Question

Read the excerpts from "The Monk's Tale."

King Peter of Spain
O noble, worthy Peter, glory of Spain,
Whom fortune held so high in majesty,
How bitterly should we lament thy pain,
Who by thy brother driven forth to flee,
After siege wert caught by treachery,
And thus betrayed wert taken to his tent
Where with his own hands he murdered thee
And gained succession to thy throne and rent!
Upon and argent field an eagle sable
Caught on a lime-rod gules (if you read
This riddle) brewed the treason and was able
— O 'wicked nest'! — to do a wicked deed!
No, Oliver of Charlemagne he, to heed
Honour and truth, but Brittany's mishap,
A Ganelon-Oliver corrupt in greed
It was that brought this King to such a trap!

King Peter of Cyprus
O Peter King of Cyprus, fine and true,
That conqueredst Alexandria by the right
Of arms, and didest woe on heathens too,
Thy very liegemen envied thee, and spite
(no other cause) against thy chivalrous might
Moved them to murder thee upon the morrow
There, on thy bed! Thus Fortune with a light
Turn of her wheel brings men from joy to sorrow.

Describe a theme that the author develops through these two excerpts. Then analyze how the two excerpts interact and build on one another to develop this theme. Be sure to use specific details from the text to support your ideas.

Answer 1

A theme that Geoffrey Chaucer develops through these two excerpts is that of treachery, since both King Peter of Spain and King Peter of Cyprus were betrayed and their lives ended tragically. King Peter of Spain was betrayed by a man named Bertrand, who had agreed to protect him in exchange for a great compensation, but who eventually handed him over to his half-brother, Henry, who promised him an even greater reward and who assassinated Peter in his tent in 1369, becoming the new king. This is narrated in the excerpt, where Bertrand is compared not with Oliver of Charlemagne, friend of Charlemagne, but with the knight that betrayed him ("No, Oliver of Charlemagne... such a trap!").

Peter I of Cyprus devoting his short yet intense life to fight Islam, and he led the short yet devastating Alexandrian Crusade, but his life ended abruptly. Betrayed by his wife and by some of his closer knights, he was assassinated in his bed also in 1369. This is also referred in the poem ("That conquered Alexandria... on thy bed!").

To sum up, both excerpts revolve around this theme, which they present very similarly: after emphasizing the deeds of the two historical characters, they finalize by regretting their tragic endings.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

A theme that Geoffrey Chaucer develops through these two excerpts is that of treachery, since both King Peter of Spain and King Peter of Cyprus were betrayed and their lives ended tragically. King Peter of Spain was betrayed by a man named Bertrand, who had agreed to protect him in exchange for a great compensation, but who eventually handed him over to his half-brother, Henry, who promised him an even greater reward and who assassinated Peter in his tent in 1369, becoming the new king. This is narrated in the excerpt, where Bertrand is compared not with Oliver of Charlemagne, friend of Charlemagne, but with the knight that betrayed him ("No, Oliver of Charlemagne... such a trap!").

Peter I of Cyprus devoting his short yet intense life to fight Islam, and he led the short yet devastating Alexandrian Crusade, but his life ended abruptly. Betrayed by his wife and by some of his closer knights, he was assassinated in his bed also in 1369. This is also referred in the poem ("That conquered Alexandria... on thy bed!").

To sum up, both excerpts revolve around this theme, which they present very similarly: after emphasizing the deeds of the two historical characters, they finalize by regretting their tragic endings.