Chaucer's 'Knight's Tale': A Vision of a Secular Ideal of Chivalry

Description: Unlike the knight of the chivalric theorists, who is ideally a force for justice and stability, the knight of the courtly romance is a solitary figure whose primary concern is self-fulfillment without regard to the community at large. As a courtly poet, Chaucer wrote for an audience which knew and appreciated both the notions of courtly love and the values inherent in the code of chivalry.; KnT, then, especially in the person of Theseus as its chivalric protagonist, posits a vision of a viable secular order based on chivalric values. KnT represents Chaucer's mature reflections on a secular order and is ultimately optimistic in its conclusions.