Canterbury Tales

3 Pages 861 Words

In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, there are many instances that would suggest that perhaps women are the downfall of men. It could be that contained with in the pages of this literary work is a hidden message of Chaucer’s time that women are evil and cannot help men in any way, or perhaps it is a piece that is just meant to satirize the role of the new women in the world. In either case, it is man’s fatal flaw, that undying love for women that always brings about his own downfall.
When faced with the scent of women men always seem to lose all reason and logic. Their brains become mush and immediately resort to their basic primal instincts. For example, in the Knight’s Tale, the carpenter believes the flood. No matter how outlandish or unreal it may seem to the reader, to the man it seems perfectly logical. The man wants to trust whole-heartedly that the women would never deceive him, so when a situation is presented where a lie may be used, the man is blinded by his love. This is also brought about when the carpenter believes the flood. He is also stupefied and dumbfounded and believes anything that women would tell him. This is another example of how women bring about the downfall of men.
In addition to losing reason and logic, women also are the biggest cause of male violence. Men continually endanger themselves for love and for the attention of women. In the Knight’s Tale, both Arcita and Palamon fight over a girl that neither of them has met. This shows that no matter how well you know each other, if a woman is in the picture all bets are off. Men are willing to fight to the death for their women and the same cannot be said for the other sex. The other knights that fight for an un-known woman are also subject to the same principle that women bring about their downfall and death. These knights know nothing of the women they are fighting for but agree because it gives them and excuse to resort to male violence. It is amazin...