The Tale of Sir Thopas is a Middle English poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century. It is one of the stories contained in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a collection of tales told by a group of pilgrims on their journey to Canterbury.
Sir Thopas is a knight who is known for his bravery and chivalry. He is also known for his love of adventure and his desire to protect and serve his lady, the fair Elfreda. Sir Thopas is a loyal and devoted lover, and he will stop at nothing to prove his love and devotion to Elfreda.
One day, Sir Thopas sets out on a quest to find the giant, Fulgentius, who has been terrorizing the countryside. Sir Thopas is determined to rid the land of this dangerous beast and restore peace to the kingdom. As he travels through the forest, he encounters many challenges and dangers, but he remains brave and steadfast in his quest.
Despite the obstacles he faces, Sir Thopas is ultimately successful in defeating the giant and saving the kingdom. His bravery and chivalry are praised by all, and he is hailed as a hero. Sir Thopas returns home to his lady, Elfreda, and they live happily ever after.
The Tale of Sir Thopas is a classic story of chivalry and bravery, and it serves as a reminder of the importance of loyalty, devotion, and courage. It is a tale that continues to inspire and delight readers to this day.
Geoffrey Chaucer
Full many a maiden bright in bow'r They mourned for him par amour, When them were better sleep; But he was chaste, and no lechour , And sweet as is the bramble flow'r That beareth the red heep. He puts on linen trousers and shirt, quilted jacket, chain-mail shirt, fine plate jeweled armor, and white surcoat. Premodern Places: Calais to Surinam, Chaucer to Aphra Behn. This may well be doggerel verse," said he. The Host then turns to Chaucer and asks who he is, for he has been silent and withdrawn up until now. What does child mean in this time period? He turns then to the Melibee, and a greater contrast can hardly be imagined.
On herbs fine and good. We shall never know. He must find the elf-queen who has enchanted him, for he will love only her. Rhiannon Purdie and Michael Cichon Cambridge: D. The Second Fit 833 Yet listeth, lordes, to my tale Yet listen, gentlemen, to my tale 834 Murier than the nightyngale, Merrier than the nightingale, 835 For now I wol yow rowne For now I will you tell 836 How sir Thopas, with sydes smale, How sir Thopas, with slender waist, 837 Prikyng over hill and dale, Spurring over hill and dale, 838 Is comen agayn to towne. My heartfelt thanks goes to them. The tale is a satirical depiction of the chivalrous knight, focusing more on his looks, appearance and what he wears, than on his valor or prowess in battle.
The Canterbury Tales Prologue to Sir Thopas Summary & Analysis
There was no one his equal. Sir Thopas climbed back into the saddle, and before long he had ridden so far that he found himself in a hidden part of the forest that no women or child ever dared to enter — it was a secret and deserted place, the very gates of the Otherworld. But transitioning from the above ideas on sin and penitence, it feels slight unconnected. When he awakes, he is determined to ride to the ends of the earth in search of an Elf Queen. Sir Thopas challenges the giant to a duel the next day and then escapes. The poem has, in effect, circled around, circumscribing the landscape of the poem, and encircling the actions of Sir Thopas. The Review of English Studies.
7.4 The Prologue and Tale of Sir Thopas, and the Host's Interruption
If we look at a reliable map, this journeying to the north and east would put him near Bruges some 36 miles , but he ends up not near Bruges but in this Fairy Land. The highlighting corresponds to words that Hannah herself has underlined in the manuscript, as though trying to work out in her own mind an underlying subtext. Men sing the tales of many fine knights, but Sir Thopas bears the flower of royal chivalry! And for he was a knyght auntrous, He nolde slepen in noon hous, But liggen in his hoode; His brighte helm was his wonger, And by hym baiteth his dextrer Of herbes fyne and goode. With his sweet tooth and his fashionable attire, Sir Thopas resembles the Squire. The humor here is at the expense of the villagers rather that the genre of romance and the customs of the nobility: Chaucer leaves the Tale of Sir Thopas unfinished, like the Squire's Tale another romance, though of a quite different stylistic register.
Brewer, 2011 , pp. Sir Thopas was a doughty swain, White was his face as paindemain, His lippes red as rose. Are the relationships between the images clear to us? After some time he stops to give rest to himself and the horse. And like a true knight errant, he shunned the comforts of castles but slept in the open air, using his helmet as a pillow. Since we are constantly changing our environment, are we breaking a natural cycle in favour of an artificial and perhaps more controlled setting or are we perhaps a part of the cycle itself? The Riverside Chaucer 3rd ed. His speare was of fine cypress, That bodeth war, and nothing peace ; The head full sharp y-ground. When Sir Thopas rides into fairyland, he meets a three-headed giant named Sir Elephant.
The Canterbury Tales The Tale of Sir Thopas Summary
His beard was bright yellow and he wore expensive clothes. Flanders, here, is a place where English forces might be fighting. See eNotes Ad-Free Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2014. Such an interpretative task would be difficult for a first time viewer, made all the more difficult due to a lack of literacy. My lords, shall I tell you what happened next? Fair Sir Thopas, says Chaucer, lived in Flanders.
Thopas says he will get his armor and fight the next day. These elements of this story satirize the traditional parts of a romantic tale, where brave knights fall in love and valiantly defeat frightening enemies. Sir Thopas swore that whatever happened, the giant was a dead man! Given that 'The Tale of Sir Thopas' is one of the funniest tales in The Canterbury Tales, it is an apt moment for the author to step in and and include himself in the jest. So instead he arranges to meet the giant the next day and rides home to fetch his armor and prepare himself. Silence, then, for charity! This binding together of information made material more understandable and forced an audience to see connections.
He grew to be a very strong young man, with the ludicrous good looks of an Irish mythical hero; his lips were red, his face was white, his cheeks were bright scarlet — and he had a very handsome nose! Perhaps that is part of the function of Sir Thopas. The second is the date of publication online or last modification online. Benson Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987. Lo, Lordes mine, here is a fytt; If ye will any more of it, To tell it will I fand. His shoes of Cordovan leather. What in the text would correspond to any of those choices? And gave him good dry fodder. His merry men commanded he To make him both game and glee; For needes must he fight With a giant with heades three, For paramour and jollity Of one that shone full bright.
