Knight And The Squire example essay topic

In the medieval period that is described by Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, chivalry was perhaps the most recognized quality of a true gentleman. This quality is explored in Chaucer's two characters of the warrior class, the Knight and the Squire. The squire is the son of the Knight; both ride gallantly and have the air of true gentleman warriors. However, the two are very dissimilar despite their appearances.

The Knight possesses the true qualities of chivalry, devotion to service, constancy in humility, and honesty. The Squire possesses none of these qualities truly; instead his demeanor is one that is less honorable and virtuous. Although both claim the same vocation, the Squire and the Knight display contradicting attitudes in respect to dedication, material possessions, and sincerity. The main point in the description of the Knight was the abundance and importance of his battles, while it was the least mentioned aspect in the Squire. The entirety of the Squire's military experience is named in two lines, 'he had seen some service with the cavalry / If Flanders and Artois and Picardy,' perchance a direct consequence of the Squire's youth (5).

Thelist of the Knight's battles clearly dominates the text of his description, running many lines. He had embarked '. along the Mediterranean coast' to such places as Alexandria, Lithuania, Russia, Granada, Algeciras, North Africa, Bena marin, Anatolia, A yas, and At talia (4). Not only were the battles of the knight more numerous, they were more extensive and required lengthy travels to far-away lands. The Squire had 'done valiantly in little space' in these battles, but had not distinguished himself from his peers. This is implied when it is said that he had only seen 'some service with the cavalry' (5). The Squire had pursued no noteworthy errands in the interest of chivalry like his father.

The 'distinguished knight', on the other hand, was very chivalrous because of his unconditional dedication (4). He had been in " fifteen mortal battles' and 'always killed his men' which supports that his committed to his work, as opposed to the Squire, who possessed a distracted attitude (4). 'He could make sons and poems and recite, / Knew how to joust and dance, to draw and write' and so has focused his time and energy to many other things (5). The Squire's priorities are in entertaining rather than in his vocation, perhaps due this young age.

In contrast, the Knight focused solely on his chivalrous duty; returning 'home from service, he had joined the ranks / To do his pilgrimage and give thanks' (5). Although Chaucer does not criticize the Squire by his writing, the Squire's hesitant attitude towards putting himself in mortal danger as well as his lack of conviction are revealed in light of the Knight's numerous demonstrations of a willingness to defend his faith single-handed ly and also in extreme hardship and distance. In addition to Chaucer's descriptions of dedication that distinguish the Knight, Chaucer also provides a description of the Squire's acquisitiveness for wealth and beauty, a quality that is contrary to the humble nature of the knight. The Squire had 'locks as curly as if they had been pressed', while there is no such description of the Knight's appearance whatsoever (5). I feel that Chaucer does not intend to criticize the Squire by the mention of the beauty of the Squire's hair in conjunction with the mention of the poor outfit of the Knight.

Instead he attempts to point out that the Squire is the lesser of the two in terms of keeping to the code of chivalry. Regarding his articles of clothing, the Knight wore a fustian tunic, which was only somewhat bright and only sufficiently comfortable. An example of the Squire's meticulous appearance is: He was embroidered like a meadow bright And full of freshest flowers, red and white... He was as fresh as is the month of May. Short was his gown, the sleeves were long and wide... (5) This passage exhibits the superficial qualities that were found in the Squire's clothing.

The Squire's clothing was clean and 'bright', and so this seemingly fitting dress is compared to the " stained and dark' tunic that the Knight wore beneath his armor (5). These articles of clothing are also unnecessary to the vocation of a knight. This accounts for the Knight's plain armor and tunic while clearly showing the Squire to be indulging in excesses. The Knight's humility is then revealed, despite his worn-down appearance, by the Squire's exhibition of beauty.

Because of the previously described comparisons that depicted the Squire, his sincerity is questionable. This is illustrated by the contradiction between certain descriptions of the Squire: He loved so hotly that till dawn grew pale He slept as little as a nightingale. Courteous he was, lowly and serviceable, And carved to serve his father at the table. (5) The first two lines suggest a tendency to waste time and energy on the pursuits of women.

This is supported by an earlier line where he fought 'to win his lady's grace' (5). The few battles that he pursued had been motivated by the hopes of gaining these favors rather than the intentions of the leader. These stand in contrast to his chivalrous performances before his father and at the table, where everyone would be able to watch. It shows that the real motivation behind the Squire is not based on chivalry; rather it is the appearance of chivalry that he wishes to display. The Knight is utterly sincere, however, as Chaucer explicitly states that the Knight,' from the day on which he first began / To ride abroad, had followed chivalry' (5). The Knight's manner of speech also supports this: And though so much distinguished, he was wise And in his bearing as modest as a maid.

He never yet a boorish thing had said In all his life to any, come what might; He was a true, a perfect gentle-knight. (5) Chaucer already summarizes the characteristics of the Knight as making up a'perfect gentle-knight', and the many tales of courage add more credibility to Chaucer's summary. The knight's behavior was 'as modest as a maid' (5). This is contrary to the 'lad of fire' and although the Squire had 'wonderful strength and agility', he did not use it to the full extent that his father used his own. In all aspects, in comparison with his own contradictory behavior, and in comparison with the Knight's behavior, the Squire is shown to be less than sincere in his chivalry.

The Knight and the Squire have distinctly different attitudes towards their vocation. As a result, they are complementing images of the medieval warrior. The Knight is the romantic image that all true knights aspire to, generously practicing such chivalrous qualities as dedication, humility, and sincerity. Contrasting this, however, is the image depicted by the Squire, that of an imperfect knight who was to some degree boastful, lusting, or superficial. The Squire was never directly criticized by Chaucer, but the implications that resulted from the description amounted to an extravagant, un-chivalrous image, perhaps a reflection of the actual knights of Chaucer " say. Therefore, Chaucer was not merely comparing two knights and defining the virtues that comprised chivalry, but on a bigger scale was revealing the corruption of humanity by comparing the difference between the realities of our humanity with the ideal of perfection.