Editor's Choice

What does symbolism represent in 'The Knight's Tale'?

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The amphitheater is a very important symbol in The Knight's Tale. In the ancient world, an amphitheater was a giant stadium used to stage entertainments such as chariot races and gladiatorial contests. Providing such entertainments was a useful way for the authorities to keep violence and bloodshed within strictly controlled boundaries. The amphitheater and its bloody entertainments acted as a kind of social safety valve, allowing the masses to give vent to their most primal instincts without undermining the foundations of society.

That's precisely how Theseus views the construction of the amphitheater in The Knight's Tale. He builds the stadium specifically to stage the jousting contest between the bitter rivals Palamon and Arcite. Both of these knights take the chivalric code very seriously—a little too seriously, perhaps—so they're not about to face off in an ugly street brawl to settle their differences. If they're to fight each other, it's important that they do so according to a strict set of rules in front of a large crowd. This way, everyone can see that it's a fair fight, fought in a manner befitting of gentlemen. It's entirely appropriate, then, that this noble joust should take place in a large, public amphitheater where the niceties of the cherished knightly code can best be observed.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The "Knight's Tale" is a romance, a fairy tale, a quest of and for the ideal.  Its exemplum deals with the ideal forms of love and chivalry.  As such, its major symbols have to do with the quest: knights, goddesses, the battlefield, the hand of the beloved, the test of combat, the meeting by the trees, the choice of the beloved.

Here are some other symbols/motifs/and imagery, with quotes as support:

Seasons: "morn in May"; "talk of green, And fresher than is May with flowers new"

Nature: "That “Fields have eyes and every wood has ears. It’s well for one to bear himself with poise;"

Prison: prisoner, As was his wont, by leave of his jailer"

Gods/mortals: "Whether she is a woman or goddess! Yours is a worship as of holiness, While mine is love, as of a mortal maid;"

Heaven/Hell: "No more in Purgatory, but in Hell."..."In prison? Never, but in Paradise!"

Fate vs. choice: "Of what great God, or Fortune, may ordain, When better is the gift, in any guise,"

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial