Reader Response to "Canterbury Tales" by Chaucer

In his prologue, Geoffrey Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are involved in this fictional journey and who will tell the tales. One of the more interesting of the characters included in this introductory section is the Knight. Chaucer initially refers to the Knight as 'a most distinguished man' and, indeed, his sketch of the Knight is highly complimentary. In this essay, I will contrast Chaucer's ideal Knight with its modern equivalent.
The Knight, Chaucer tells us, possessed good horses, 'but he was not gaily dressed'. Indeed, the Knight is dressed in a common shirt 'much…