The Lovers Tale :: The Lovers Tale Chaucer Canterbury Tales Essays

The Lover's Tale Whan that the goode Wif of Bathe hadde hir tale ytold, with ful light herte thought she, â€Å"Whan that I go again from Canterbury, Sekirly shalle I have a soper at the cost of alle.† Anoon a yonge lovere saide in parfit Englisch, â€Å"Lordings, now leten me tell the tale of most solas and best sentence.† The young lover paused for a moment: â€Å"Surely the tale would be much more enjoyable if we stop with all the Middle English.† The pilgrims nodded in agreement, wondering why they had not decided upon this earlier, and the lover continued, â€Å"Now, permit me to tell the most pleasant and meaningful tale.† â€Å"In the days of old, during the time of the great King Arthur, there was a knight well known for his courage, valor, and good looks; however, this knight was known to no woman, and many people spoke of this in jest. Also, there was a fair maiden, young and coy, who adored the knight. This lovely lady adored him so much that one day, as he was riding his great steed, she winked at him. This gesture greatly offended the courageous man. He dismounted his horse, went up to the woman, and asked her if she knew who he was. She said, ‘Sir, I do know who you are, and I dare say that I have loved you for some time now.’ The knight was horrified by this beautiful, forthright, and bold woman. He said to her, ‘Woman, I am a fair knight, and thou art not my type.’ A few bystanders giggled, but the knight continued, ‘You shall be punished for what thou hast done to me.’ Then, with his great strength, he took hold of the woman, placed her behind him on his noble steed, and brought her to his lord, the great King Arthur. The noble knight smiled gleefully and was full of joy as he greeted the knights of Arthur’s court (he seemed joyful and gay). The great King Arthur listened to the complaints of his brave knight, and after some time told him that he would need time to decide what punishment to give this girl.