Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Character Sketch of Chaucers Knight in General Prologue :: Canterbury Tales Essays

A Character Sketch of Chaucers Knight in General Prologue               Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales, compose in approximately 1385, is a collection of twenty-four stories ostensibly told by various people who are going on a unearthly pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral from London, England. Prior to the actual tales, however, Chaucer offers the reader a glance of fourteenth century life by way of what he refers to as a General Prologue.  In this prologue, Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are involved in this imaginary journey and who will tell the tales.  Among the characters included in this prior section is a knight.  Chaucer initially refers to the knight as a around distinguished man (l. 43) and, indeed, his sketch of the knight is highly complimentary.               The knight, Chaucer tells us, possessed/ ok horses, but he was not gaily spruced up (ll. 69-70).  Indeed, the knight is dressed in a common shirt which is stained where his armor had left-hand(a) mark (l. 72). That is, the knight is just home from service (l. 73) and is in much(prenominal) a hurry to go on his pilgrimage that he has not even paused before beginning it to change his clothes.               The knight has had a real busy life as his fighting career has taken him to a great many places.  He has seen military service in Egypt, Lithuania, Prussia, Russia, Spain, northward Africa, and Asia Minor where he was of great value in all eyes (l. 63).  heretofore though he has had a very successful and busy career, he is extremely humble  Chaucer maintains that he is modest as a housemaid (l. 65).  Moreover, he has never said a rude thing to anyone in his entire life (cf., ll. 66-7).               Clearly, the knight posse sses an outstanding character. Chaucer gives to the knight one of the to a greater extent flattering descriptions in the General Prologue.  The knight can do no wrong  he is an outstanding warrior who has fought for the true faith--according to Chaucer--on three continents.  In the midst of all this contenton, however, the knight remains modest and polite.  The knight is the embodiment of the doughty code  he is devout and courteous off the battlefield and is sheer and fearless on it.