Terry Jones, however, disagrees with Hatton's reading and argues that the portrait provided by Chaucer is a satirical one. Given the vast array of successful battles in which English knights fought, it seems likely that Chaucer wanted to deliberately and positively configure the Knight as a worthy crusader due the battles in which he chose to place the Knight (80-81). Those we know about with certainty are all among the few victories obtained by European chivalry over the heathen in the fourteenth century" (80). He argues that "all of them have one obvious characteristic in common: they are all struggles between Christians and pagans. Those against Eastern European Pagans (Pruce, Lettow, and Ruce) Battles versus the Saracens (Alisaundre, Lyeys, and Satalye)ģ. Battles versus the Spanish Moors (Gernade, Algezir, Belmarye, and Tramyssense)Ģ. To facilitate a close-reading of these battles, Hatton groups them into three distinct categories:ġ. Considering these campaisngs in their historical context, he argues, offers even further insight into significance. 53-66) must invite interpretation and careful consideration given that they take up nearly half of the Knight's portrait (80). Hatton rightly notes that the battles themselves (ll. What particularizes the Knight's portrait is the list of battles Chaucer uses to demonstrate the Knight's worthiness.
As Thomas Hatton has observed, however,Ĭombining the virtues of worthiness and wisdom in the character of the ideal knight is, of course, hardly unique with Chaucer. According to the General Prologue, he warred many times for the Christian faith, fought in numerous battles against pagans, and stands as the epitome of a worthy and virtuous holy warrior. Of all of the figures in the Canterbury Tales (both tale-tellers and characters in the individual narratives), the Knight is the most obvious of crusading figures. Whan they were wonne, and in the Grete SeeĪt mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene,Īnd foughten for oure feith at TramysseneĪnd though that he were worthy he was wys, Trouthe and honour, fredom, and curteisie.