The Canterbury Tales - The Knight The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, written around 1385, is a collection of twenty-four stories apparently told by various People going on religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral from London, England. Before the actual tales, however, Chaucer gives the reader a glimpse of 14th-century life through what he calls a general prologue. In this prologue Chaucer introduces all the characters involved in this imaginary journey and who will tell the stories. Among the characters included in this introductory section is a knight. Chaucer initially refers to the knight as "a very distinguished man" (l. 43) and, indeed, his sketch of the knight is highly complimentary. The knight, Chaucer tells us, "possessed/fine horses, but was not gaily dressed" (ll. 69-70). The knight, in fact, is dressed in a common shirt which is stained "where his armor had left its mark" (l. 72). That is, the knight has "just returned from service" (l. 73) and is in such a hurry to leave for his pilgrimage that he hasn't even stopped before starting it to change his clothes. The knight has had a very busy life as his fighting career has taken him to many places. He saw military service in Egypt, Lithuania, Prussia, Russia, Spain, North Africa and Asia Minor where he "was of [great] value in the eyes of all (l. 63). Although he had a very busy and successful career, he is extremely humble: Chaucer claims to be "as modest as a servant" (l. 65). Furthermore, he has never said an unkind thing to anyone in his entire life (see ll. 66-7). the knight possesses an exceptional character. Chaucer gives the knight one of the most flattering descriptions of the General Prologue: he is an exceptional warrior who has fought for the true faith - in the midst of throughout this conflict, however, the knight remains modest and polite. The knight is the embodiment of the chivalric code: he is devoted and courteous off the battlefield and is bold and fearless on it century in America, we like to think that in our society there are many people who are like Chaucer's knight. During the conflict between this nation and Iraq in 1991, the concept of the modest but effective soldier captured the country's imagination. Indeed, national journalists attempted in many ways to make General H. Norman Schwarzkof a modern-day knight. The general was made to appear as a fearless leader who was actually a normal guy underneath the uniform. It would be nice to think that a person like the knight could exist in the twentieth century. The fact of the matter is that it is unlikely that people like the knight even existed in the 14th century. As he does with all his characters, Chaucer is producing a stereotype in creating the knight. As noted above, Chaucer, in describing the knight, describes a chivalric ideal. The history of the Middle Ages demonstrates that this ideal rarely manifested itself in concrete conduct. However, in his description of the knight, Chaucer shows the reader the possibility of the chivalric lifestyle.