Реферат: Role Of Women In Canterbury Tales Essay 2

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.