The Knight’s TaleMrs. JervisPeriod 1

So who’s in this tale???

Duke Theseus: the man in charge, husband of Hypolita

Hypolita: the Duke’s wife, sister of Emily

Emily: sister-in-law of Duke Theseus

Palamon: cousin of Arcite, falls in love with Emily

Arcite: cousin of Palamon, also falls in love with Emily

Duke Pirithous: close friend of Duke Theseus, knows Arcite and loved him

New WordsProwess: exceptional ability, skill, or strength

Siege: the act of surrounding/attacking a place

Shun: to keep away from a person, place, or object because of dislike

Realm: a royal domain; kingdom

Felicity: bliss; the state of extreme happiness

Wretched: very unfortunate: miserable; despicable

Tyranny: abuse of power

Clamor: very loud noise

Homage: to pay respect

Treacherous: deceptive, untrustworthy, or unreliable

Now the good stuff- the tale…

How it all begins…

Arcite and Palamon are found near dead after fighting

against Duke Theseus’ army

While in prison

Palamon looks out the window and instantly falls in love with Emily

Arcite looks out the window after Palamon and falls in love

The two argue about who saw her first

So, what happened???

Arcite

Released from prison because Pirithous requested he be released

Condition of his release was he was banished from Athens

If he returned, he would be killed

Palamon

Stayed in prison for awhile after Arcite was released

He eventually escaped by poisoning the guard

What happened to the cousins and Emily???

Arcite and Palamon

Disguises himself as a servant, so he can go back to Athens and work for Emily

He eventually runs into Palamon in the woods

They start to fight

Duke Theseus discovers both of them and is going to kill them

Queen Hypolita and Emily beg the Duke not to kill them

The Alternative

Duke Theseus spares their lives, but with this condition:

They come back in a year

100 knights with them

Winner of the battle gets Emily’s hand in marriage

Prior to the battle

Arcite prayed to to win the battle

Palamon prayed to to win Emily

Arcite vs. Palamon

Arcite wins the battle, BUT Palamon wins Emily

You may be wondering how can that be???

How it worked

Arcite defeated Palamon by knocking him off of his horse, so the fight was over after that.

Once Arcite won, one of the gods made Arcite’s horse start bucking, and Arcite fell off and his horse fell on him and killed him

After a few years, Duke Theseus gives Palamon permission to marry Emily

They live happily ever after

Moral of the story

Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it!

Grade this one…