,
Two yonge knyghtes liggynge by and by,
Bothe in oon armes, wroght ful richely,
Of whiche two Arcita highte that oon,
And that oother knyght highte Palamon.
Nat fully quyke, ne fully dede they were.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. After the destruction of Creon’s army, scavangers come across two young knights lying side by side with the same coat of arms, not fully alive and not fully dead. From the knights’ richly wrought coat of arms, the scavangers know they are from royal Theban blood. Arcite and Palamon are handed over to Theseus, who imprisons them with no hope of ransom.

For May wole have no slagardie anyght.
The sesoun priketh every gentil herte,
And maketh it out of his slep to sterte.
And seith "Arys, and do thyn observaunce."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. The young and beautiful Emily rises early one morning in May. The Knight says it is the season that bids every gentle heart to awaken and rise with the sun, which Emily does and sings to herself and picks flowers to make a garland for her hair. The imprisoned cousins Palamon and Arcite are about to catch sight of her and fall in love with the young sister of Theseus’s wife.

This prison caused me nat for to crye,
But I was hurt right now thurghout myn ye
Into myn herte, that wol my bane be.
The fairnesse of that lady that I see
Yond in the gardyn romen to and fro
Is cause of al my criyng and my wo.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Nazareth were right when they made a hit song about it – Love hurts! Lovesick prisoner Palamon speaks of his love at first sight for fair Emily as hurting him like a poison that has entered his eye and then made its way to his heart. The sight of her roaming to and fro yonder in the garden makes him cry with pain and woe, as he remains locked in his tower.

"I noot wher she be womman or goddesse,
But Venus is it soothly, as I gesse."
And therwithal on knees doun he fil,
And seyde, "Venus, if it be thy wil
Yow in this gardyn thus to transfigure
Bifore me, sorweful, wrecched creature,
Out of this prisoun help that we may scapen."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. At first the love-struck Palamon, speaking to fellow prisoner Arcite, says he does not know whether Emily is a woman or the goddess of love Venus herself. He then falls down on his knees and starts praying to Venus (Emily) to help him escape from his prison.

And with that word Arcite gan espye
Wher as this lady romed to and fro,
And with that sighte hir beautee hurte hym so,
That, if that Palamon was wounded sore,
Arcite is hurt as muche as he, or moore.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite and Palamon aren’t just soldiers-in-arms and cousins, but they have similar tastes in women too. Like Palamon was, Arcite’s is hit with a bad case of love at first sight as he watches the beautiful Emily in the garden. And it hurts him just as much, and even more than Palamon – the competition between the pair has started already.

"It nere," quod he, "to thee no greet honour
For to be fals, ne for to be traitour
To me, that am thy cosyn and thy brother
Ysworn ful depe, and ech of us til oother,
That nevere, for to dyen in the peyne,
Til that the deeth departe shal us tweyne,
Neither of us in love to hyndre oother,
Ne in noon oother cas, my leeve brother,
But that thou sholdest trewely forthren me
In every cas, as I shal forthren thee –
This was thyn ooth, and myn also, certeyn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Palamon is not happy that Arcite has declared his love for the same woman, Emily. He claims that he and Arcite are sworn brothers, who took an oath to never hinder one other in love or in any other case. It would be no great honor for his cousin and brother to be false and a traitor, Palamon warns his friend and love rival.

And now thow woldest falsly been aboute
To love my lady, whom I love and serve,
And evere shal til that myn herte sterve.
And ever shall until my heart dies.
Nay, certes, false Arcite, thow shalt nat so.
I loved hire first, and tolde thee my wo
As to my conseil and my brother sworn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Palamon tells Arcite that he has first claim on Emily, simply because he loved her first and told his sworn brother and confidant Arcite "my wo." He accuses Arcite of falsely preparing to love his lady, whom he is pledged to love and serve until his heart dies. He warns Arcite that he will not do so, foreshadowing the bloody feud that later happens between the two.

"Thow shalt," quod he, "be rather fals than I;
And thou art fals, I telle thee outrely,
For paramour I loved hire first er thow.
What wiltow seyen? Thou woost nat yet now
Wheither she be a womman or goddesse!
Thyn is affeccioun of hoolynesse,
And myn is love as to a creature.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite disputes Palamon claim that he loved Emily first. He says Palamon’s affection for Emily is as to a goddess, it is a feeling of holiness and spirituality. Arcite is adament that he loved her first as a mistress, his love "is love as to a creature" not a goddess. He says Palamon is the false one in their sworn brotherhood.

Wostow nat wel the olde clerkes sawe,
That "who shal yeve a lovere any lawe?"
Love is a gretter lawe, by my pan,
Than may be yeve to any erthely man;
And therfore positif lawe and swich decree
Is broken al day for love in ech degree.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Ancite responds to Palamon’s claim that Ancite will be breaking their oath of brotherhood if he continues to love Emily. Who would give a lover any law, Ancite asks, adding that love is a greater law than any earthy one. Man-made laws are broken every day for love, he points out. As the rivaly between the two knights progresses, they begin failing to live up to their code of chivalry and become governed more by the laws of love.

For in this world he loved no man so,
And he loved hym als tendrely agayn.
So wel they lovede, as olde bookes sayn,
That whan that oon was deed, soothly to telle,
His felawe wente and soughte hym doun in helle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. The bond of love and friendship between Theseus and Perotheus runs very deep that they would follow each other to hell! And it is about to have an important impact on how the tale develops. It turns out Perotheus also knows and loves Arcite and he intercedes on his behalf with Theseus.

Bitwixen Theseus and hym Arcite:
That if so were that Arcite were yfounde
Evere in his lif, by day or nyght, oo stounde
In any contree of this Theseus,
And he were caught, it was acorded thus,
That with a swerd he sholde lese his heed.
Ther nas noon oother remedie ne reed.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. After Theseus’s childhood friend Perotheus makes a plea on behalf of Arcite, Theseus agrees to release him from prison. But the strict terms are that Arcite must leave Athens forever and never return. If he is ever caught there again he will lost his head, he is warned.

He wepeth, wayleth, crieth pitously;
To sleen hymself he waiteth prively.
He seyde, "Allas that day that I was born!
Now is my prisoun worse than biforn;
Now is me shape eternally to dwelle
Noght in purgatorie, but in helle.
Allas, that evere knew I Perotheus!"

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. On his release from prison and banishment from Athens, Arcite is distraught at having to leave behind the woman he loves, Emily. He feels he is now in an even worse prison. Separated from Emily he is not in Purgatory, but in Hell. He wishes he had never known Perotheus, who was instrumental in having him freed from prison. Arcite’s speech is full of dramatic irony.

"O deere cosyn Palamon," quod he,
"Thyn is the victorie of this aventure.
Ful blisfully in prison maistow dure –
In prison? Certes nay, but in paradys!"

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. While Arcite wins his freedom and his cousin Palamon remains in prison, Arcite says Palamon is the victor in this adventure. For Palamon has sight of Emily, the woman they both love, and Arcite does not. In an example of dramatic irony Arcite says he envies Palamon’s prison "paradise."

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.
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