Compare And Contrast The Kngiht And The Squire Essay

Geoffrey Chaucer portrayed a cross section of medieval society though The Canterbury Tales. quot;The Prologuequot; or foreword of this work serves as an introduction to each of the thirty one characters involved in the tales. Two of these characters are the Kght and the Squire, who share a father and son relation. These individuals depart on a religious pilgrimage to a cathedral in Canterbury. The Squire, opposed to the Knight, goes for a vacation instead of religious purposes. His intent is not as genuinand pure as his fathers. Though the Knight and the Squire are from the same feudal class and vocation, they differ in the fact that the Knight represents how society should have been; and the Squire depicts an accurate portrayal of†¦show more content†¦The Squire is an extremely vain individual, taking pains to improve his appearance. His superfluous appareis clean and bright and his hair has quot;locks as curly as if they had been pressedquot;(120). This greed for wealth and beauty definitely does not abide by the code of chivalry and is unnecessary for his knighthood. The Knight, more concerned with gallantrynever partakes in such nonsense. He is by far the most chivalrous and heroic.The Knights motivation is based on chivalry and religion, contrasting to the Squire who merely wants to impress the ladies. The Squire wastes time and energy that could be channeled more towards his knightly duties. The real motivation of the Squires not based on chivalry, rather it is the appearance of chivalry he wishes to display. Chaucer stated that the Knight, quot;from the day on which he first began / To ride abroad, had followed chivalryquot;(119). The Knight is utterly sincere and whole-heartedn his pursuits. Unfortunately, the reasons for becoming a cavalier are self-seeking and egotistical in the Squires case opposed to the selfless Knight.Despite the fact that the Knight and the Squire share the same class and occupation, the Knight represents the perfect society while the Squire portrays the society of that