A Review of The Canterbury Tales: The Squire's Tale

                                                                    

                                                                         The Prologue: 

The prologue starts both short and odd. Someone suggests that the squire knows some about love. However, it is unclear who speaks the following lines: 

''Squire, Com Neer, If it your wille be, 

And sey somwhat of love; for, certes, ye

Connen ther-on as muche as any man.''

                                                                   

                                                                              Part One: 

In the land of Tartary* there was a king that raged war on Russia. The king that the squire has been telling a tale concerning was revealed to be Genghis Khan. 

This noble king, this Tartre Cambinskan...

One day, a knight came for a visit to Genghis Khan and the Mongols. The Mongols were much impressed by the manners of this knight and the fine steed that he rode. Genghis came to have a close friendship with this knight and the two shared a love towards the knight's steed, which garnered much attention at its tricks. The Mongols went on with their feasts and jolly pleasure until came Spring. 

                                                                               Part Two: 

The second part is a love story of a female falcon's whose heart has been broken. After telling this story, the squire had intended to tell more stories. One of the best lines from this piece of The Canterbury Tales is listed below: 

''A trew wighte and a theef thenken nat oon.'' 

Indeed, as scripture says, ''Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled (King James Version of the Holy Bible).''

*According to the notes of the Barnes and Noble edition of The Canterbury Tales, this referred in a general sense to the Mongol Empire. 

                                                                     My Analysis: 

The Squire's Tale I found to be interesting and different from many of the other Canterbury Tales. Nevertheless, I personally felt that the story was significantly inferior to The Knight's Tale. Considering his close relation to the knight, I would have expected to enjoy this one better. Last, I usually do not prefer stories set in far eastern Asia. For these reasons, I would consider The Squire's Tale to be more of an average Canterbury Tale.