In English 12N, our class just wrapped
up the prologue of The Canterbury Tales. For a class assignment, Ms. Whitley
put us into groups, assigned us two characters and told us to make an analysis
of their personality, their physical appearance and what Geoffrey Chaucer was
trying to explain through the use of satire. One of the characters that I had
to explain was the Knight.
The Knight,
along with the Parson, is a character that Chaucer used to be an example of
what someone should be like, in terms of personality and physicality. We all
know how much most of the characters in The Canterbury Tales need some kind of
spiritual guidance because many of them are the complete antithesis of what
they should be. The Knight is a chivalrous man who has traveled the world, to and
fro, to fight battles in war. He is highly respected for his bravery and his modest personality. The Knight can be considered modest because of his clothing. He wore a plain tunic with stains on them because he had just come back from a battle. I don't know about you, but if I were a highly respected knight, I'd flaunt in the best clothing with the finest jewelry on the highest horse that was offered to me.
Since my class
is also in the midst of the term paper process, the Knight reminded me of Macbeth,
a character in my own term paper. I know you're probably wondering how the
brave and modest Knight can compare to someone so selfish and murderous like
Macbeth, but before Macbeth made a complete 180 degree turn for the worst, he
was actually a good man. Before Macbeth murdered King Duncan, Duncan had
nothing but praises for him. In the beginning of Macbeth, the captain tells
Duncan that Macbeth killed the evil Macdonwald and saved all the lives of the
men who were on his side. Macbeth could have easily been the Knight in Chaucer’s
story because of all the battles they've fought and the honor that has been put
upon them from others.
I completely agree with you Hilda! The difference between the Knight and Macbeth is how they handled the power they were given. The Knight seemed to remain modest even after receiving so much praise and honor from his society. On the other hand, although Macbeth was given power, Lady Macbeth was able to convince him that he should seek more. I believe that if Lady Macbeth was able to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan in an attempt to gain Duncan's position, than maybe Macbeth was thinking about it all along?
ReplyDeleteThis also relates to the book we read sophomore year, Lord of the Flies. As soon as Jack(I think that's his name, I can't really remember) was given the least bit of power, he did not know how to handle it. He had a desire for more. So as I've said before, the difference between these characters is how they handled the power they were given! Some will manage to remain modest while most will just take advantage of it, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteReally great connection Hilda! I totally agree, the modesty the Knight represented made him more respectable to me, he power he COULD have had didn't mean much to him. While Macbeth who cared less for modesty and more for control came off as selfish and completely overshadowed his prior goodness in my eyes. Like Myriam said It's all about how they handle the power they were given.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great connection. Your analization of the Knight really helped me on the mini-test. It's very clear that the knight and Macbeth both followed the code of honor as someone part of the Nobility society should.
ReplyDeleteWhen people get into high positions, its easy for them to forget why they do what they do. Some get lost into the power and fame and then lose their purpose, like Macbeth
ReplyDeleteGreat connection Hilda! I see exactly what you mean. Macbeth was exactly like how the Knight is described in the beginning of his story. Unlike the night though, he abuses his power. He could not handle the power he was given and let Lady Macbeth feed his dark side (remember, he was already thinking about killing the king) which brought about his demise. While the knight did not let any praise get to his head Macbeth did. They are similar (in the beginning) yet different at the same time.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great connection, I never thought of Macbeth as being similar to the Knight in The Canterbury Tales. I agree that Macbeth was a Knight in his own way before he killed King Duncan, and that horrible deeds can completely ruin his name and respect. Similar to other characters in the Canterbury Tales who had good qualities, but were corrupt on the inside; for example, the Skipper. He was the best ship captain ever, but was a thief and a murderer.
ReplyDelete