Masculinity In The Middle Ages

The idea of what is to be a man is one that is adapted, and constructed by society. Many theorists have found that there is a close relationship between medieval portrayals of masculinity and heroism, and the idea of what it was to be a man in the middle ages. Heroism was viewed as a gendered idea, being a hero was important to being considered a man. It was important to live a culturally accepted life and to adopt the gender roles of your culture and society; “a cultural alignment of behaviors formulated to be adopted and promulgated in order to be offered as a mode of living” (The Armour of an Alienating Identity ). The culture of men being portrayed as masculine heroes, who are have great bodies, are loyal to not only their king but God

During this time it was commonly referred to as medieval times, and was a time period that hosted many takeovers, new social classes, and an unexampled culture including church reforms. Due to the changes in the church infrastructure the middle ages became a time of revolutionary art, literature, and new science. The changes made it very easy to allow the culture to be shifted and become a completely new society. During this period of change, new gender roles began to rise as well; the idea of what it meant to truly be considered masculine becoming much more defined by the depiction of the gallant knights in the

He shows you a type of true knight is one who is able to be loyal to multiple things at once. Since loyalty to both God and the king requires chaste behavior a true knight may have problems with resisting sexual temptation. Throughout the romances King Arthur and Gawain seem to renounce their sexuality, Arthur not seeking outside of his marriage even when he was wife was. Instead you see them use their fierce prowess to perform heroic acts in the service of their land, however chivalry and love were still very important a part of a knightly life.

In the order of Knighthood by Roman Lull, Lull lists out a set of guidelines in which knights should follow in order to be considered knightly and