Реферат на тему The Canterbury Tales Essay Research Paper Women
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The Canterbury Tales Essay, Research Paper
Women In The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer serves as a
moral manual for the 1300?s and years after. Through the faults of both men and woman,
he shows in each persons story what is right and wrong and how one should live. Under
the surface, however, lies a jaded look and woman and how they cause for the downfall of
men. ?The Knight?s Tale? is one of chivalry and upstanding moral behavior. However,
beneath the surface lies the theme of the evil nature of women. Emily plays the part of the
beautiful woman who captivates the hearts of two unsuspecting men. Those two men are
cousins Arcite and Palamon, both knights who duel for Emily?s hand in marriage. The two
start out as the best of friends and then roommates in a jail cell that is to be shared for
eternity. But with one look at Emily, the two start bickering instinctively and almost come
to blows over something they will never be able to have, or so it seems. Chaucer?s knack
for irony revels itself as Arcite is released from his life sentence but disallowed from ever
coming back to Athens. He would be killed ever caught within the city again by King
Theseus. Because Arcite is doomed to never again see Emily, his broken heart causes him
sickness as he?s weakened by love. It is only after he comes up with the plan of returning
to Athens under an assumed name that he starts to get better. Meanwhile, Palamon
remains back in captivity, rendered helpless due to his lifelong punishment in prison. He
knows that he will never be able to talk to Emily and certainly not marry her because of his
plight. All he can do is watch her from a distance and admire her beauty. Arcite believes
that this is a better punishment than his, though, as he says: ?O dere cosin Palamon, quod
he, Thyn is the victorie of this aventure Ful blisfully in prison maistow dure; In prison?
Certes nay, but in paradys! Wel hath fortuen y-turned thee the dys, That hast the sighte of
hir, and I th?adsence. ? But I, that am exyled and bareyne Of alle grace, and in so greet
despeir, That ther nis erthe, water, fyr, ne eir, Ne creature, that of hem maked is, That may
me helpe or doon confort in this: Wel oughte I sterve in wanhope and distresse; Farwel my
lyf, my lust, and my gladnesse!? (58 and 60) Emily has caused him such distress that he
cries all the time and contemplates killing himself so he won?t have to feel this every day
pain that appears to have no end. All of this because of a woman. Emily is a sweet,
innocent woman of her times. In a strange twist for a woman of The Canterbury Tales, she
is perfectly happy alone and doesn?t ever want to be married. Yet, Palamon and Arcite
duel twice for Emily?s love and Arcite ends up losing his life all because of her. Palamon,
winning her by default, serves Emily faithfully for several years before she agrees to marry
him, still not loving him, though. No one wins in ?The Knight?s Tale,? but it is the two
men who fight over the woman who lose the most. The ?Nun?s Priest?s Tale? is perhaps
the best representation of men?s downfall due to the influence of women. The story
revolves around a rooster, Chauntercleer, the most beautiful cock in all of England with
the sweetest voice an any ear has heard. He has seven wives but his favorite was Pertelote,
an elegant hen in her own right. It is this woman, this female, that causes Chauntercleer
great trouble. One night Chauntercleer wakes suddenly from a bad dream. Seemingly
seeking comfort in her, he tells Pertelot about the dream which involves a wild, rampant
dog with beady eyes coming after Chauntercleer. But instead of consoling her ?husband?,
she challenges his manhood and says that no man hers should be scared of a dream. This
causes Chauntercleer to go off on a tangent about the many, many times in history dreams
have predicted the future and how non-believers suffered the consciences of not taking the
proper precautions. After he done, however, he says that Pertelot is probably right and
goes off about his day not giving it another thought. This causes the narrator to take an
aside from the story to tell us his own opinion on women but says that it is the belief of
many men and not his own in an attempt to perhaps cover himself. In this he says:
?Wommennes counseils been ful ofte colde; Wommannes counseil broughte us first to wo,
And made Adam fro paradys to go, Theras he was ful mery, and wel at ese. But for I noot
to whom it mighte displese If I counseil of wommen wolde blame, Passe over, for I seyde
it in my game. Rede auctours, wher they trete of swich matere, And what they seyn of
wommen ye may here. Thise been the cokkes wordes, and nat myne; I can noon harm of
no womman divyne.? (404) Chauntecleer later is indeed attacked by a wolf and carried
away to the woods to his certain doom before slipping away, proving the point that
women are the downfall of men. If he had listened to himself and his dreams instead of
Pertelote, Chauntecleer would have been more cautious of not of had the near-death
encounter he did. Finally, the prologue to the ?Wife Of Bath?s Tale? shows the reader
another type of woman of the time, this time in the effect of the story teller. The Wife Of
Bath is a tough woman with a mind of her own and she?s not afraid to speak it. She
intimidates men and woman alike due to the strength she possesses. But instead of
showing this as a good characteristic, Chaucer makes her toothless and ugly. She has also
had five different husbands and countless affairs, thus breaking innocent men?s hearts. In
one part of the prologue, the Wife Of Bath speaks of marriage and women from a man?s
point of view: ?Thou lykenest wommanes love to helle, To bareyne lond, ther water may
not dwelle. Thou lyknest is also to wilde fyr: The more it brenneth, the more it hath desyr
To consume every thing that brent wol be. Thous seyst right as wormes shende a tree,
Right so a wyf destroyeth hir housebonde; This knowe they that been to wyves bonde.?
(198) The Wife Of Bath brings up many a valid point throughout the prologue but
Chaucer voids her opinion because of her social class and looks, when in truth she is very
wise. It is as if her intelligence is overshadowed by the fact that has had five husbands and
considered something of a whore. It is not only in three narration?s that women are
thought of as having an evil-like quality, that they always tempt and take from men, but in
almost every one of the stories. They are depicted of untrustworthy, selfish and very vain
throughout the collection of tales. Chaucer obviously has very opinionated views of the
marriage and the opposite sex and expresses it very strongly in The Canterbury Tales.