Men of Iron is a historical fiction novel by Howard Pyle. The novel begins in England in the year 1400, the year following the abdication of the “weak, wicked, and treacherous” Richard II and the rise of Henry IV. The novel centers on the life of a young Myles Falworth, son of Lord Gilbert Reginald Falworth. The story is one of adventure and revenge following the life of Myles from his childhood to his knighthood and eventual marriage to Lady Alice. In this time, he is torn away from his childhood home and trained in knighthood involving the social, physical, and social aspects. Myles mission is to not only become a knight but also to redeem his name as well as his fathers. The story begins with Myles living in Crosbey-Dale with his mother and father, and Diccon Bowman. Falworth, Myles’ father was blinded by William Bushy Brookhurst, the Earl of Alban, in a trial by combat. The Earl of Alban also brutally murdered Sir John Dale in front of Myles when he was a child. With the presence of such an evil man, the family was forced to move away. Thus, Myles, his mother, father, and Diccon Brown escape to hide from on the estates of the Priory of St. Mary. The land is owned by the elderly Priory Edward. At this time, Myles is only eight years old. In this new land he begins training, both physically and mentally towards becoming a knight. Diccon Bowman undertakes the physical training of Myles. At the same time, Prior Edward, whom they live with, provides his academic and mental training. His training does not stop there however, as he is also trained in French by his mother. All of this training and knowledge which Myles receives is what was required and needed of a knight of the time. He wished, more than anything to avenge the nam... ... middle of paper ... ...s one would assume, the elder squires would be in charge of the juniors but the tyranny in which they would rule is surprising. The hardships both Myles and Gascoyne were forced to go through makes their revenge and eventual victory more than justified. Lastly, one may not have known what a trial by combat was and that the actual practice even existed. At this time in England, one could challenge the wrong deeds of another by fighting. Yet, it was referred to as a trial. A unique idea for the time and the common reader today, much like I. It is with these educational values and intriguing fictional tale which Howard Pyle succeeds. Although the book is described as being written for a younger generation, a college student can learn much from the novel; especially those interested in knighthood and the knights which dominated warfare and Europe in the 15th century.
...s inner self. What is seen as a relationship amongst these two young men is now torn apart by the transformation of Henry caused from his witnesses during warfare.
Bravery can be showed by having strength, being willing to sacrifice, and standing up for yourself and others. Life will not be very fun if you do not try to make it fun. One has to be brave to make life fun. If one is not strong it would make it hard to be brave. If Holling was not strong then he would not have been able to play Ariel in the Shakespeare play. All of his friends showed up when he was was wearing yellow tights and feathers on his butt. He stayed strong and finished the play. “Still ringing in the hands of Danny Humfer, Meryl Lee and Mai Ti who were standing in the very front row.” (Schmidt 86) That moment was when Holling first saw all of his classmates watching him in the play. At first he only saw Danny’s parents, but then
Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is so recognised by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume One. General Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton, 1993.
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Element of Literature, Sixth Course. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston, 1997. 161-172. Print.
"In the earliest Arthurian stories, Sir Gawain was the greatest of the Knights of the Round Table. He was famed for his prowess at arms and, above all, for his courtesy. ... Here Gawain is the perfect knight; he is so recognized by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood. The story is concerned with the conflict between his conception of himself and the reality. He is not quite so brave or so honorable as he thought he was, but he is still very brave, very honorable. He cannot quite see this, but the reader can.
In the opening scene Sir Gawain faces his first trial when the Green Knight proposes his “Christmas game.” The room falls silent for “If he astonished them at first, stiller were then/ All that household in hall, the high and low;” (lines 301-302). The Green Knight begins to mock the court; and then boldly, King Arthur accepts h...
The "Battle Royal" Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. 9th ed. and Interactive ed. Eds. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2006. 162-213.
It does this conceptually, by emphasizing human nature over chivalry, and it does this narratively through Gawain’s failure as a knight, and the Green Knight’s illegitimacy as a true villain. In traditional romance of this time, the protagonist could not have faltered in chivalry; Gawain’s “lapses of courage and honour… are highly untypical of the knightly conduct we find illustrated with such stultifying sameness in medieval story” (Shedd 245). But this occurs because the Green Knight is not the true villain; the real conflict is Gawain’s struggle against his own human nature. While the Green Knight appears to be a classic antagonist in the first part of the poem, he proves himself merciful and forgiving in the final part, stating that he does not blame Gawain because it was only because “[he] loved [his] own life” that he failed the final test (95). Rather than merely taking Sir Gawain’s head, the Green Knight gave him the opportunity to prove himself as “faultless” (95), or above his human nature, to “[purge] the debt” (96). Just as Shedd argues, the shift from external to internal conflict in the poem sets Sir Gawain and the Green Knight apart from other works of medieval romance.
...tween medieval ethic and modern ethic. In both stories, the people fight to defend their land and to protect their citizens. The same was expected from the knights of medieval times.
Hannabery, Brian. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight--The introduction. 1998. December 2, 1998. Online. Internet. Available http: csis.pace.edu/grendel/prjs3b/intro.htm
Keen opens his book with an introductory chapter examining three literary works pertaining to chivalry: the Ordene de Chevalerie, the Book of the Ordre of Chyvalry, and the Book of Chivalry. All three of these were written during a period of great religious reform, yet, according to Keen, they appear to not have been influenced by the ideas of the Church. The Ordene de Chevalerie is an anonymous poem that stresses the importance of the ritual required for initiation into knighthood. The popularity of the piece leads to the conclusion that the poem reflects “what men understood chivalry to mean” (8). This poem is then contrasted by the Book of the Ordre of Chyvalry, a narrative work written by Ramon Lull that describes in detail the origins and meaning of chivalry. A consideration of Geoffrey de Charny’s ...
“Sir Gawain and the Green knight” is a romantic Middle English poem written in the fourteenth century by an unknown author. This poem is a fairy-tale like story that gives its readers a glimpse into the social class system of Medieval England. This literary work opens with the famous King Arthur, a local bishop, and King Arthur’s knights enjoying a royal feast at Camelot during the Christmas season. This poem provides an accurate depiction of the feudal system of the middle ages. Within this tale are individuals representing the “pyramid of power” that symbolizes the social class system of Medieval England. This top of the pyramid group consists of royalty, clergy and noble knights.
In The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, our characters face many challenges but must follow a different code for how to deal with them. Tristan is an ideal representative of the chivalric knight that faces a large number of situations where many people would be incapable of maintaining morals. We see the feudal structure of this medieval time in place and its importance to maintaining the structure. The Romance of Tristan and Iseult displays the chivalric roles required in this society through Tristan and his many interactions.