Knight's Tale Accuracy

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,

Chaucer satirizes knights and chivalry in two different ways: in the prologue and in the Knight's Tale. The first way in the prologue is with the pilgrim Knight's character. Chaucer wanted to present a realistic knight, but he also wanted to give the Knight some very

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 fact, every timethat i’ve seen it, I’m always surprised by how good it actually is. For those who don’t know, A Knight’s Tale is based on one of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and tells the story of William, a peasant who decides to pose as a Knight in order to achieve fame and fortune on the Jousting circuit. What writer/director Brian Helgeland does so well here, is seamlessly mix the modern with the medieval to come up with a movie which feels entirely up to date while at the same time being about what may seem at least until you watch the movie, a rather quaint dark age pastime.

For my report, I chose to summarize how Brian Helgeland’s movie “A Knight’s Tale” (2001) draws its medieval themes and story from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales: The Knight’s Tale”. Besides the nearly identical titles of these works and the moderately similar storyline, it can be further proven that “A Knight’s Tale” is an adaption of “The Knight’s Tale” because Geoffrey Chaucer appears as a character himself—and a vital one at that—in the movie. Furthermore, just to make certain that there is no mistake among the viewers about who they are dealing with, Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany) even refers to himself as a writer in the movie and points out his very first own work “The Book of the Duchess” in disbelief when some peasants don’t

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.

In The Canterbury Tales, the knight is a modern type of knight. Although the description of this character’s personality is vague, it is not hard for modern day people to visualize him. In the prologue, it mentions that the knight follows the five basic ideals that a good knight should possess: “chivalry, Truth, honour, generousness, and courtesy” (Chaucer 4). The knight fought in the Crusades, wars in which Europeans traveled by sea to non-Christian places and tried to convert people’s culture by brute force, which was considered noble and brave hearted. From his love of the five basics ideals previously mentioned to his impressive military career, the knight is a perfect example of how a knight should be represented. Indirectly, the tale is discussing both the knight and the idea of how a knight should be. The tale does not describe much about the knight as in physical appearances and characteristics of this knight but as the tale comes to an end, the book starts to unfold how this story connects with this character. The tale itself is not important yet it’s what the tale represents that is important, such as pursuing courtly love, risking death, and respecting women. All of the previously mentioned attributes are ones that knights should possess to achieve expected standards.

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 movie First Knight fits the Medieval Romance Characteristics because it follows the marriage of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere and follows the adventures of knights, kings, and queens. Medieval Romance Characteristics also follows the conflict between King Arthur and Prince Malagant, who used to be one of King Arthur’s knights. First Knight takes place in an idealized world because it includes castles, kings, queens, and knights. When Lancelot gets into a sword fight with Prince Malagant, a supernatural event occurs. When Lancelot is just about to lose the fight from exhaustion, he notices King Arthur’s sword beside him and when he picks it up, there is a flash on the sword which fulfilled Lancelot with enough energy to win the fight.

During the Medieval Era, their was not much to do for entertainment besides watch the tournaments that were held all over Western Civilizations. In modern times, many people know what jousting and sword fighting are but not like the way “A Knights Tale” show them. This movie was made in 2001 and was soon a crowd favorite. The modernization of a dark age era gave the audience entertainment through action, love and comedy. The tournaments were very exciting during this era, specifically the 14th century. This movie had many mixed reviews between historians and regular movie goers. There are a lot of great aspects of this movie but also many critiques historically. The movie is a portrayal of the Medieval games which helps a more modern audience

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.

A Knight’s Tale is the story of a squire, William Thatcher, who takes on the role of his master when he finds him dead. Thatcher competes in tournaments and goes through training with his two squires, Roland and Wat, and their newly found friend, Geoffrey Chaucer. Thatcher sets out on a journey to prove that he is more than a mere peasant, but a worthy knight .

Loyalty is a huge part of the movie, A Knight's Tale. During the Middle Ages, people were very dependent on one another, even though they are separated by class and position. In the movie, William pretended to be a knight, even though he was born into poverty. He took his masters’ armour, who died. Even though, this can cause for him and the others for them to be arrested and killed, he continued.

In the medieval time, knight was a really essential part of the society, because they protected people and prosperities for them. They are respected, and have good behavior. In order to keep the good reputation, people came up with the code of chivalry which lists all the qualities that a knight should have. The movie, First Knight is about a man named Lancelot who is good with sword. He saves the life of King Arthur’s wife, Guinevere, and his behavior captures King Arthur’s attention. Then, he is invited to join the knights of the round table of King Arthur. He goes to a public trial because he has an affair with Guinevere, but then Camelot got invaded. Lancelot killed Malagant, and saves the day. In this movie, Lancelot is a great

Jousting started as an event for Kings but many other members of nobility started getting involved to showcase their “courage, skills, and talents” (History) and to represent their land. Jousting was played with a wall in between the two competitors to protect them from injuries. In A Knight’s Tale jousting was the main aspect that was portrayed accurately. William Thatcher was not a noble man so technically he was not allowed to joust. William hid his identity for a long time and was able to win many jousting tournaments.