The epic poem, “The Lay of the Nibelungs” (1200’s), set to practice the major pillars in the code of chivalry that the Duke of Burgundy in the 14th century eventually condensed and ascribed to the Burgundian Knights: Faith, Charity, Justice, Sagacity, Prudence, Temperance, Resolution, Truth, Liberality, Diligence, Hope, and Valor. Though values bear merit, “The Lay of the Nibelungs” teaches that true worth and longevity comes from assessing the situation and applying intellect to the code, from submitting to God, and from not cheating the system (the laws and cultural norms of the time that be).
A man only bears value based upon his actions or the potential for him to act in a certain manner. However, if an action contradicts that man’s beliefs, then no longer can he be said to possess such ideals. Sivrit embodies the code both through his actions and his beliefs, yet he is still human and thus has shortcomings. Sivrit faulted initially when he came to Burgundy and was clear as to his intentions stating to King Gunther upon his arrival: “In my father’s land I was told that alongside you here are the boldest warriors that a king ever gained— I’d gladly learn if this is true! I’ve heard a great deal about this. That is why I have come here.” (Anonymous, 14) At this lie or at the very least his hiding the truth of his interest in Kriemhild from Gunther, Sivrit broke an important declaration of the code, which states to all times speak the truth. However, from then onward Sivrit is the noble vassal, who serves his king, and who fights for the welfare of all those around him. “Let that be of little concern to you and rest easy. Do as I ask: let me win honor and gain for you, and ask your knights to come to you aid also. […] I wou...
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... Therefore, Hagen reason for killing Sivrit similar to the very modern United States currency can be viewed to have no meaning, they are both merely there as place holders, ideas never fully developed, bubble gum on the bottom of your shoe. And that notion that there might not be any meaning to the text is a troubling scenario for a literary analyst. One reason could be that the book is too short, not lengthwise for it is as long as any short novella at present, but developmentally. The characters come and go, are introduced and killed off, begin to play a crucial role and then disappear. And as for Hagen, who though he stuck around till the very end, at times acted against the Jungian archetype he was written to depict – that of a loyal warrior vassal loyal and submissive— which is problematic only because the author never gave reasons to support Hagen’s actions.
In The Saga of the Volsungs, a paradoxical notion of the value of life emerges from almost every action that the characters perform. One’s corporeal death is almost of no concern in the sometimes harsh and cruel society of the saga. The importance of honor over almost anything else can explain many of the seemingly contradictory and nonsensical actions of characters in the saga. This obsession with honor constitutes the basis for an honor society—a culture where pain, death, and other earthly concerns fall short in significance to one’s good name and honor. Many of the actions inspired by this fixation with honor seem foolish, but considered within the context of how the culture in the saga views reputations and honor make perfect sense.
The chivalric code is a theme in almost all medieval tales of knights, and Parzival is no exception. The big difference between Parzival’s view of the chivalric code, and that of many other tales from the time is that, Parzival wasn’t raised with the code and only learned of it in his late teens, whereas the other knights were raised believing in it since birth. This puts Parzival in an interesting light, he is unbiased when learning about chivalry, yet he is so sheltered that he doesn’t much of it.
This code of chivalry all came from King Arthur. It all began with Arthur’s father, Uther. Uther gets a sword from the Lady of the Lake and this sword is named Excalibur. Later on in the battle among England, Merlin (the magician) grants Uther his wish in return for whatever he asked for. As for this wish, Uther slept with Egrain’s wife as he asked and impregnated her with his soon to be son, Arthur. When Arthur was born Merlin came for what he was promised, and took Arthur away with him, raising him. What Merlin did know was that Uther’s son was soon to be the new King of England. This soon to be king, Arthur, must become a knight and granted the right to be king. However; there are three examples of chivalry from the two texts, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Morte d’Arthur" are courage, honor and to protect the queen and all women.
One of the most enduring myths in the Western world is that of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Regardless of the origins of the tales, the fact is that by the time they had been filtered through a French sensibility and re-exported to England, they were representations of not one but several ideals. Courtly love and chivalry and the various components thereof, such as martial prowess, chastity, bravery, courtesy, and so on, were presented as the chief virtues to aspire to, and the knights as role models. Arthur's eventual fall is precisely because of having failed at some level to fulfill these ideals in his life.
Knights must go out into the regular world, or the dark forest, to embark on their quest. There they will be tested in their morals and virtues. The noble knights of King Arthur’s court are constantly tested by the Dark Forest and all of its temptations, creating many different conflicts within the knight’s moral codes. Facing those conflicts and coming out on top with new found knowledge is what separates great people from average
In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.
