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Act 2, Scene 6
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
Cornets sound as people celebrate May Day in the woods. Arcite enters alone. Theseus and Hippolyta have parted ways to attend to their respective May Day responsibilities. Arcite thinks about Emilia, whose beauty would “challenge too the bank of any nymph / That makes the stream seem flowers.” He hopes that a “poor man” like himself might occasionally enter her thoughts. Arcite invokes Lady Fortune to ask if it's foolish to chase after Emilia’s love. Still, Emilia pays much attention to him, keeps him by her side, and even gave him an excellent pair of horses this morning. Arcite thinks of Palamon, who wrongly believes Arcite has returned to a miserable existence pining for Emilia in Thebes. He imagines how furious Palamon would be if he knew the truth.
Nymphs are female divinities associated with fertility and nature in Greek mythology, often depicted as beautiful maidens. Arcite’s remark that Emilia’s beauty would “challenge too the bank of any nymph / That makes the stream seem flowers” references her attractiveness while also emphasizing her virginity as a prized attribute. The virginity that Arcite wants to take from Emilia, though, is exactly what she wants to keep if one is to trust her previously stated disinterest in marriage.
Themes
Still shackled, Palamon emerges from a bush and curses his “traitor kinsman.” He promises that Arcite would know the full depth of his rage if his hands were unshackled and free to grasp a sword. Palamon accuses Arcite of lying about Emilia being his and proclaims his cousin to be “A very thief in love, a chaffy lord, / Nor worth the name of villain.”
In an instant, both cousins see how wrong they were about the other’s circumstances when they unexpectedly encounter each other in the forest. The insult Palamon assigns to Arcite, “traitor kinsmen,” shows how wholly their competition to woo Emilia has transformed their friendship. In Palamon’s mind, Arcite has morphed from a noble kinsman to a “traitor kinsman” and a “thief.” Palamon’s language is contradictory: he claims Arcite isn’t “worth the name of villain,” yet he insults him using a number of villainous terms (traitor, thief, etc.) This shows that Palamon doesn’t have a guiding philosophy to justify his anger toward Arcite: he’s simply reacting, following his heart rather than his head.
Themes
Literary Devices
Arcite starts to respond to Palamon, addressing him as “Dear cousin,” but Palamon calls Arcite “Cozener Arcite” and demands that Arcite drop the charade of friendship. Arcite insists that he’s done nothing to deserve Palamon’s insults and offers that Palamon’s “passion” is making him overreact. He suggests that Palamon treat him as an equal so they can settle their dispute like civil gentlemen. Palamon refuses to play along. He admits that while he has seen Arcite behave as an admirable knight in the past, even good men can lose their honor “when they incline to treachery, / And then they fight like compelled bears—would fly / Were they not tied.” Arcite tells Palamon he should look in the mirror.
Arcite is more committed to maintaining a hold on courtly manners on Palamon, continuing to address Palamon with respect, calling him “Dear cousin” even as Palamon continues to insult him. Notably, Palamon replies to Arcite’s address of “Dear cousin” with the insult “Cozener Arcite,” punning the title “cousin” with the term “cozener,” which refers to a deceitful trickster. Still, Arcite’s calm demeanor is not entirely honorable: he’s simply using logic and cleverness to manipulate Palamon’s emotions. Arcite maintains that he has nothing to apologize for because he knows it will infuriate Palamon. Furthermore, both cousins’ desire to outperform the other stems from their shared chivalrous duty to defend their honor and pride. Arcite wants to justify his actions for the same reason Palamon wants to condemn Arcite’s behavior: they both have a chivalric incentive to stand their ground and defend their right to woo Emilia.
Themes
Palamon asks Arcite to help him remove his chains and asks if Arcite can bring him some food. He promises that if Arcite is truthful about Emilia being his, he’ll forgive Arcite for his betrayal. Even if Arcite should kill Palamon, Palamon will go to the underworld praising Arcite as “brave and noble.”
Even though the cousins are feuding, their dedication to uphold the chivalric code prohibits Arcite from taking advantage of Palamon’s disadvantaged position and murdering him on the spot: it’s essential for them to do things the right, honorable way and have a fair fight. This is why Palamon claims he would regard Arcite as “brave and noble” if Arcite murdered him: to Palamon, it is preferable to die defending one’s honor and pride than to live as a dishonored coward. Palamon would prefer that Arcite kill him fair and square than unjustly woo Emilia.
Themes
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Arcite orders Palamon to return to his hiding place before someone sees him. He promises to return with clothes, food, and files to remove Palamon’s shackles. Palamon looks at his cousin and remarks that only Arcite can be so guilty yet appear so noble. “Sweet Palamon,” says Arcite, but Palamon doesn’t return his cousin’s affection. Palamon embraces his cousin but promises Arcite that he is only doing so to thank Arcite for his help; it would be hypocritical of him to want anything besides death for Arcite.
Arcite and Palamon oscillate between feeling an instinctual drive to be friendly with each other and an obligation to uphold their chivalric duty to defend their honor (though Palamon is the cousin who appears more invested in the latter). This underscores the foolishness of their feud: they don’t appear to want to hate each other, but they still perpetuate their feud out of some misguided attempt to uphold a cultural ideal of nobility and chivalry.
Themes
Arcite tells Palamon that he must return to his hiding place or else Theseus’s party might find them. He affectionally urges his cousin to stay strong. Palamon again rejects Arcite’s outward attempts at kindness. A horn sounds in the distance. Arcite identifies the sound as an alert to assemble the scattered masses to the banquet and tells Palamon that he is expected there. Palamon replies that Arcite’s attendance there “Cannot please heaven,” since Arcite earned his place there dishonorably. Arcite disagrees.
Both cousins stubbornly refuse to acknowledge how they undercut each other’s attempts to be noble. Palamon refuses to admit that his anger is childish and unjustified, and Arcite refuses to acknowledge that he earned a position in Theseus’s court by deception. When Palamon claims that Arcite’s deception can’t possibly “please heaven,” then, he accuses Arcite of acting in ways the gods will view as dishonorable by earning his position through trickery.
Themes
Arcite tells Palamon that it’s clear a duel is the only way they will settle their differences. However, Palamon insists on having the last word and tells Arcite to remember that when Arcite looks at Emilia, he looks at Palamon’s mistress. When Arcite tries to interject, Palamon cuts him off. He tells Arcite to enjoy himself while he still can, as Palamon will “enforce [his] remedy” as soon as Arcite returns.
Arcite continues to behave chivalrously, and Palamon continues to behave childishly. It's a petty attempt at a power move for Palamon to claim that Arcite should know that he's looking upon Palamon's woman whenever he looks at Emilia. Furthermore, Palamon's claim isn't even true: at this point, Emilia still doesn't know Palamon exists, so it's presumptuous of him to claim her as his own. The cousins continue in their delusional thinking, as they devote themselves to some absurd notion of honor while indulging their own romance-driven madness.
Themes
