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Five Things to Love About A Knight's Tale
By Danièle Cybulskie
Yes, I’m talking about the 2001 movie starring the late Heath Ledger. Was it really just a sports movie set in the past? Yes. Was it edited until the plot seems a little less-than-coherent? Yes. But are there things we can love about it? Absolutely.
1. The Politics
If you look closely at The Black Prince’s outfit and the canopy under which he sits, you’ll see both the leopards of England and the fleurs-de-lys of France together. These exemplify the belief that King Edward had the right to rule both England and France itself – the basis of the ongoing Hundred Years’ War. Also, when the Black Prince knights William Thatcher, he chooses to create an “ancient royal” heritage to legitimize him instead of rewarding a commoner for elevating himself above his station. This keeps the social order neatly in place, something the royal family would be very concerned about at this time.
2. The Relationships
Keeping with The Black Prince for another moment, we see him watching a tournament with a date, presumably his wife, Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent. The interplay between these two is happy and affectionate, and we have every reason to believe that their actual relationship was, too. The relationships between Thatcher and his friends show one contemporary demonstration of friendship that stands out, as well. If a person, like Thatcher, was placed in the stocks, he would have to rely on his friends to keep him safe from a mob as best they could. Thatcher would have been lucky to have these friends around.
Yes, I’m talking about the 2001 movie starring the late Heath Ledger. Was it really just a sports movie set in the past? Yes. Was it edited until the plot seems a little less-than-coherent? Yes. But are there things we can love about it? Absolutely.
1. The Politics
If you look closely at The Black Prince’s outfit and the canopy under which he sits, you’ll see both the leopards of England and the fleurs-de-lys of France together. These exemplify the belief that King Edward had the right to rule both England and France itself – the basis of the ongoing Hundred Years’ War. Also, when the Black Prince knights William Thatcher, he chooses to create an “ancient royal” heritage to legitimize him instead of rewarding a commoner for elevating himself above his station. This keeps the social order neatly in place, something the royal family would be very concerned about at this time.
2. The Relationships
Keeping with The Black Prince for another moment, we see him watching a tournament with a date, presumably his wife, Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent. The interplay between these two is happy and affectionate, and we have every reason to believe that their actual relationship was, too. The relationships between Thatcher and his friends show one contemporary demonstration of friendship that stands out, as well. If a person, like Thatcher, was placed in the stocks, he would have to rely on his friends to keep him safe from a mob as best they could. Thatcher would have been lucky to have these friends around.
https://www.medievalists.net/2023/07/love-knights-tale/
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