The medieval knight Sir Gawain is a hero like Achilles, but his certain characteristics make him unlike his Greek counterpart. The first quality that creates the separation of Gawain is that he is a Christian character, meaning that he believes in the monotheistic religion of Christianity, following the teachings of Jesus and God. He holds the values of this religion to be true such that he should follow with respect, compassion, and forgiveness. This religious view of life affects what Gawain holds to be his moral code, because he fights for God and for his soul to be perfect to reach heaven. Unlike Achilles during classical antiquity, the Middle Ages held Christianity, along with God and the soul, to be the controlling factors in which how people lived their lives. From this Christian tradition of living life Gawain’s masculinity is developed completely different than that of Achilles. Gawain receives his masculinity through the
A legend is a story based on fact passed down from generation to generation. One of the most popular legends of all time is that of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. Trying to make the world a better place, King Arthur had the dream of his knights fighting only for the sake of justice. Over the years, this legend has been interpreted in numerous ways by authors and filmmakers. Three of the most known of these authors are Sir Thomas Malory writing in the 15th century; Alfred Lord Tennyson writing in the 19th century; and T.H. White writing in the 20th century. Each of these authors displays characteristics typical of the time period in which he wrote.
In a health care organization, it is important that the organization’s mission, philosophies, and ethics are followed through properly. . With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is no different. . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “mission is to protect people’s health and to support the quality of life in humans by prevention and control of diseases, injuries, and disabilities” (About CDC, 2010, page or paragraph number with quotes). With the organization's mission, philosophies, and ethics it is important that everyone’s health is protected and proper prevention of diseases, illnesses, and disabilities are given to the public in a timely manner. In this paper, the members of Team A will “describe what are the organization’s goals, how are they tied to its ethical principles, and the role and importance of the corporation’s ethical values” (University of Phoenix, 2012, Week Three Supplement). Team A will also specify “what the relationship between the organization’s culture and ethical decision-making is and why is it important that the organization’s ethical values support Team A's ethical values” (University of Phoenix, 2012, Week Three Supplement, see above)? In addition, Team A will explain the social responsibility for the Center of Disease Control and Prevention in the community” (University of Phoenix, 2012, Week Three Supplement, see above). (Good introduction)
The story of King Arthur and the round table knights is still popularly spread nowadays since it was created on medieval times. Chivalry, courtly love, and spiritual pursuits are common elements often referred to this series of stories. Knights take chivalry as guidance for their behaviors. Moreover, different stories have different themes. Referring to the famous courtly love stories, Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristan and Iseult are the most striking examples. Love makes them lost their mind and rational, walk down to the dark future. Pursuits and quests are the ultimate tests for every knight needs to take and overcome to become better and deserved to be called a knight. In the story of Perceval, self-development (or accurately called mental pursuit) is the center theme. Both love and Christian charity emerge inside the development of Perceval. The transformation of knighthood from erotic love (amor) into Christian charity (caritas) deeply changes Perceval’s path life and behaviors as a knight.
The tales of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Lanval offer their readers insight into a common knightly quandary. Gawain and Lanval are both faced with challenges that threaten their ability to protect, uphold, and affirm their very knightliness. The two knights repeatedly see several knightly traits--- each invaluable to the essence of a knight--- brought into conflict. While the knights are glorified in their respective texts, they are faced with impossible dilemmas; in each story, both reader and knight are confronted with the reality that knightly perfection is unattainable: concessions must be made--- bits and pieces of their honor must be sacrificed.
When Maurice Keen set out to write a book on the components and development of chivalry, he did not know it would be “the last word on a seductive subject,” as stated by one Washington Post reviewer. Instead, Keen was merely satisfying a curiosity that derived from a childhood fascination of stories filled with “knights in shining armour.” This juvenile captivation was then transformed into a serious scholarly interest by Keen’s teachers, the product of which is a work based upon literary, artifactual, and academic evidence. Keen’s Chivalry strives to prove that chivalry existed not as a fantastical distraction, as erroneously portrayed by romances, but instead as an integral and functional feature of medieval politics, religion, and society. The thirteen chapters use an exposition format to quietly champion Keen’s opinion of chivalry as being an element of an essentially secular code of “honour” derived from military practices.
The code of chivalry is a set of rules followed by the knights during the middle ages. The evolution of heroic and chivalry code has changed over time beginning from the Middle ages to now. The three stories Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lanval and Beowulf illustrate what it takes to be considered a chivalrous knight. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain shows qualities
In today’s society the differences in morals between the rich and the poorer classes are virtually non-existent, but during Medieval times “morals and, above all, the virtues at its center, played an important role not only for distinguishing between good and bad, but, more importantly, even for the structuring of society” (Virtus 1). The aristocracy class and the immoral poor class had morals but how they demonstrated them varied; the aristocratic class used chivalry as the basis of their morals, while the immoral poor class did not. Chivalry was not only a code of conduct for those who followed it; chivalry was a way of life. ‘Chivalry first arose in Europe during the Crusades.
In everybody's life, there is something that makes him or her strive for success. That something can be money, a significant other, fame or many other incentives. To the medieval knights, victory renown and glory are the ambitions they strive for. Breaking a law in this code would be considered a disgrace, and would bring a dishonor worse than death itself. However, by applying the Code of Chivalry, the knights in medieval time displayed certain character traits that would secure success and honor in both battle and morality. In the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a knight named Wilfred of Ivanhoe illustrates this by devoting his attention to keeping the rules of the Code of Chivalry, which consisted of love of adventure, integrity and loyalty to the king, to name just a few. These character traits of Ivanhoe coupled with strong characters and a realistic setting allow the reader to understand the importance of a strong set of moral guidelines to all individuals of all times in spite of Sir Scott's excessive detail and confusing subplot.