Chivalrous Knight Cuthbert de Lance

Elements of the medieval romance are evident in the movie First Knight. As such Chivalry is clearly evident through the action of Lancelot in the First Knight. This is shown when he goes out to rescue Lady Guinevere from the ambush in the forest and from Malagant castle where she is being held captive after being kidnaped in Camelot, Therefore, this is a clear depiction of chivalry in where the knight goes out to save the damsel in distress from danger. Another act of chivalry is when Lancelot embarks into the gauntlet which is a contraption that test one’s courage, bravery, and skill to be able to pass. Therefore, Lancelot goes through the gauntlet without any protection to display his skill and bravery to impress Guinevere. Consequently,

William (Sir Ulrich) will show nobility of a true knight throughout the film. William follows the creed of a knight which is truth, honor and loyalty. Throughout the move he will always remain truthful to those around him. He is humble with his victories, always retaining the honor of victory but never broasting. The ending of the film is a prime example of a true knight, where William goes to the extreme. William finds out that Adhemar told officials of him not being a true knight. He even with his followers around him and his love there does not listen to what they say, which is to run. Knowing what will happen he still goes through to going to the stadium and being arrested by the twelve dozen men. This was true character, knowing what was to come but still facing it.

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem, The Knight’s Tale, the author encapsulates chivalrous characteristics in his telling of a battle for love. In its fundamental form, chivalry idealizes a knight’s conduct, both on and off the battlefield (Gregory-Abbott). Chaucer employs this “heroic code [of] bravery, loyalty, and service to one's lord” to illustrate the idillic knight throughout the narrative (Rossignol). Chaucer’s poem, The Knight’s Tale, exhibits the ideals of chivalry in the form of two knights, desperately in love with the same woman, and a wise Duke who embodies the voice of reason. Each knight upholds honor through compassion, troths, and heroism on the battlefield, despite their afflictions with each other.

A common belief is that a big part in the code of chivalry is courtly love. This is false. The documentary says the code of chivalry bound the aristocratic fighting class and protected the aristocracy families. This doesn’t have and didn’t have much to do with romance. Courtly love is more of the term to use for the code the knights followed in regards to romance. Chivalry was mostly a knights’ duties, roles, and behaviors he was to follow in order to remain honorable. It relates to the knights’ relationship with one another. Courtly love focused on how a knight treated his women. In The Knight’s Tale these two codes are at war with one another.

“The Knights Tale” is the first tale in Geoffrey Chaucers “The Canterbury Tales”. The story introduces various typical aspects of the knighthood such as chivalry, ethical dilemmas, and courtly love. Knights all have this characteristic which they call the code that they portray through out the tale. In Geoffrey Chaucers “The Knights Tale” is an effort on the knight’s part to preserve a virtuous code.

The era of knights, lances, and chivalry, medieval times, cannot compare to the modern conveniences there are in modern day. From transportation to weapons, even ordinary indulgences, the conveniences of present day are superior to that of medieval times.

In perhaps the first canonical appearance of the stoic knight was in “Lancelot, The Knight of the Cart” by Chrétien de Troyes. During the story, Lancelot embarks on a journey to save the queen and the people of the kingdom from the villainous Meleagant. The version of Lancelot also highlights his heroism, bravery, and selflessness. “Lancelot, Knight of the Cart” sets Lancelot as a knight with a near perfect personality reflecting what all knights should have, chivalry. Lancelot and Guinevere's true love for each other is justified using chivalry. “Lancelot, The Knight of the Cart” echos what people looked for in their stories at the time. Other literature of the time suggest that the heroic aspect of chivalry was a widely loved story telling

Knights, were from the medieval era. At age twelve or thirteen a boy born in to nobility would become a squire. They became assistants to knights, they would look after the knight's armor and weapons. They would be able to follow the knight in to battle and learn the use of the weapons. When the knights were in tournaments, the squire was the only person allowed to help him. Once the squire was old and skilled enough, he would become a knight himself.

