Arcite is untrue to queen Anelida; Anelida and Arcite, Geoffrey Chaucer

 Why you might read Anelida and Arcite?

Anelida and Arcite is a quick read and a lot easier than previous works of Chaucer. None the less it is still part of the works of Chaucer. It is worth a read especially as it is a little more straight forward. 

In my Self Education project it helps to form a rounded understanding of Chaucer. It also serves as a lesson in Middle English before the pronunciation shift.

Story of Anelida and Arcite

Anelida and Arcite is a poem that ends abruptly and is likely to be incomplete. Anelida is the queen of her town and Arcite is a traveling Knight of Thebes. She falls in love with him and he acts like he loves her too. But he is false and quickly leaves her for other women. She is heart broken but he just laughs at her when she confronts him. The poem then goes on to detail he complaint against him in the form of a strophe and anti strophe. The poem returns to the story for a few lines and then ends.

Reflections on Anelida and Arcite

It is interesting that Chaucer chooses a story from around the time of Thebes as a great city. Yet his characters are more Italian or French that Greek. His knights are from his own period as is his understanding of a queen. She is cast as more helpless than we see the queens be in the Greek plays set at similar times.

The basic deception of Arcite is quite intense. He never loves her and you have to wonder if he only was with her to be with a queen. That being said he doesn't seem to take power over the city as we would expect in Greek times.

What others have to say about Anelida and Arcite

"The simple story tells of the faithlessness of Arcite to Queen Anelida." From Oxford reference

Comparisons with other texts

This is the first work of Chaucer so far that has not included dream sequences. We see these dreams in the House of Fame and The Book of Duchess. This poem therefore feels much more solid and set in reality. Even if it is still a story. 

While it is set at the height of Thebes' power it is a very different story than what we see in the Iliad. This is also in poetic form but it is a very different style. Th Iliad focuses on the men and the daring deeds where as here Chaucer is focused on a woman and her mans lack of virtue.

Conclusion

Anelida and Arcite is a short poem that is most likely incomplete. It covers the courtship of the two and the subsequent unfaithfulness of Arcite. It is the first work we have seen without a dream sequence. It also is very different from the likes of the Iliad. Though they are set in similar time periods. They treat there subject matter very different. 

Have you read Anelida and Arcite? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read Anelida and Arcite but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

Get a copy of Anelida and Arcite.