The Canterbury Tales: The Knight's Tale Fate and Free Will Quotes Page 3
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| Quote #7 Arrayed was this god, as he took keep, |
Mercury tells Arcite that the end of his suffering is "shapen." By this, he means that it is already decided – shaped, or constructed. Arcite's fate waits for him in Athens.
| Quote #8 'Love hath his firy dart so brennyngly |
Arcite says that his death, or succumbing to love, was "shapen," or constructed, before his "sherte," by which he means swaddling-shirt. What he's saying is that his love for Emily was fore-ordained by Love before he was even born.
| Quote #9 'And forthy, I yow putte in this degree; |
Theseus precedes his plan for Arcite and Palamon's joust by saying that it's a way for both men to achieve his destiny. What's interesting about this is that Theseus plays such a big role in shaping it. But rather than just choosing one of the men to marry Emily, he decides they should fight it out: he must truly believe that a higher power is better qualified than he is to decide all their fates.
