The Canterbury Tales: The Knight's Tale Friendship Quotes Page 4

Theseus implies that the best friend is one who dies rather than bring dishonor to his friends. He also says that a friend ought to be happy for one who dies in his youth, before old age has had a chance to dim his reputation. These ideas may seem strange to us, but they're true to ancient Greek society, in which honor and reputation were someone's most precious "possessions."