In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, the knight's tale is the first we read. As one might expect, the knight is the epitome of courtly honor and nobility, since he represents the noble class. Despite his high class status, the knight is depicted as modest. Moreover, he's shown to be courageous, as he's honorably fought for king, country, and Christianity all over the world. All in all, the knight fulfills the classic definition of chivalry, as he's brave, principled, and devoted to a moral code of honor. Unsurprisingly, the tale he tells us is one of courtly love, one of chivalry's highest ideals. As such, the knight's story is an extension of his honorable character, and so there are few (if any) surprises in the poem's inaugural tale.
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