The third of Newton’s three laws of motion states, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” It describes each action as having an equally important reaction, which creates a sense of balance. This law, although meant to be about the physical world, applies to The Knight’s Tale. The author, Chaucer, decided to create a symmetrical story with each important action in the first half, having a corresponding action in the second half. This balance creates a perfect storyline because the plot is evenly distributed from the beginning to the end. The reader has a better experience reading the story since every important action is emphasized. The balance of the events in The Knight’s Tale positively affect the reader’s understanding of the story.
Chaucer uses the technique of symmetry to give the story a complete feeling. The events in the first, second, and partially the third parts of The Knight’s Tale are balanced out with events in the rest of the third and fourth parts. This balance is achieved by each major event having a parallel. Some of the events in the story that start out as negative are balanced out with a positive action. When the narrator says, “Hippolyta, / Their queen, he took to wife, and, says the story, / He brought her home in solemn pomp and glory,” it is paralleled to another event in the later part of the story (26). King Theseus’s marrying of Hippolyta is balanced out when the narrator says, “And thus with every bliss and melody / Palamon was espoused to Emily” (86). While the first marriage is forced because Theseus captured Hippolyta, the second one is out of Palamon’s true love for Emily. The events balance out because it transitions from an unfair marriage to a fair one. Other events in The Knight’s Tale are balanced out with a resolution to a problem that was created in the first few parts of the story. This creates a feeling of a complete story for the reader because all loose ends are tied up, and all conflicts are solved. When Arcite says, “Yours is a mystical, a holy love, / And mine is love as to a human being,” it shows that Arcite is love sick at the sight of Emily, and so is Palamon, so they start to fight over her (34). This is resolved when Arcite is hurt again because of his love for Emily, and says, “With Jove, in all the world I know of none / So worthy to be loved as Palamon, / Who serves you and will serve you all his life” (78). The conflict between the cousins of who will win the girl they both love is resolved in the fourth part of the story when Arcite allows Palamon to marry Emily. The fact that each of the problems in The Knight’s Tale are settled gives the reader a satisfied feeling because they are not left wondering about anything. Symmetry plays an important role in the way that the reader understands the story. Chaucer’s decision to create a symmetrical story is a wise one because it allows the actions in the story to be highlighted for an easy understanding. If each event did not have an equal or opposite reaction it would have been more difficult to follow which events were important. Not every event in the story had a parallel, which shows the difference between the significant and insignificant events. If an event had a corresponding action later in the story, the reader would know that the earlier event was one …show more content…
It helps with making the storyline simpler and easier to determine, and it gives the reader a fuller sense of the plot. Balance is demonstrated in Newton’s third law of motion, which can be applied to the kind of balance Chaucer uses. Each significant event in the first part of the story has an equal and opposite reaction that comes later. The laws of motion in the physical world keep physical order, just as the balance found in The Knight’s Tale keeps organization and structure throughout the story. The reader is positively affected by this order because all conflicts are resolved and clearly defined. Balance is an important quality to have because of the advantages it brings
Chaucer uses the technique of symmetry to give the story a complete feeling. The events in the first, second, and partially the third parts of The Knight’s Tale are balanced out with events in the rest of the third and fourth parts. This balance is achieved by each major event having a parallel. Some of the events in the story that start out as negative are balanced out with a positive action. When the narrator says, “Hippolyta, / Their queen, he took to wife, and, says the story, / He brought her home in solemn pomp and glory,” it is paralleled to another event in the later part of the story (26). King Theseus’s marrying of Hippolyta is balanced out when the narrator says, “And thus with every bliss and melody / Palamon was espoused to Emily” (86). While the first marriage is forced because Theseus captured Hippolyta, the second one is out of Palamon’s true love for Emily. The events balance out because it transitions from an unfair marriage to a fair one. Other events in The Knight’s Tale are balanced out with a resolution to a problem that was created in the first few parts of the story. This creates a feeling of a complete story for the reader because all loose ends are tied up, and all conflicts are solved. When Arcite says, “Yours is a mystical, a holy love, / And mine is love as to a human being,” it shows that Arcite is love sick at the sight of Emily, and so is Palamon, so they start to fight over her (34). This is resolved when Arcite is hurt again because of his love for Emily, and says, “With Jove, in all the world I know of none / So worthy to be loved as Palamon, / Who serves you and will serve you all his life” (78). The conflict between the cousins of who will win the girl they both love is resolved in the fourth part of the story when Arcite allows Palamon to marry Emily. The fact that each of the problems in The Knight’s Tale are settled gives the reader a satisfied feeling because they are not left wondering about anything. Symmetry plays an important role in the way that the reader understands the story. Chaucer’s decision to create a symmetrical story is a wise one because it allows the actions in the story to be highlighted for an easy understanding. If each event did not have an equal or opposite reaction it would have been more difficult to follow which events were important. Not every event in the story had a parallel, which shows the difference between the significant and insignificant events. If an event had a corresponding action later in the story, the reader would know that the earlier event was one …show more content…
It helps with making the storyline simpler and easier to determine, and it gives the reader a fuller sense of the plot. Balance is demonstrated in Newton’s third law of motion, which can be applied to the kind of balance Chaucer uses. Each significant event in the first part of the story has an equal and opposite reaction that comes later. The laws of motion in the physical world keep physical order, just as the balance found in The Knight’s Tale keeps organization and structure throughout the story. The reader is positively affected by this order because all conflicts are resolved and clearly defined. Balance is an important quality to have because of the advantages it brings