Theseus and the 'Right Way' of the 'Knight's Tale'

Author / Editor
Van, Thomas A.

Title
Theseus and the 'Right Way' of the 'Knight's Tale'

Published
Studies in the Literary Imagination 4.2 (1971): 83-100.

Description
Assesses Theseus in KnT as a character who is capable of anger, self-centeredness, pity, reason, restraint, and charity, considering him in light of Boethian philosophy and Boccaccio's characterization of Teseo in the "Teseida." Central to Chaucer's character is the "forgiveness scene," when Theseus finds Palamon and Arcite battling in the forest, condemns them, and then changes his mind; thereafter, Theseus "represents the best an earthly king or a pilgrim should aspire to."

Chaucer Subjects
Knight and His Tale
Sources, Analogues, and Literary Relations