Chivalry In Medieval Literature

Chivalry can be considered the code of the medieval warrior, that was based on a set of rules that include honor, valor, courtesy, and, at the center of it all, loyalty. Throughout Njal’s Saga, Njal and his wife are consistently showing chivalry especially when Njal helps Gunnar at the Althing, when he warns Gunnar about the Halberd, and when Bergthora says she will die in the fire with Njal. Similarly to the Nilsson, another character, from Beowulf, who is both a king and warrior consistently shows his chivalry throughout his poem; this warrior is called Beowulf. He shows his chivalry in different ways than that of Njal and his family; he shows his chivalry when he makes an oath to the king, affirms his promise my killing Grendel, and when he protects his men from Grendel. Njal, Bergthora, and Beowulf are both examples of chivalry, and they prove it through their actions that take place in their books.

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.

Knights are one of the most mistaken figures of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. When medieval knights roamed the earth, it was known that they were only human and, like humans, had faults. These knights did not always live up to the standards designated by society. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is revealed as a character that would now be considered a knight in shining armor, a perfect role model in how he acts and what he does. Modern day people see them as chivalrous figures instead of their actual role as mounted cavalry soldiers. As time passes, the idea of what a knight is changes from a simple cavalry soldier to a specific type of behavior.

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.

The epic poem Beowulf comments on the unsustainability of chivalry, a social system based off building one’s own honor, strength, and reputation. Similarly, the engraving Knight, Death, and the Devil acts as a visual representation of the inherent flaws of chivalry as a social system. Beowulf, the protagonist of Beowulf, is written as the most powerful man in the world, capable of besting anyone in physical competence—the seeming embodiment of chivalry. This same definition of chivalry is depicted in Durer’s engraving: a lone knight in shining armor. Despite whether or not they were pushed into solitude, the protagonists of these two texts similarly show how chivalry can be undermined when its heroes are solitary figures who do not develop a network of allies. To defend this argument, I will first discuss why the two heroes have been pushed into solitude. Second, I will analyze the warnings given to each protagonist about their respective solitude. Third, I will explore the results following the neglect of the warning, and fourth, I will talk about how each hero’s misguided faith leads to the demise of chivalry. Lastly, I will introduce a counterclaim and analyze its strengths and weaknesses against the thesis.

The legends and tales of the knights of King Arthur’s Round Table have resounded for ages—vivid stories of courageous and gallant knights usurping evil while simultaneously maintaining an upstanding reputation. Through the Arthurian tales, one has the opportunity to experience heroic narratives of exemplary models of knights who clearly illustrate the chivalry and honorability one should aspire to possess. No more evidently is this theme displayed than in the 14th century epic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight—a narrative of Sir Gawain, nephew of the legendary King Arthur, and his heroic journey against a mysterious green knight. In this heroic journey, the inherent charisma Gawain possesses and is continually praised for affirms the

The role of chivalry is a complicated concept for solitary heroes within Beowulf and Albrecht Dürer’s Knight, Death, and the Devil. In Beowulf, the concept of chivalry is explained through the eyes of the hero, Beowulf, which is the idea of performing chivalrous actions in the face of death for glory; however, Beowulf does not realize that his actions will not keep his people safe in the end. In Knight, Death and the Devil, the idea of chivalry is the motivation of the knight on religious grounds to be chivalrous in the face of death. The Knight gives the impression that he understood that his actions would ultimately be meaningless, and he appears resigned to the idea. The argument can be made that chivalry is unsustainable in both texts, given that while it inspires these heroes to pursue these tasks, the result is that they believe that mild sacrifices, such as their own life, must be made to ensure victory; however, these two texts differ with their heroes’ anticipated outcomes of their sacrifices, which turns out to be for nothing. Despite having different outcomes of operating within a system of chivalry, these two texts similarly critique the outcomes of chivalry as being unsustainable based on the demands it places on heroes to sacrifice themselves. To defend this claim, I will begin by similarly critiquing how chivalry is unsustainable within both texts. I will then express how both texts show the unsustainability results from the demands of sacrifice. I will then

Two of the main themes I see throughout medieval literature is characteristics of a noble quest and chivalric code and knightly behavior. Repeatedly you are reminded that a knight is to be chivalrous and loyal, while also reminding you of what makes his quest a noble and important one. Characteristics of a noble quest is constantly shown throughout the film and throughout medieval literature. In the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur continually shows us that he is meant to be a noble knight and will do anything to remain so. He doesn’t fall into temptation and never stops going after what God has sent him to do.

At this point in history the men who fought the wars were lead by their leaders with a code of chivalry. Chivalry can be explained as “the Anglo-Saxon code on steroids.” (McGee) Which is, explained further, a moral system for a good way to conduct fighting. The knights in Arthurian time went even further with that code to say that it was a way to conduct oneself not only in battle, but at all times. Knights, by being chivalrous, were kind to all people, fought well and true, kept faith and believed in the Christian God, and fought for their kings. Chivalry can be found across the Arthurian texts, The Song of Roland is one of the texts that has multiple examples of chivalry.

In this modern ages time Chivalry is dead. Chivalry is defined as the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code. In today’s time the moral and social codes that were demanded back then are not now. With so many standing up to be equal and to live in whatever way they see fit,there is no place for chivalry . Even something as simple as holding a door open for a women can be misconstrued as being disrespectful. So the question should not be “is chivalry dead” it needs to be will chivalry ever hold a place in modern day

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a humorous poem of an epic hero’s journey to many, can symbolize to the modern feminist women’s oppression and the continuance of male dominant attitudes labeled as “chivalry”. Sir Gawain exemplified many behaviors that strongly conflict with the codes of chivalry, though to the common eye Sir Gawain can seem perfectly chivalrous. The double standard of society allows Sir Gawain to be considered knightly, not only in the story but in our current society. In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by Brian Stone, Sir Gawain cannot be considered chivalrous by the knightly code based on his offensive treatment of the women in the

Have you ever wondered how much chivalry had evolved in the past hundred of centuries? According to Weiss, chivalry is a “beautiful fiction apotheosized version of oneself”. That means for oneself to be on their best behavior and be well mannered. They must have outstanding manners and to have respect for others. Chivalry had changed so much in the past hundred of centuries.

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

Today, chivalry can be observed in the bonds of love, friendship, and most importantly, family. Throughout time, chivalry became long forgotten, but it is just not seen vividly anymore. Chivalry has adapted to the way of modern life, we see chivalry in the way you greet others. Or how a clerk or waiter/waitress says hello and asks polite questions.

What was the middle ages in Europe like? Well, a man named Charles T. Wood wrote about it in a book called The Quest for Eternity: Manners and Morals in the Age of Chivalry. In this book, it is divided into four sections: The formation of Medieval Europe, The Age of Expansion, The Apogee and Hard Times and the Chivalric Afterglow. This book contains the living conditions of peasants, the church and the aristocrats. It also includes agricultural revolution such as the invention of the heavy plow and it looks over the fall of the Romans, the Crusades and lastly a time before the Renaissance. The following review of The Quest for Eternity: Manners and Morals in the Age of Chivalry by Charles T. Wood will include a summary of the book and a review.