Essay on Knight in Shinning Armour in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

The Knight is like King Arthur, he is ment to be a brave and noble warrior and is ment to inspire people. King Arthur was the greatest warrior of his story and was a person that inspird all of the people around him and that seems to be the vibe you get when the narrator tells the knights story. There are slso some diffrenses though, like the fact that King Arthur is a king, a leader and the knight is just a warrior. King Arthur was also a mush bigger figure in his time then the Knight because you do not even learn the kights name in the

Upon entering his description of the Knight, Chaucer wastes no time to praise this pilgrim in every way. Not only does he note the strength and bravery that the Knight shows in his battles but also his “softer side”, where he speaks about how he “never had foul-spoken in his life”, and wears chainmail “begrimed with rust” (Chaucer 4-5). Compared to the descriptions of many of the other pilgrims, Chaucer only states positive things about this character, using no time to speak negatively about his life. Even when speaking about his “dated” clothing, he spins it around to make it sound like a positive by showing off his selflessness. Along with this, the Knights section

Honor is a trait that is hard to come by; it is a trait that is earned not given out as a prize. During the fourteenth century, the knightly virtues were built upon a singular trait; honor. This factor makes up a knight’s worthiness, honor comes through respect. In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the protagonist has to come to terms with his character and virtues as a knight, and weather or not he deserves what his title.

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.

To what extent was William Marshall’s life as a knight different from other knights of the time? Invariably it was not that much different than those of his peers until his later life. The one thing that set him apart from other knights was his fierce dedication to loyalty.

Knights in Medieval times were highly regarded by others; they were expected to be chivalrous and embody the knightly virtues. The ideal knight was merciful, honorable, and noble. These three important virtues of a knight were clearly embodied by Sir Lancelot in Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. Sir Lancelot outshined Sir Bedivere, Sir Modred, and King Arthur as a knight because he expressed the knightly virtues more than the others. Sir Lancelot proved to be merciful, honorable, and noble through his words and actions and the words and actions of other knights. Therefore, Sir Lancelot is the most virtuous knight because he greatly embodies mercy, honor, and nobility.

The Knight’s true character is portrayed through his modest apparel. His character is displayed by the way he chooses to show himself in public, which is a noble knight, that is why he wears dirty clothes and chooses to come on the pilgrimage straight from battle. “A Knight there was and that a worthy man, that from time that he first began. To riden out, he loved chivalry. Truth and honour, freedom and courtesy,”

“And though so much distinguished, he was wise/ and in his bearing modest as a maid” (70-71). The Knight is admired by all because of his protection and respect for them.

A knight, when thought of are commonly associated with Chivalry. Chivalry is it code that thing knight and Nobles must follow, although not all people during the Medieval Ages follow the code of chivalry. The code was for the upper class, not indigents such as the surf for the peasants. Those who followed the code of Chivalry we're expected to fight in defense of an honorable cause, which is why the code was used for the upper-class rather in the lower class who had no time to bother with such ideas. By using this code the upper class could make themselves more laudable by accomplishing feats that followed this code. Chivalry also help keep the nobles and knights from staying in a benighted state, as it helped better their treatment of women

In Medieval Europe, knights were held to a code of honor called chivalry. Some values of this code included humility, loyalty, generosity, and bravery. In the popular legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, all of the knights abided by this code. Nancy Springer’s Novel, I Am Mordred, explores the backstory of the Arthurian villain, Sir Mordred. Many famous knights, such as Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain, were characters in this version of the story of King Arthur. Through characters like Lancelot, Gawain, and even King Arthur himself, the characteristics of generosity, bravery, and humility are presented.

The highest goal of a knight was to be the best, most heroic, and honorable. I found that there were seven common virtues that are valued in a character of a knight. These include courage, justice, mercy, generosity, faith, nobility, and hope. In the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain was not just an ordinary knight. He was not only one of King Arthur's knights at the round table but also his nephew which only added pressure on Gawain and his role in the story. Readers see how Gawain struggles with self-perception of himself but still possess these virtues. He questioned if he truly lives up to these expectations that are placed by himself and society. Gawain proved to be his own worst enemy. He put more pressure on himself than anyone to fulfill his expectations of a noble, heroic knight and doesn’t leave himself room for imperfections. Although Gawain did make a mistake, he still proved himself to be a chivalrous knight with a heroic reputation despite his

In the prologue to The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer introduces the Miller as a crude, rude, loud character who cheats his customers. The tale, which the Miller later narrates, is appropriate because the Miller’s tale clearly reflects this individual’s unrefined personality by telling a typical, filthy tavern story. The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a story that details thirty pilgrims, including Chaucer, traveling on a religious journey to visit the grave of Sir Thomas á Beckett, a slain Archbishop of Canterbury. For entertainment, each pilgrim told two of their own stories on the way to the Cathedral and two as they returned back to the tavern. In his prologue of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes each pilgrim by appearance, personality, and religion. Each pilgrim’s tale relates to his or her own description in Chaucer’s prologue. Chaucer’s descriptions and tales in The Canterbury Tales provide a clear insight of daily life in the Middle Ages.

The Knight from the General Prologue by Chaucer is a favorite of mine for the reasons that; he is strong, smart, and the hero. All these attributes are intriguing to me as they are things that I wish I had a slight more of. In the General Prologue it describes him in this way “a most distinguished man, who from the day on which he first began to ride abroad

Chaucer admired the Knight, Oxford Cleric, Wife of Bath, and Parson. They were the rare occurrences of the good that existed in the society. The Knight was a chivalrous and classy man. His characteristics include truth, honor, generosity, courtesy, and nobility (Chaucer 4). Even though he is a famous knight, he is humble and does not allow the fame go to his head.

"A Knight ther was, and that a worthy man, / That fro the time that he first bigan / To riden out, he loved chivalrye, / Trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye. / Ful worthy was he in his lordes were, / And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre, / As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse, / And evere honoured for his worthinesse" (43-50),