The portrayal of bravery as a heroic quality in Beowulf differs from that of Dan Evans’ in numerous ways. Being the traditional, valiant hero, Beowulf’s bravery is unmatched among the thanes of Heorot and he leaps at the chance to slay the terrible monster Grendel. Described as a “brave thane of the Geats” (Beowulf 2), Beowulf’s strength and daring spirit is demonstrated with his admirable feats of bravery, including “[destroying] five a family of giants” and “[slaying] monsters on the waves” (372). Beowulf’s daring exploits leads him to challenge Grendel in single combat in order to slay the terrorizing beast. He expresses his courage and confidence through his boast, stating that he considered himself “[…] no less brave than Grendel himself/

Knights were essential for providing security and a sense of safety during the Middle Ages. Knights took a rigorous training process to learn every aspect of warfare and to acquire skills needed for knighthood. After training was complete, knights would have to abide by the Code of Chivalry, which was studied during their training. An ordinary knight’s life involved forty days of service in wars to their lord, and the activities which occupied a knight’s free time . Although knights were elite warriors and honorable men, as Europe crawled out of the Middle Ages, their services were no longer needed.

The tales of Marie de France, shed light on the romantic relationships and chivalry of this time period. This is very insightful for modern people to be able to read and understand the culture of that time. Knighthood and chivalry were respected by some, but many times they were disregarded for passion. Love and marriage are largely connected to physical attractiveness of the person and the passion involved. Marriage is not a very serious commitment and will be disregarded whenever another presents themselves as a more attractive lover. Religion is not huge in the stories but can be present when looking for a lover. Magic plays a part in the Yonec and Bisclavret stories, but is not largely present throughout.

Though often extensive detail may be condemned as mere flowery language, in understanding Sir Gawain and the Green Knight one must make special emphasis on it. In color and imagery itself, the unknown author paints the very fibers of this work, allowing Sir Gawain to discern the nuances of ritualistic chivalry and truth. His quest after the Green Knight is as simple as ones quest toward himself. Through acute awareness of the physical world he encounters Gawain comes to an understanding of the world beyond chivalry, a connection to G-d, the source of truth. He learns, chivalry, like a machine, will always function properly, but in order to derive meaning from its product he must allow nature to affect him.

Like many examples of medieval literature, Chrétien de Troyes uses knighthood as a central theme in his Lancelot. While Lancelot clearly and completely demonstrates the archetypal knight (heroic, determined, and male), Chrétien includes another character who appears to contradict this traditional depiction of knighthood - King Bademagu’s daughter. In her efforts to rescue Lancelot from the evil Meleagant’s tower, King Bademagu’s daughter is portrayed almost as a knight on a quest. However, although the daughter of King Bademagu displays admirable heroism in her efforts to rescue Lancelot, Chrétien carefully undermines her knightly conduct so as not to violate the strict gender constructs involved in medieval knighthood and chivalry.

Chivalrous conduct can be described as, "qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women,” (Ramsay) In the many stories surrounding King Arthur, his own story included, all contain this chivalrous conduct in the text. In the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain shows his courage and honesty. The Song of Roland is the story of a chivalrous man that is humbled and courageous through his experiences. The tale of Perceval, one of Arthur’s knights, is one that displays a whole new level of dedication and loyalty, The story of King Arthur himself also contains several elements of chivalry that he depicts to his followers. The theme of chivalry resonates within the four texts, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Song of Roland, Perceval: The Story of the Grail, and Morte D’Arthur, leaving the readers with a new hope for the future.

In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer tells “The Knight’s Tale”, a story of the two knights Palamon and Arcite who fall deeply in love with Princess Emily, a member of Theseus’ kingdom. Even though both knights are imprisoned within a tower, each finds a way to escape jail and try to win Emily. Ultimately, this leads to a duel between the two knights for which the prize is the hand of Emily. Chaucer uses the knights to reflect the very male-oriented time period through the strong chivalry and courtly love displayed towards Emily, when in reality, he was trying to expose the flaws of the chivalric code, which led to the deadly feud between two fellow knights. Essentially, Chaucer is holding up a magnifying glass to what people of the