Throughout British history, especially between the time periods 1485-1603, obtaining the status of a “knight” and furthermore, being bestowed knightship, was a great deal of honor. Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing of the crown on August 22 1485 until his coincidental death on the 21 of April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor. The Tudor dynasty was a European house from 1485 until 1603. While knights displayed many positive attributes, they also faced many hardships being a knight. Hardships are more commonly known as tests. Tests were effectively used to evaluate a knight’s loyalty to there king. A chivalrous knight was a highly touted individual that proved to be extremely valuable. However, a knight that betrayed a king was labeled untrustworthy and therefore demoted. Chivalrous acts prove how well respected and exceptional a knight is, while betrayal is invalidating and shows a knight is weak and unworthy. Tests evaluate if they are worthy or unworthy of having such a significant position of power.
When you think of a classic knight, you think of a bold, courageous, and fearless warrior who would dominate their opponent in the battlefield. However, what made knights great was their acts of chivalry. A knight who displayed chivalry boasted ideal qualifications, including courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms. For example, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain makes a speech to King Arthur (117-134) and within the speech he demonstrates two examples of chivalrous behavior. First, Gawain refers to Guenevere as “my liege lady” (120) which by definition mean that he is forever at her service. In addition, Gawain shows humility in lines 128-131 by declaring himself ...
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...ing becomes more suspicious by the knight’s description at the water’s edge. "I have seen nothing but wind and waves." (P.182) Finally, on the king’s last attempt, Sir Bedivere complies, returns to lake once more, throws the sword in. Yes, this may be interpreted as betrayal; however, the under-lying concept was to "test" how reliable and loyal Sir Bedivere was to the King. Which however, he fails miserably.
In conclusion, tests verify the outcome of knights. Meaning, will a knight display chivalrous traits that exemplify his true character or will he falter under the pressure of their responsibilities. Again, Chivalrous acts prove how well respected and exceptional a knight may be, while betrayal is invalidating and shows a knight is weak and unworthy. Therefore, tests define the outcome of a knight. Will he act chivalrous, or will he betray. That is the question.
Life during the Middle Ages was full of social change, division, and classism. This feudal society of Britain was divided into three estates. (social classes) Within the second estate was the the knight who was a soldier for the king who fought in many battles. Even though the knight is expected to have the strength and the skills to fight in battle, all knights during the Medieval period additionally had a chivalrous aspect to them. Chivalry was the honor code of a knight which included bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women. Within the stories of the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” and “Le Morte d’Arthur”, the code of chivalry was broken by knights which show the corruption of England’s feudal society.
Knights are held to a higher standard when in comparison to their peers. Morality, self-presentation, knowledge and vows are a few important components to take into consideration when judging a knights character. These
Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’arthur, T.H. White’s Once and Future King, and George Romero’s Knightriders encompass the evolution of the Arthurian tale from Malory’s time to the 1980s. Through this time many things have changed and these changes can be seen within the differences between each work. While there are many prominent differences chivalry or the knightly code is one of the main forces that tie these tales together. Malory reworks many of his sources to bring attention to the grand fellowship of Arthur’s Round Table and the chivalry that holds the knights together. Malory idealizes the power of chivalry and gives a great importance to it throughout his text. Unlike Malory, White does not idealize chivalry, but he does see the good and honorable aspects of chivalry. From Sprague Kurth’s article, “Conclusion,” it is clear to see that White gives his text an anti-war stance and shows chivalry and the controlling moral compass of Arthur’s knights. Chivalry is once again idealized in George Romero’s Knightriders the situations within the film are modernized but the emotions and illusions remain the same. T.H. White is directly referenced within the film and Malory’s idealization of the glory of chivalry can once again be seen. In my essay, I will show how chivalry is used in all the texts above as a bonding agent between all Arthurian knights. As Arthur’s knights honor and respect chivalry they remain as one cohesive group, but once they begin to abandon chivalry the Round Table begins to crumble and chaos ensues.
