Matthew Sanfilippo and Brie Poppell Sir Topaz A Tale of Romance

Prologue  The Host is making fun of Chaucer for being so quiet. He says that he is mysterious and hard to read because of his lack of speaking.  The Host ask Chaucer to tell a tale and Chaucer agrees. Chaucer does not think it’s right for the occasion but  The Host disagrees and says he can tell it’s good by the smile on Chaucer’s face.

The Tale of Sir Topaz  Chaucer starts the tale of a knight whose name is Sir Topaz.  His father was the king of Belgium which is where Topaz is from.  He is a strong, pale man with red lips. His hair is to his waist and he has a red beard. He wore leather shoes, brown socks, and a fine threaded robe.  He is a hunter, wrestler, and an archer. He is very sweet and handsome which made the beautiful, young women want him. Unfortunately for them, he is an abstinent man.

The Tale of Sir Topaz  One day, for seemingly no reason at all, Topaz jumped on his gray horse with his sword on his side and rode off.  He went through ten or more dangerous forests. The forests were full of animals, flowers, licorice, ginger, and more.  The birds were singing their beautiful song. This awakens something in Sir Topaz.

The Tale of Sir Topaz  The urge for a women’s embrace is awaken by the birds’ songs. He kicks the horse in the side and races through the forest.  This made him grow tired so he stopped and laid in the grass while his steed fed. He cries out for Saint Mary’s help because this new feeling makes him feel impure.  He confesses that he had a dream of the elf queen. He believes that this means he must sleep with the elf queen in order to rid the desire.

The Tale of Sir Topaz  Sir Topaz races off in search of the elf queen. He finally arrives in the magical kingdom of fairies and sprites where the queen resides.  A giant named Sir Olifaunt threatens Topaz by saying that he will kill the horse and hurt Topaz if he doesn’t leave at once. Sir Topaz challenges the giant and promises to return the next day to kill him.  Sir Topaz rode away upon his steed, dodging the rocks the giant threw at him.

The Tale of Sir Topaz  When he returns to town, he starts to prepare for the battle that would take place the next day. He has the whole town on his side and vows to pummel the giant.  He wears all the proper attire for the battle: white pants, a shirt, chain mail made of toughest steel, a coat with his noble family colors, and a brass helmet.  This is accompanied by his gold and red shield that has a boar head on it, an ivory sword, and a spear made of cypress wood.

The Tale of Sir Topaz  Sir Topaz gets on his horse and rides through the forest.  He stops each night and sets up camp. He will feast on animals he’s shot and drink from wells.  This is when the Host interrupts Chaucer and doesn’t let him finish the Tale of Sir Topaz.

Literary Devices  Symbolism- “… in which has stuck a lily flower- God shield him, none to maim!”  Sir Topaz sticks the lily flower into his shield. The flower is used to symbolize God’s protection. With this flower, he believes he cannot get hurt.

Literary Devices  Irony- “For he was chaste,” but he wanted the elf queen in the end  This is an example of irony because Topaz was sworn to abstinence and in the end he is willing to sacrifice his life just for one night with the elf queen.

Reflection The Tale of Sir Topaz is a tale of romance about Sir Topaz’s quest to find the elf queen. The tale itself does not finish because Chaucer ends the tale before Sir Topaz can get to the elf queen and fight the giant named Sir Olifaunt. This in my opinion ruins the tale because it just ends and doesn’t tell what actually happens. If there was a proper ending to the tale maybe it would have made it better to read and more enjoyable.