The "Knight's Tale” is the first tale in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

It is about two
knights of the city of Thebes, Arcite and Palamon, who are imprisoned by Theseus, Duke
of Athens after he conquers their home city. In prison they see and fall in love with the
sister of Hippolyta (Theseus’ wife taken from conquered Scythia), Emily. The sense of
competition brought about by this love causes them to hate each other and after leaving
the prison each tries to win Emily over by any means necessary, almost killing each other
while doing so. To settle the matter Theseus holds a tournament to decide who shall
marry Emily. Palamon prays to make Emily his wife, Emily prays to marry the one that
really loves her, and Arcite prays for victory. Arcite wins the battle, but dies before he can
claim Emily as his prize, and so Palamon marries her

According to Edward B. Ham, scholars believe that the The Knight’s Tale was
written primarily to tell a story which proves or accomplishes some or all the following
points:
• To teach and portray courtly love.
• To determine the more deserving of two equalized individuals.
• To revolves the issue of the active versus the contemplative.
• To write of honor among friends, or, of the conflict between love and friendship.
• To analyze conflicting passions.
• To align order, in a semblance of noble life against disorder and chaos.
• To emphasize a tragic view of the universe.
• To satirize a situation.
• To set the bower over against the battle-field
• To tell a tale of missis ambagibus.

These points are tackle one way or another throughout the poem in varying means
by Ekphrasis or otherwise. However due to time constraints I would like to focus on three
instances of Ekphrais, in particular the description of the three temples built by Theseus
to the gods Diana, Mars and Venus.

According to Stephen G. Nichols, Ekphrasis should be a writer’s tour-de-force, a

perfect meeting of eye and ear. The ekphrasis should condense philosophical,
metaphysical and social questions that strike at the matter at hand.

The matter at hand of this tale then is between that of Arcite and Palamon, of
active versus contemplative, earthly love against heavenly love and of the Knightly Code
set against True Love. In short their conflict about the their motives and attitudes towards
love as in every other way both contenders are equally matched and identical. (Paull F.
Baum)
 In this case the three temples to Diana, Mars and Venus, built by Theseus for the
benefit of the tournament, beyond being good example of notional ekphrasis, gives
psychological insight into the three characters Emily, Arcite and Palamon. The three
temples, and through the prayers that each character will offer to their respective patrons,
gives us, the readers, the depth and motivation that we have been looking for from each
of the main characters. Furthermore they function as a moral or character points of
reference, enabling the comedic paradoxes that Chaucer plays upon the characters (such
as the appearance of Lycurgeus and Emetreus or the subtle ironies in each character’s
prayers). It could then be said that this Ekphrasis is as much for our benefit as well as that
of the characters.

Upon analysis each temple could be said to allow us a walk in the characters’
heads, to see what goes on as the tale has unfolded thus far. The Temple of Venus is a
fairly graphic representation of Palamon’s love for Emily, one that is unconcerned with
the earthly and pursues love for its own sake. In contrast to Palamon however, is the
home of Arcite’s patron, Mars, which has been decorated with scenes depicting all sorts
of misfortune and atrocity representational of Arcite’s desire for victory as opposed to
that Palamon’s desire for Emily. It also represents his adherence to a realistic point of
view where being conscious of Emily’s ignorance for him seeks to win her by force of
arms.

The greatest surprise however is in the temple of Diane where we are given a
glimpse into the mind of Emily who for more than half of the tale has remained a silent
character to the point of being objectified by the male protagonists. Her choice of patron
(and her subsequent prayer) reveals a woman that wishes to be free of the situation she
has been thrust into by the two warring knights. In a way her situation is similar to that of
Procne and Philomela in that it is through this ekphrasis that she is able to speak out
against her so called suitors.