In The Knight’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer, Arcite and Palamon are two knights who got imprisoned by Duke Theseus after being found on the battlefield of the Thebes. Although the majority of the tale centers around Palamon, Arcite, and their love triangle with Emelye, their role in the tale seems to serve more being rivals in love. The unique characteristics of Palamon and Arcite contrast from Theseus, therefore, highlighting the specific qualities of Theseus; such as having great tolerance and morality, being the mediator of conflicts, and intelligent. In other words, Palamon and Arcite are both foils to Theseus. Before readers get to be introduced to Palamon and Arcite, Theseus has already shown some of his characteristics through his action of achieving justice for the side characters. The purpose of Palamon and Arcite’s existence later in the tale is to highlight and confirm these characteristics by being a foil to Theseus. In the beginning of the tale, there were tons of women on the street weeping for their unburied husband, who then begged Theseus to pity them and to help them. (Chaucer, pp. 27) Although this was a day of suffering for the women, it was also a joyful day for Theseus’s festival. “‘Who may you be that, at my coming, so /Perturb my festival with cries of woe?’” (27) …show more content…
Palamon is a worthy man that can bring joy to her. (78) This action of Arcite shows how he has changed from being a selfish person into being considerate. Before the battle, his purpose of winning was not to win the love of Emelye but to make himself look stronger. However, after the battle, he learned how to think from other’s perspective and wants the best for them. This change seems to be an influence by Theseus, because Theseus has been using himself to demonstrate what is the best quality a person can possess: help others so they can have a more joyful