The Three Knights Summary (Class 12: Opt. English)

The Three Knights

- Davies Gilbert

Brief and Simple Summary:

The ballad “The Three Knights” written by a British writer Davies Gilbert is about three knights, who propose the same lady for their marriage. The poem deals with the theme of love, proposal, marriage, family rejection, etc.

It is the time of the spring season, when lilies and roses have bloomed. At the lovely time, three knights come riding horses from the west. Among the three knights, the first knight is in his white dress, the second knight is in green dress and the third knight is in his red dress. On the way, they meet a lady, and then all the three knights propose the same lady for their marriage. While proposing her, the first knight proposes her to be his delight, the second knight proposes her to be his queen and third knight proposes her to marry him. Then she asks them if they have got permission for marriage from her family members. While replying to her question, they tell her that her parents and her sister Anne are agreed for their marriage, but they haven’t asked her brother John. At the same time, while they are riding along the road, they meet her brother. After this, the lady bends down to kiss her brother, but his sharp knife pierces her chest. So, she is badly wounded, which her servant notices. After being wounded, she becomes pale and weak, and finally she wishes to be alone somewhere far away in the hills. Then she starts thinking about her last wishes. When the knights ask her about her last wishes, she says that she wants to gift her strong horse to her father, her own weeding dress to her mother, a golden ring and feathered fan to her sister, a rope and gallows/gibbet (फांसी) to her brother John to punish him because he has injured her and finally widow’s dress to her brother’s wife. With this, the ballad ends.