Similarities Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight And The Canterbury Tales

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“He is my knight in shining armor,” is a cliché that is all too frequently tossed in conversation. While it is meant as a positive statement, a historical perspective debunks the honorable and romantic stereotype of the knight. Upon analysis of both historical and fictional knights, one is enlightened as to why the phrase is an inadequate expression of adoration. In the modern world, the knight seems to be the figurehead of the medieval era. He stands as a stronghold of purity, honor, and hope. Ultimately, the knight is a symbol of the Christian faith, a mighty disciple of God. In reality, medieval knights were not the beacon of faith they are commonly portrayed to be. Although the concept of knighthood reflects values of Christianity …show more content…

In her tale, the Wife of Bath describes the dire quest of a knight to find what women most desire. This quest is a result of the knight’s decision to rape a fair young girl. This is the rapist’s first secular action of the tale. The Bible accounts for rape by condemning any rapist to death, thus solidifying the immorality of sexual assault (Amplified Bible Deut. 22: 25). While rape is quite arguably one of the most evil of acts, the knight is also incredibly vain. This is evident in his reaction to his sentence of marriage to the woman whom he describes as “loathsome and so old” (Chaucer 244). The knight is so distraught by the misfortune of keeping his word, he wishes to be dead. The vanity that is displayed by the rapist is addressed in Proverbs 31:30. This verse reads, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Amplified Bible). In correlation to the Canterbury Tales, this verse explains that the knight should not be dismayed by the physicality of his new wife because eventually beauty will fade. Instead, he should concern himself with the spirituality of the woman. Her spirituality is to aspect she will use to honor God, as beauty leads only to vanity. The knight’s obsession with beauty is his demise. It causes him to lust after the young woman, as well as shame his wife for her old age and undesirable appearance. In any case, the knight’s passion for vanity and the absence of virtue creates a completely secular

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