The Gods Must be Crazy

As Theseus was introduced at the outset of “The Knight’s Tale,” it occurred to me that a dominant masculine figure, specifically that of the honorable conqueror, has been a common theme through our readings thus far in the semester. All three stories begin by describing such a hero whose supreme authority orders the rest of the narrative (Virginius in The Physician’s Tale, Charles in The Song of Roland, and Theseus in The Knight’s Tale). It seems that this character is almost obligatory to the medieval narrative, as if the feudal imagination could not imagine a story that is not directed or at least mediated by a ruling power higher than the protagonist. This dynamic is particularly significant in The Knight’s Tale as the central conflict between the two main characters (Arcite and Palamon) is completely subordinate to Theseus’ ability to govern. At every turn their fate is directly controlled by Theseus. They are in-between life and death when he orders their imprisonment, and the entire rest of the narrative is set around their competition over Emelya, whom Theseus could simply give over to either man at any time. Theseus presides over the conflict as a kind of ordering secular authority. Aers summarizes Muscataine’s analysis as stating that, “the heart of the Knight's Tale was an assertion of aesthetic, cosmic and metaphysical order, and that Theseus represents the underlying `principle of order' to which Chaucer was committed” (174). It is very uncommon in modern literature to have every character in a story be subordinate to one, ruling character. If one character maintains the ability to control all others, it is difficult to imagine a conflict which is not decided by the ruling hero asserting his dominance. However, the incorporation of divine will in The Knight’s Tale is what allows Chaucer’s story to articulate an interesting philosophical perspective on the notion of order. Aers highlights the following lines to demonstrate this philosophical question:

“O crueel goddes that governe
This world with byndyng of youre word eterne, . . .
What is mankynde moore unto you holde
Than is the sheep that rouketh in the folde?
For slayn is man right as another beest, . . .
What governance is in this prescience,
That gilteless tormenteth innocence?”

(ll. 1303-4, 1307-9, 1313-14)

As Palamon bemoans his imprisonment, he ponders a question which is central to the whole story. He is wondering what determines divine authority. In The Song of Roland, the narrative was much less ambivalent toward this notion. There was one “right God” and the army in his service won glory. In The Knight’s Tale the destiny of the conflicted parties rests almost entirely on their commitment to the right God, however it is much more difficult to determine which god is right. Before the battle between Arcite and Palamon, Arcite prays to Venus, Palamon prays to Mars, and Emelya prays to Diana. The Gods are thrust into conflict and the story’s ending is determined by their seemingly haphazard struggle (Pluto comes flying in out of left field, totally changing the fate of all the characters). Where The Song of Roland portrays the nature of divine authority as absolute and decisive, Chaucer illustrates it as capricious and unpredictable.