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Analysis Of The Movie Monty Python And The Holy Grail

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In class, we watched the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. This movie is set in the time of the middle ages (roughly 476-1453). It follows King Arthur and his knights as they search for the Holy Grail. They look for the Holy Grail after they are told to by God. The movie at first may seem like nonsense and a silly parody, but in reality,“Monty Python and the Holy Grail” demonstrates the truth of the Middle Ages, feudal hierarchy, and other topics we have discussed in class.
In the Middle Ages, the Church was one of the most powerful forces. It was a very important part of the people’s culture and was a unifying force for them. It gave people a common belief, protection and a sense of safety in a time of war. Many people relied on it to receive sacraments and go to heaven, especially peasants because that was about all they had going for them. The Church and it’s matters were taken seriously and they maintained power throughout the Middle Ages. In the movie, the power of the church is shown in many scenes. For example, in the scene where King Arthur and his knights are trying to get into the cave but the rabbit is stopping them, they call in the priests to give them the “Holy Hand Grenade”. The priests take it very seriously and tell Arthur very specific instructions for it. He activates it and blows up the rabbit they are able to enter the cave. This shows that they believed that the church and God had the most power and the power to do anything. In a time of need, they turned to the Church.
The feudal system was the method of government that was used in the Middle Ages. The feudal pyramid consisted of four levels, King at the top, Church Official and Nobles/Lords next, then Knights, and peasants at the bottom. The King had the most power, the nobles were sometimes vassals to the king, knights fought in the king’s army, and peasants worked in the field all day and were very poor. In one scene of the movie, peasants are seen working in the fields. They are very dirty and have bad quality clothing which shows how little money and power they had compared to King Arthur, who had fancy clothing and did not have to work. King Arthur then asks the peasants who their lord is, which shows how lords or vassals

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