Questions and Answers
Who was the King at the time?
King Arthur
Why were there no longer any magical creatures (fairies, elves, etc.)?
The friars blessed every part of the island to keep them away
What sin did the Friars commit?
The friars slept with sleeping women
What did the knight do to the young woman?
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How did the kingdom react to what the knight did?
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How did the king react to what the knight did?
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How was the knight supposed to die?
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Why did the knight get treated differently from the friars after raping?
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Why did the Queen and the ladies of the kingdom ask for the knight's life?
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What was the Queen's decision on how to handle the knight?
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What was the purpose of the educational journey?
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Why did the Queen want the knight to know what women want most in the world?
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In the end, did the result of the educational journey teach the knight what the Queen wanted him to learn?
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How long did the knight have to find out the answer?
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What other option did the knight have?
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Why is it important that he 'never touched the coast'?
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What was the problem that the knight was experiencing?
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What were the answers that he was receiving?
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What allusion did one woman use to prove that women could not keep a secret?
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In the story of Midas, what was the secret?
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Why didn't Midas want people to know? Who was the only person that he told?
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How did Midas' wife respond to his secret?
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What mood was the knight in as he rode home?
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What did the knight see that 'vanished into thin air'?
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After the women vanished, what remained?
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What did the old woman ask the knight? What did they agree on?
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What did the old woman end up asking the knight to do?
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When did the old woman say that he would know the answer?
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What did the knight say all women wanted?
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How did the knight respond to the woman's proposal?
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Did the knight and the old woman get married?
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How does the reaction of the knight to the request of the old woman parallel the reaction of the kingdom to the knight's original crime?
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What is a theme of the Wife of Bath's Tale?
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Why did the knight not like the old woman's request?
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Study Notes
Characters and Setting
- King Arthur ruled during the tale.
- Magical creatures like fairies ceased to exist because friars blessed the land to ward them off.
Knight's Actions
- The knight raped a young woman as he left a river.
- The kingdom expressed disgust and anger at the knight's crime.
Legal Consequences
- King Arthur sentenced the knight to death according to the law.
- Death was to occur by decapitation.
Nobility and Mercy
- The knight, being of noble descent, was treated differently than the friars who committed similar sins.
- The Queen and women of the kingdom urged mercy from the king for the knight.
The Queen’s Intervention
- The Queen decided to send the knight on an educational journey instead of executing him.
- The journey's goal was to discover what women truly desire.
Purpose and Timeframe
- The knight had one year to find the answer to the question, or face death.
- He never attempted to escape the challenge, symbolizing his commitment.
Challenges Faced
- The knight struggled to gather consistent answers from women, as their desires varied greatly.
- Responses included wealth, freedom, respect, and various pleasures.
Allusion and Secrets
- An allusion to Midas illustrated women's inability to keep secrets.
- Midas had donkey ears, a secret he feared would ruin his reputation.
Midas’ Secret
- He confided only in his wife, who ultimately could not keep the secret and whispered it to a river.
Knight's Dilemma
- While returning, the knight felt sad, nervous, and scared, leading to an encounter with more than 24 beautiful women who vanished, leaving an old woman.
The Old Woman's Proposition
- The old woman asked the knight what he sought and struck a bargain: she would reveal what women want in exchange for his agreement to fulfill her request.
The Marriage Proposal
- The old woman requested marriage, which the knight initially found repulsive.
- He learned the answer that night: women desire autonomy and control in their relationships.
Marriage and Transformation
- Despite his disgust, the knight married the old woman secretly the following day.
- The knight's encounter and forced marriage mirrored the kingdom's initial outrage but later willingness to grant second chances.
Themes
- A prevalent theme in the tale is the importance of second chances and redemption.
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Description
Explore the complex moral landscape of King Arthur's realm through the actions of a knight, his consequences for a heinous crime, and the Queen's unexpected intervention. This quiz delves into themes of nobility, mercy, and the quest to understand what women truly desire within this Arthurian tale.