Previous
Act 2, Scene 5
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Two Noble Kinsmen, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Irrationality
Fate, Fortune, and Divine Providence
Chivalry, Honor, and Pride
Friendship
Gender and Power
Summary
Analysis
The Jailer’s Daughter is alone at the prison. She’s just freed Palamon and sent him into the woods to hide. He’ll remain there until she can return to bring him food, drink, and files to saw off his shackles. The Jailer’s Daughter bemoans betraying her father out of love for Palamon but knows she had no choice: Her love for Palamon is “beyond love and beyond reason,” which she’s confessed to Palamon, as well. Furthermore, should her actions come to light and the law decides to execute her, she’ll “[die] almost a martyr,” since freeing Palamon was, in fact, a noble deed.
The Jailer's Daughter's obsession with Palamon is developing alarmingly fast. Although she initially acknowledged the irrationality of loving Palamon and the unlikelihood of their being together, she now loves him "beyond love and beyond reason." Like Palamon and Arcite, she, too, is willing to risk her life for love, and she, too, tries to justify her needlessly reckless, senseless behavior by recasting it as noble and brave.
Themes
Despite the Jailer’s Daughter’s belief that it was noble to free Palamon, she’s bothered that Palamon has yet to thank her for his freedom. She fears that he might leave her behind but can’t believe he would be so ungentlemanly. The Jailer’s Daughter hopes Palamon will come to his senses, and she vows to follow Palamon wherever he goes. She hopes that by the time the alarm sounds to alert the town to the escaped prisoner, she’ll be “kissing the man they look for” and swiftly exits to prepare for her imminent departure.
That the Jailer’s Daughter continues to put her life at risk for Palamon, who is not interested in her in the slightest, further underscores the foolishness of her behavior. Her fantasy that she’ll be “kissing the man they look for” by the time the town finds out about Palamon’s escape is a naive, misguided fantasy. Nonetheless, she latches onto to this fantasy as a way of justifying her senseless decision to run away from home.
Themes
