Palamon and Arcite (Dryden)
"Palamon and Arcite" is a poem by John Dryden . It is part of the poetry Fables, Ancient and Modern published in 1700 . "Palamon and Arcite" is an adaptation of " The Knight's Tale " from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer . Dryden based his re-poetry strictly on his original, but expanded the original text with poetic embellishments. Chaucer's source was Boccaccio 's " Teseida ".
Acting persons
The four main characters in the play are the same as in Chaucer's. Palamon, with Chaucer a cousin of Arcite, is with Dryden his "brother-in-arms" (brother in arms). Arcite is a knight of royal blood, without further explanation. Emily (Emelye or Emilye) is a princess and stepdaughter or niece of King Theseus, Duke of Athens .
action
The story of the two knights Palamon and Arcite begins with their capture by Theseus. He finds her unconscious on the battlefield after the fight. They are being held in a dungeon. From there you can look into the palace garden. One day Palamon discovers beautiful Emily through the bars of his cell. He immediately falls in love with her, tells Arcite that he is in love, and he also sees Emily. He claims that he has the right to set her free because he recognized her not as a goddess but as a human being. Arcite is released through the intercession of a friend. Theseus agrees to be released, but banishes Arcite. The knight in love returns disguised as Theseus' servant. Later, each of the two knights must endure trials to prove their love for Emily.