Emily of the Knight's Tale: Symbol or Strength?
Kelli Purcell

            This passeth yeer by yeer and day by day,
            Till it fill ones, in a morwe of May,
            that Emelye, that fairer was to sene
            Than is the lylie upon his stalke grene,
            And fressher than the May with floures newe -
            For with the rose colour stroof hire hewe,
            I noot which was the fyner of hem two- (1033-1039)

            Thus is Emily, the least often discussed of the four central characters in the Knight's Tale, described upon her first important entrance in the tale, when the knights initially view her in all of her loveliness. This description of Emily fits in with the common criticism that she is more a symbol of the beauty and goodness that chivalric nature desires than an actual character with thoughts, actions and emotions of her own (Donaldson 49). However, although Emily does lack an individual nature and depth of mind, she still has a certain power and dynamic nature about her that is unusual for a woman in the time period during which Chaucer wrote her story (Spearing 43).
            Through her prayers to Diana asking to remain chaste, some may argue that Emily is, once again, merely reacting to an event, rather than having thoughts of her own (Donaldson 49). A stronger point, however, is made in regards to her heritage as an Amazon woman. Rather than remain in keeping with the popular sentiments of the day and be completely submissive to men, Emily is showing her inherited reluctance to become a subordinate creature (Spearing 43). She is thereby exhibiting a rare bit of strength and showing us that she has power in more ways than one.
            Often, Emily is said to be a conventional heroine, especially after all of the liveliness and excitement of the portraits in the General Prologue. This convention, however, is not necessarily of a negative nature. All of the imagery and language that envelops Emily is completely unparalleled within any of the portraits in the Prologue (Cooper 110); and, though she is a thoroughly two-dimensional character, it is through this limited perspective that Chaucer has tried so hard to create (Donaldson 48) that we realize Emily's true purpose. This purpose is to serve as a rhetorical device to allow the reader to come to a full realization of the ideals behind the tale. If she had any sort of individualistic characterization, it would completely detract from her place in the story (Cooper 110). She would fail to accomplish the main goal of the Knight's Tale; to inform the readers of ideas and ideals of the world, rather than specific people, characters or incidents (Donaldson 49).
            True, Emily does not really have a mind of her own. According to one critic, she is even completely without any chance to leave an imprint on or change in any way the world around her (Spearing 43). She still, however has a good deal of power. After all, she is able to force two "brothers" into a state of total rivalry before they even speak to her (Spearing 43). Once she has served this purpose, she does recede into the background for a lengthy period of time; but, without her, the remainder of the plot would never occur. The happy ending, which teaches the reader the Knight's belief in chivalric life and love, would have no heroine and therefore be completely devoid of meaning.
            Through her symbolism and the perfect language of adoration with surrounds her, Emily is set up to be the ultimate of all romantic heroines. Everything about her suggests goodness, beauty and perfection. It is through this ultimate, quintessential example of a woman that we realize her power truly needs no explanation (Cooper 110). Two men with the goal of a life of chivalry and true love would naturally aspire to this wonderful, goddess-like creature with whom they are faced.
            In conclusion, this tale, especially through its use of Emily, the rhetorical, perfect, but still strong, symbol, tells us more about ourselves and our lives than a similar story with true, individual characters could. By using these ultimate examples, each reader is able to see the truth behind them and, therefore, learn a bit about life and the actions which people take. Although Emily is a symbol, she still exhibits a marvelous quality of strength, regardless of her lack of individuality.

Works Cited

Benson, Larry D., ed. The Riverside Chaucer. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.

Cooper, Helen. The Structure of The Canterbury Tales. Athens: U of Georgia P, 1983.

Donaldson, E. Talbot. Speaking of Chaucer. New York: Norton, 1970.

Spearing, A.C. Chaucer: The Knight's Tale. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995.