In Geoffrey Chaucer's famous satirical poem The Canterbury Tales, the author describes a pilgrimage that begins in the town of Southwark and continues to the burial place of St. Thomas Becket. Pilgrims are a rather assorted group, made up of members of all classes of the social spectrum in late medieval England. At the head of the group is the "verray, parfit, gentil knight" (Chaucer GP 72) who has just returned from a battle in the Crusades and is now ready to embark on another noble expedition. This ideal knight is chosen to tell the first story that will set the tone for the rest of the journey. Fittingly, he chooses to tell a courtly love story in which two young knights vie for the affections of the same beautiful girl. Chaucer's construction of love in The Knight's Tale proves to be very different from the modern notion of love in our society and probably also different from any love experienced by the other pilgrims on the journey. The Knight presents love in a very superficial way and paints it as a threat to the order and regulation that he believes are extremely important in traditional society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, Chaucer describes the plight of Arcites and Palamon, two young knights who are locked up indefinitely in a tower in Athens by Duke Theseus. Their mundane lives as prisoners are immediately altered the first moment they glimpse Emily, who “was fairer to see / Than is the lily on her green stem” (Chaucer KT 177-178). Immediately the two men are overwhelmed by the violent blow of Cupid's arrow and fall hopelessly into an attack of uncontrollable lovesickness. Palamon moans: “Love has his dart fyry so brenningly / Y-hat struck thurgh my trewe careful herte” (Chaucer KT 706-707). Of course, they know nothing about this woman other than her extraordinary beauty, but that fact doesn't stop them from making highly dramatic proclamations of their undying love and devotion for her. The instant love enters the scene, their typical days and simple friendship come to a halt, and Arcite and Palamon are thrown headlong into the capricious and precarious world of love. Order and stability are thus cast aside in favor of unrequited love. Next, Arcite and Palamon begin their love-induced battle (first verbal, then physical) for the hand of the unsuspecting Emily. Declaring "'he who shall have a lover any law'" (Chaucer KT 306), they revoke their close friendship and pine miserably for the unattainable object of their affection. Arcite is freed from captivity but banished forever from the city of Athens. However, "his face was so disfigured" (Chaucer KT 545) due to the lovesickness he had endured that he felt safe enough to return to the city in an attempt to satisfy his inevitable love for Emily. Subsequently, Palamon escapes from the tower and the two are ready to engage in a life-or-death battle for their mutual beloved. Since love completely disrupts the organization and order of society, it reduces men to the level of animals. Palamon and Arcite completely ignore the concepts of friendship, loyalty and courtesy as they are completely overwhelmed by their passion. During their first battle, Chaucer writes that "Could you imagine that this Palamon / In his fight was a wooden leoun, / And how cruel tiger was Arcite: / Like a bored savage, they will go to smyte" (Chaucer KT 797-800) . Theseus, in a courageous attempt to preserve order, interrupts the battle and organizes a grander and more entertaining competition thanks to the.