The Works of John Dryden, Now First Collected in Eighteen Volumes. Volume 12

This twelfth volume of the landmark 1821 collected edition opens with Dryden's magnificent verse translation of "The Knight's Tale," his retelling of one of Chaucer's most enduring stories. Two Theban knights, Palamon and Arcite, lie imprisoned in a tower after years of war. From their cell window, they glimpse the beautiful Princess Emelie walking in a garden below, and both fall instantly, hopelessly in love. What follows is a tale of noble rivalry, where friendship gives way to obsession and the bonds of sworn brotherhood are tested against the furnace of desire. Dryden transforms Chaucer's Middle English narrative into heroic couplets of striking vigor, amplifying the tale's romantic anguish and its meditations on fate, fortune, and the gods who toy with mortal hearts. The knights pray to rival deities, Mars and Venus, each begging for victory and love. Only one will win Emelie's hand. Only one will live. The poem asks whether our choices shape destiny, or whether the gods have already written the ending. This volume also includes Dryden's other translations and adaptations, showcasing a writer who bridged classical learning and English literary tradition.