While Brian Helgeland’s A Knight’s Tale got mixed reviews when it first hit theatres twenty years ago, the film has since garnered a cult following with many praising and its anachronistic style. What has become clear over the years (and through many rewatches) is that A Knight’s Tale crafts a story that might be predictable on the surface — but one that also diverges from the expectations of early 2000’s romantic comedies.
Starring the late Heath Ledger, this quasi-medieval adventure comedy-romance film follows a squire named William Thatcher (Ledger) who poses as a knight and competes in tournaments, winning accolades and becoming unlikely friends with such historical figures as Edward the Black Prince (James Purefoy) and Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany).
Romantic comedies too often treat female characters as simply an extension of the male protagonist, there to satisfy his needs and wants, but rarely with a personality of their own. Female characters in these films are frequently just the romantic interest, only there to advance a man’s story. But where A Knight’s Tale differs from other romantic comedies of the time is with its two main female characters — Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon) and Kate (Laura Fraser).
These are two characters that could not be more different and yet, it’s clear that they are both looking for similar things — independence and freedom in a male-dominated world — just in very different ways. Jocelyn and Kate’s stories might revolve around Will and his needs but they aren’t only centred on him. They have their own emotions, goals, needs, and wants that go beyond him.
Sossamon’s Jocelyn could be considered to be nothing more than just William’s love interest. After all, he jousts for her heart, he fights with Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) for her hand in marriage, and her choices seem to be made by everyone except for herself. And yet, Jocelyn is strong and doesn’t let anyone walk on her. When looking at the film’s Wikipedia page, I stumbled upon this description of Jocelyn: “a lady of noble birth, bound to the church and encouraged to be faithful to God but enjoys the fun and tricks of life.” That last part might seem like a simple throw-away line, and yet it’s what best defines her.
Will and Adhemar might fight for Jocelyn’s hand in marriage, but she is always the one with the last word. Will has always been the one she has eyes for, but even still she makes him prove his love to her and makes sure he knows that she isn’t just anyone. Jocelyn is seen as a woman with a lot of liberty who is capable of making her own decisions. And yes, this has a lot to do with the fact that A Knight’s Tale doesn’t respect its time period to a T, but she is also very different from what we might expect for a love interest in many romantic comedies.
It never feels like Jocelyn needs to be saved or that she’s some damsel in distress. Instead, you can see how she stands tall on her own, even without William and his saviour complex. Her status gives her a lot in life, but A Knight’s Tale makes more of her by giving her a headstrong attitude and by making sure that Jocelyn feels like a full-fledged character in her own right.
On the other side of the coin, there’s Kate. A widow who must make a name for herself to survive. Kate is brash, independent, and strong-headed. A blacksmith, she finds herself becoming part of the group after Will manipulates her into repairing his armour. Becoming one of the guys by the end of the film, she is Will’s guide to Jocelyn’s heart and her emotions. But Kate is shown to be more than just the girl of the group: she has lost a husband and she works in a world that doesn’t value her or her craft — even when she pioneers a new form of armour.
Kate’s character is atypical for romantic comedies, especially at that time. She isn’t there to vie for the male lead’s attention, instead, she is there to provide emotional support. Kate is often the one who is the level-headed one in the group. A Knight’s Tale uses Kate as the opposite of Jocelyn, though they never compete for Will’s affection. They both exist to help Will, sure, but they do it for different purposes. And crucially, they are given the space to stand on their own without him.
Looking at Kate’s character with today’s sensibility and what films are, I strongly believe that her character would have turned out to be gay in the film. A strong independent woman who doesn’t have a man by the end of the film is something that most films today would write as a lesbian character, whether it’s through subtext or not is another story. Yes, her character is written as a widow, but that aspect of her life isn’t explored a lot in the film. Instead, that part of her character only seems to be there to explain how she became a blacksmith and why she has her own business.
But what about today? How do these characters hold up twenty years later?
Kate, of course, is the definition of the strong female character that we see more and more of in film and television. She doesn’t need to be a fighter, or to be loud to be heard. She is respected by her peers and she works for herself, but she also showcases emotions that we all have. Kate is probably the character in A Knight’s Tale that today would be written the same.
At first glance, Jocelyn could be considered to be the opposite. But, I would argue that this is not the case. Yes, Jocelyn’s main purpose is to be Will’s love interest, but she is probably more fleshed out than most love interests in the early 2000s. She has her own opinions and stands up for herself. And while her story is all about Will, she is strong and independent on her own.
Twenty years later, A Knight’s Tale remains one of the few romantic comedies that still holds up to this day. The fact that two vastly different female characters were allowed to inhabit the world of this film but never be in competition with each other is so rare, even by today’s standards. The film might fall into tropes from time to time, but that doesn’t change the fact that A Knight’s Tale was able to showcase two strong female characters in their own ways and prove that strong doesn’t just have one definition.
