Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: Exploring Injustice in the Knights Tale E

In The Ending of Troilus, E. Talbot Donaldson writes in response to the conclusion of the horses Tale, one of Chaucers Canterbury Tales, What it does designateis that Providence is not working justly. Though Donaldson correctly points out the fact that the Knights Tale ends in injustice, he confuses the role of sin in the injustice with the role of God. He asserts that God is to blame for the injustice in the Knights Tale rather than exploring the role of human sinfulness. The Knight, an honorable, generous, courteous, and noble member of a ships company of twenty-nine people on a pilgrimage to the English town of Canterbury during the Middle Ages, tells his tale as part of a storytelling contest the pilgrims host holds. The Knights Tale takes place in Ancient Greece and relates the story of Arcite and Palamon, two cousins who risk their lives to win the love of Emily, Duke Theseus beautiful sister-in-law. Originally, Arcite and Palamon come from Thebes, a rival of Athens, exactl y Theseus captures and imprisons them during a war. During their incarceration, the cousins notice Emily. Her beauty causes pain in their hearts, as their detention prevents them from roaming about and getting to know fair Emily. Arcite explains, The freshness of her beauty strikes me dead (Coghill 49). The cousins irresistible impulse with Emilys beauty, which they incorrectly describe as love, leads the two to go to battle against one another to determine which of them will gain the privilege of marrying this woman who fairer was of posture/Than is the lily on its stalk of green (Coghill 47). Though Arcite wins the battle, his horse gets spooked and he falls off and dies, thus transferring the right to marry Emily to Palamon, who lives happily ever... ...y situation that will ever occur. Humans cannot know Gods reasons for the way things turn out. People must trust Him to do whats right. Donaldsons entire argument revolves almost the false expectation that, since God loves the world, nothing bad should happen and He should perpetually deal out justice. Though Donaldson correctly realizes that prayers are not always answered and justice is not always carried forth, he blames the conclusion on God, rather than where it is actually due on sin in the world.Works CitedBible (King mob Version). Grand Rapids, Michigan Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2003.Coghill, Nevill. Introduction. The Canterbury Tales. By Geoffrey Chaucer. Trans. Coghill. London Penguin, 2000.Donaldson, E. Talbot, The Ending of Troilus, Chaucers Troilus Essays in Criticism ed. Stephen A. Barney Hamden, CT Archon Books, 1980