Chaucer 2 Essay, Research Paper

Chaucer already summarizes the characteristics of the Knight as making up a perfect gentle-knight, and the many deeds of valor add more credence to Chaucer s summary. The modest bearing is contrary to the “lad of fire” and although the Squire had “wonderful strength and agility”, he did not use it to the full extent that his father used his own. In all aspects, in comparison with his own contradictory behavior, and in comparison with the Knight s behavior,he Squire is shown to be less than sincere in his chivalry.

The Knight and the Squire have distinctly different attitudes towards their vocation of chivalry, yet they are not polarized by Chaucer; rather, they become two complementing images of the medieval warrior. The Knight is the romantic image that all true knights aspire to, generously practicing such chivalrous qualities as dedication, humility, and sincerity. Contrasting this, however, is the image depicted by the Squire, that of an imperfect knight who was to some degree boastful, lusting, or superficial. The Squire was never directly criticized by Chaucer, but the implications that resulted from the description amounted to an extravagant, un-chivalrous image, a reflection of the actual knights of Chaucer s day. Because of the reality of the corruption that was portrayed by the Squire, the true and complete chivalry portrayed by the Knight was unknown. Therefore, it follows that Chaucer was not merely comparing two knights and delineating the virtues that comprised chivalry, but in a grander sense was re vealing many of the corrupting point of humanity by comparing the fundamental difference between the reality of our humanity with the ideal of perfection.