The Knights Tale

The knights Tale
Palamon and Arcite were two cousins who lived in the Greek city of Thebes. The King of Thebes, Creon (appears), was an old, wicked man who treated his enemies very badly. Theseus, the Duke of Athens (appears), met a group of women as he was traveling. They were crying.

-Group of women: “Help us, Lord Theseus. We are all widows. Creon has murdered our husbands!

Theseusangry decided to attack Thebes. He sent his wife, Hippolyta, and her sister, Emily, to his palace where they would be safe. Then he marched towards Thebes with his soldiers. When Creon know that he say

-Creon go and kill them all or you will die.

Palamon and Arcite fought bravely to defend their city but, in the end, they fell unconscious to the ground. The victorious soldiers of Athenswalked among the dead bodies on the battlefield.

-Soldier: Come here. Shouted. These two are still breathing. They are alive!!

It was Palamon and Arcite. Theseus took the two young men prisioner. He took them back to Athens and locked them in a tall dark tower. No gold could buy their freedom. They were prisoners for life!

One morning in May, Emily, the sister of Queen Hippolyta, was walkingin the garden near the tower. She was as beautiful as the lilies and roses that grew there. She sang like an angel. Palamon, who was looking sadly out of the window, cried out when he saw her. An arrow had gone through his heart. He had fallen in love.
Arcite heard him shout. He also came to the window and looked out through the thick iron bars. As soon as he saw Emily, he also lost his heart toher. They were both in love with the same woman!
Palamon was angry with Arcite.

-Palamon: You are my friend and my cousin. When we were children, we promised that we would always help each other. Now you have betrayed me! You are in love with my lady!

-Arcite: I love her more than you. I am right to love her. There is no law in love. But lets stop quarreling. We are both prisoners. Shewill never marry either of us.

Every day the two cousins, with burning hearts, looked through the bars and watched her walking in the garden.
Shortly after this, a duke from Thebes came to visit Duke Theseus. This visitor was a friend of Arcite and begged Theseus to release him from prison.
-Visitor: I beg you to please let him free

-Visitor: I will pay you money

Duke Theseus spokesternly.
-Theseus: I agree to let him go. But there is one condition. Arcite must leave Athens immediately. If he ever returns, he will die!

So Arcite received his freedom but had to return to Thebes while Palamon remained in the tower all alone. Arcite was very unhappy.

-Arcite: I am free but I cannot see the lovely Emily. Palamon is far luckier than I am. Every day, he can look out of hiswindow and watch her walking in the garden. He is in Paradise!

Palamon was equally unhappy.

-Palamon: Arcite is far luckier than I am. He can collect a great army in Thebes and march against Athens. If he wins the war against Theseus, he can marry Emily. He is in Paradise!

Arcite, however, had a different plan. He came back secretly to Athens. He looked pale and sick because he had beensuffering for so long from a broken heart. Nobody recognized him. He took off his lord’s clothes and put on the clothes of a poor man. Then he went to the house of Lady Emily. He told the servants

-Arcite: My name is Philostrate. I am looking for a job.

-Servant: We are looking for someone to help our lady.

He was a strong, hardworking young man, so he was given the job. Arcite became thepersonal servant of Lady Emily! But if anyone recognized him, he would die.
Palamon was in the tower for seven years. One day, however, a friend helped him to escape. He gave the guard a glass of wine with drugs in it that that made him sleep. Then Palamon ran away. He crept through Athens in the middle of the night and reached the countryside where he hid in a grove. Both lovers were now free....