Chivalry and knighthood are very similar in usage, though, they are not synonymous. Chivalry consists of the many qualities that make up the Arthurian knight and they include generosity, courtesy, and valor. Knighthood encompasses chivalry in addition to the many duties they must carry out such as fighting in battles or, in the case of Arthurian myth, help the king rule over a kingdom. These qualities are what attract the Green Knight to Arthur’s court which he discusses when he arrives at the court:
Knights are the representative of the loyalty, bravery, honesty and the other essential measurements of chivalry in the book, Gawain is the chosen one to examine his codes of chivalry. During the test, the taken green girdle which originally is belongs to Bertilak against a the loyalty that also directly indicates Gawain fails for his quest, when the decision is holding in Bertilak hand, he decides to let Gawain pass,
Chivalry was largely based upon the church’s teachings and many of the pillars of chivalry are directly involved with the church. The Knights of the Round Table are full of pride and enjoy many worldly comforts. Sir Gawain is the most chivalrous of these knights and so the one most aligned with the church. Sir Gawain is tempted throughout the story without giving into the comforts of this world, he rejects them again and again, all but one. This sash that he keeps not only causes him to be cut on his neck but also to realize that he was not a true chivalrous knight, he gave into the love of this world and his life, this failing kept him from being a proper knight in the eyes of the church, the code of chivalry and himself. By wearing his new sash and striving against the temptation to indulge in this world Sir Gawain became an even better knight, a knight who has no fear of
It is easy to read _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_ as a romantic celebration of chivalry, but Ruth Hamilton believes that "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight contains a more wide-ranging, more serious criticism of chivalry than has heretofore been noticed" (113). Specifically, she feels that the poet is showing Gawain's reliance on chivalry's outside form and substance at the expense of the original values of the Christian religion from which it sprang. As she shows, "the first order of knights were monastic ones, who took vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity. The first duties th...
The Court of King Arthur in the Tales of Lanval and Sir Gawain the Green Knight
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.
Closely associated to the romance tradition are two idealized standards of behavior, especially for knights: courage and chivalry. The protagonist within many medieval romances proved their worth by going on quests, as many a knights went in those times, thus returning with great tales of their travels and deeds. Many modern people think of chivalry as referring to a man's gallant treatment of women, and although that sense is derived from the medieval chivalric ideal, chivalry could be seen as more than that. Knights were expected to be brave, loyal, and honorable-sent to protect the weak, be noble to...
In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Poet Pearl, Sir Gawain, knight of the Round Table, acts chivalrously, yet his intents are insincere and selfish. It is the advent season in Middle Age Camelot, ruled by King Arthur when Poet Pearl begins the story. In this era citizens valued morals and expected them to be demonstrated, especially by the highly respected Knights of the Round Table. As one of Arthur’s knights, Sir Gawain commits to behaving perfectly chivalrous; however, Gawain falls short of this promise. Yes, he acts properly, but he is not genuine. The way one behaves is not enough to categorize him as moral; one must also be sincere in thought. Gawain desires to be valued as
The code of Chivalry can be described as a brave, loyal, courteous, distinguished courage or ability that is admired for their brave and noble qualities. Chivalry is a system of ethical ideals that arose from feudalism and had its highest development in the 12th and 13th centenry.(Columbia ElectronicEncyclopedia).Respect is an essential part of chivalry. 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.
‘The Tudor dynasty was fully established by 1487’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view
There is, however, one central idea that every knight is a servant; a knight is the one who does only good in the name of love and never brings dishonor to anyone. In this second test, Sir Gawain proves to be a true knight when he is tempted by the hostess of the Green Castle. So far nothing can turn him from his path, for he is a true knight.
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. Chivalry dealt with loyalty honor, and service to women on and off the battle field’ (“The Medieval Period: 1066-1485” 76). The Knight in The Canterbury Tales is the perfect example of someone who follows the code of chivalry. Chaucer describes him with much admiration as “a most distinguishable man, who from the day on which he first began to ride abroad had followed chivalry, truth, honor generousness and courtesy” (Chaucer, "The Prologue." 117). While Chaucer praises the knight for ...