1 / 9

The Knight

The most noble pilgrim described in Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales ”. The Knight. “ " There was a K night , a most distinguished man …“ Geoffrey Chaucer. Presentation. Chaucer begins presenting the characters in The Canterbury Tales by describing the Knight .

kalila
Download Presentation

The Knight

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The mostnoblepilgrimdescribed in Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” The Knight “"Therewas a Knight, a mostdistinguished man …“ Geoffrey Chaucer

  2. Presentation • Chaucerbeginspresenting the characters in The Canterbury Talesbydescribing the Knight. • The Knightis the onlymemberof the aristocracydescribedbyChaucerat the beginningofhis narrative poem. • The knight's tale, composed in 1386, is the first tale of the poem, and isconsidered the first "novel" everwritten: in itChaucer's descriptionof the Knightis more realisticthan in otherswritten down in the nextcenturies.

  3. Whowas a Knight • A medievalknighthadtorespect a lotofnoblevaluesthatformed the Code ofChivalry, examinedbyChaucer in the first versesof the tale. • The mostimportantvaluethat the knighthadtorespectwas the loyaltytohis lord: in factChaucer's knighthadnevergiven up in battlesincehis first dayhehadfought. • Othervalues the Knighthadtorespectwere: honour, generosity, courtesy, prowess and freedom;they are properlylistedbyChaucerin the first part of the tale.

  4. The Knightusuallyfoughtwithseveralweapons, but in the pilgrimageto Canterbury Cathedralneitherhenorhis son, hissquire, broughtanyweapons, becausetheyrespectedanotherimportantvalue: the devotion. • HewentonpilgrimagetothankGodforhishealth and forhisvictories in battles, duels and in the Crusades. • Hewasrich, buthedidn't wanttobeconsideredrichbyotherpilgrims, so hewasn't gailydressed. An unarmedknight (reconstruction)

  5. Clothing and appearance • Chaucerdescribes the Knight's clothes: theyseemlessnoble, buttheywereveryhelpfulfor the protectionof the body. • Heworeanoldcoarsetunic, madeoffustian, composedbywool and cotton. Thistunicwas dark and hadalsostained, torn and smudgeparts. • Itwaslow-priced and itwasproduced in the Flanders. • The Knightworealso a bismoteredgipoun, thatwasa tight-fittingjackethewore under the armour and itwaslaced on the back or the sides.

  6. Itwassometimesdecoratedwithheraldicsymbols and itwasconsideredunchivalricbecauseitwasdirty, asdescribedbyChaucer. • The Knightwas "bismotered", becausehewasrich and noblebutherefused the nobleappearance. • The Knightworealsoanhabergeoun, a mail coatheusedtoprotecthischestfromviolentstrikes. Italsowasalwaysstained and dirty. An armedknight (reconstruction)

  7. TipicKnight’s clothes FustianTunicGipounHabergeoun

  8. About the Knight • Chaucercomposedthisdescription mixing a lotofliteraryelementsdesigning the characteras a shiningknight and, at the sametime, a verydevoutpilgrim. • The stains and the rustedarmourwantonlytohighlighthis social status and hisexploits. • Thisknight wanted toappearverymodest: in facthewore no sworebelt or otherarms and all the garmentspresented take anallegoricalrole, literaryelementfrequentlyusedby the autorsof the Middle Age.

  9. Tiziano Guglielmi & Luigi Campolieti Thanksforattention

More Related