Knighthood and Courtly Love in the Time of King Arthur Essay

In two stories there is a code that knights follow. Chivalry is the code that they follow. The code says that a knight should be a brave warrior, a good christian, and selflessly fighting for justice. The knights are supposed to fight for their king and queen. In the stories Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and from Morte d’Arthur they show the idea about chivalry.

Throughout the Arthurian legends, Sir Gawain seems to be the epitome of a noble knight. He is always putting his king before himself, repeatedly sacrificing his own life in some way for King Arthur. He is an honorable knight that lives up to his word. This is evident in both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell." In these stories, Gawain lives up to the expectations of a knight belonging to the legendary Round Table.

There are many misunderstandings with the word chivalry, one of them being that the knight never actually swore an oath of chivalry until later in the middle ages. Chivalry was a word that was created by French-speaking English nobility, during the medieval period. The word originates from the French word cheval meaning horse, and the French word Knecht meant knight, by putting the two words together, we get the word chevalier which meant horseman. During the early medieval ages, a knight was known as a chevalerie which meant horseman. Then the lords, who ruled over the

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.

     An act of chivalry is described as the qualifications or character of the ideal knight. Knights were expected to uphold this code of conduct. In the English literature Le Morte d?Arthur, French for ?The Death of Arthur?, by Sir Thomas Malory, the characters display acts of chivalry from beginning to end. Though the code of chivalry contains many qualities or acts, nevertheless bravery, loyalty, and courtly love are demonstrated more throughout this literature.

Several fictional works set in Arthurian times contain numerous similar elements, whether that be in the structure of its plot or encounters with mythical beings; however, one particular element of these tales stands out among the rest, that being the knights in the stories. Both chivalrous and virtuous, knights are the very embodiment of Arthurian mythology, and are a staple in many Arthurian legends. Their courageous acts of selflessness and loyalty to their lords only add to their reputation, inspiring many authors throughout the ages to capture their likeness in various texts; however, only one author has been able to truly capture what it means to be a knight, that author being the “Gawain Poet.” Also known as the “Pearl Poet,” the “Gawain Poet” is most known for his chivalric romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The story revolves around a central conflict in which the protagonist, Sir Gawain, must fulfill an agreement with a mysterious knight. Gawain’s “debt” must be repaid exactly one year after their agreement, and if Gawain should fail to do so, his honor and reputation would be tarnished. It is through his struggles that Gawain not only grows as a character, but also shows what it means to truly be a knight. Sir Gawain is the epitome of a knight because he is not only chivalrous and virtuous, but also stays true to his word in the face of danger.

The tale of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” focuses primarily on beliefs of honor, bravery, and chivalry. The main character, Sir Gawain, embodies these qualities. His character is meant to be a model of chivalry. He emanates honor when he offers to fight the Green Knight for King Arthur. Medieval people would admire this courageous act. In his struggles to keep his promise Gawain demonstrates chivalry and loyalty until his honor is assessed, in the end, by the Green Knight’s schemes. This tale also includes a larger-than-life character who commands respect, the Green Knight. This superhuman being defies all laws of nature when his head is chopped off, yet he still remains alive and alert. These characters and their extraordinary actions provide perspective for the values and interests of medieval people.

In Arthurian romances, the knight Gawain fulfills a central role as a member of the legendary Round Table. Alone or accompanied by other chivalrous knights, Gawain traverses the land of Logres, searching for adventures and achieving great feats of heroism. To those he encounters on his quests, Gawain often represents the epitome of chivalry and knightly valor. However, Gawain’s actual characterization is not constant in every tale where he is present. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Chretien de Troye’s Perceval, and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, Gawain’s character vacillates from being the paragon of chivalry to the antithesis of heroism, and these characterizations serve as a foil to the figures of

The grail story is a unique story due to it being a story that has been around for such a long time and moving in and out of many cultures. Juliette Wood makes this clear in her paper “Visions of the Grail” in which she explains the development of the grail story. The origin of the grail story itself is believed to have originated out of traditional Celtic mythology. Wood sites a popular belief that “The Welsh tale of Peredur seemed to provide a transitional stage between an original Celtic myth and the Breton poets who inspired the French grail romances.” A story that comes from mythology is able to have an insane number of interpretations because mythology is based on many stories. For example, Greek mythology is

Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary defines chivalry as "the system, spirit, or customs of medieval knighthood." As Leon Gautier, author of Chivalry, defines this "system" and "spirit" of knighthood by identifying rules of chivalry, two of which are well illustrated in Lanval, "TheWife of Bath's Tale," and "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnel:" "Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word," and "Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone"(qtd. in Chivalry). All three stories seem to suggest the predominant theme of a knight living up to his word. This is shown by the fact that, in each story, the knight's oath is taken very seriously, is treated as a contract, and is

Over the past month, we read the Story of the Grail by Chretien de Troyes. This poem details the progression of the knight Perceval. In the beginning, Perceval is not called by his name, instead he is referred to as “the youth”. This is an important detail to stress, because the poem is a coming of age story. As the poem progresses, the reader is able to see definitive changes in Perceval’s character. For example, in the beginning of the poem Perceval uses the limited knowledge that was bestowed upon him by his mother in order to complete his “knightly” duties. To make it worse, Perceval feels the need to tell everyone he meets that his mother is the one that taught him everything he knows. Eventually, Perceval outgrows this behavior and becomes a suitable knight. Throughout the poem, Perceval goes through many trials and tribulations, but for the purpose of this essay I will unravel the allegorical meaning of Perceval’s fight with the Red Knight using all four levels of interpretation.

The author allows Perceval to join company with Galahad only after learning the importance of virginity, asceticism, and faith in God and proving himself against a demonic serpent and the devil disguised as an attractive female temptress; since Perceval always requires the help of wise hermits to determine the significance of his adventures and visions, the author uses Perceval to introduce readers to the basic lessons of spiritual chivalry. Before Perceval learns these lessons, he is unable even to recognize Galahad, and he and Lancelot impulsively attack the Good Knight; however, Galahad easily defeats Lancelot and "drew his sword and smote Perceval so hard that he cut through the helm and mail coif" (80). Perceval soon encounters his insightful aunt, who explains to her bewildered nephew that he "could never withstand" (101) a battle with such a spiritually chivalrous knight as Galahad. She teaches Perceval that leading a spiritual life is a personal journey that requires complete devotion, even forsaking his own family, just as he did when he became a knight of the Round Table. Before bidding her nephew farewell, Perceval's aunt reminds him of the importance of his virginity by telling him, "this was most essential for your good…Therefore I implore you to keep your body as undefiled as the day Our Lord made you a knight, so that you may come pure and unsullied before the

The essay, “Myth and Spirituality: Le Conte du Graal (Perceval)” by Karl Uitti, explains the added elements of spirituality and of the Christian faith that Chretien employs when writing The Story of the Grail. The author points out that it is important to study this story “in greater detail then the romance we have studied previously because it is far more complex” (3). Also The Story of the Grail is significant because it is “the most open-ended and the most intricately profound of Chretien’s narratives” (3). The author of the Perceval uses non-classical Celtic story material to allow his readers to remain in the setting of the narrative. Also, in the story “the Grail is not merely Christianized: it retains much of its Celtic mythological

but the king was in love with the Duke's wife so the king went to the wizard Merlin for help but with a prize that that if a kid is born it would be Gavin to merlin Uther agreed and Merlin places a spell on Uther that made Uther just like the Duke the Uther disguise as the Duke went to his home and spent the night with the Duke's wife then shortly after the real Duke was killed in battle then Uther married the Duke's wife Ukraine 9 months later Ukraine gave both to a baby boy and he was named Arthur but he was given to Merlin as promise and that's why Arthur is the rightful king in arthur last days he is looking for the holy grail. The Holy Grail is a made up object and symbol associated with Jesus. In earliest Grail literature it was described as the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and was said to possess miraculous powers.the holy grail is a made up started by people who did not read the bible

Courtly love is a very demonstrative theme in “The Knight’s Tale.” In this tale, two cousins are faced with the temptations of courtly love as well as lust, and have to choose between their relationship, or a fake relationship with a beautiful woman. For a better understanding, courtly love is a knight flirting with a nobleman’s wife or vice versa. But in this story, it is two men flirting with the same person. This obviously destroys the relationship between the two flirtatious competitors, which is what happens to Palamon and Arcite in this story. They are prisoners of war, and locked in a tower for eternity. When they see a beautiful woman, Emily, they both fall in love, escape, and fight each other for her hand.