Lanval's Use Of Chivalry In The Middle Ages

His innocent attempt to reject the Queen and remain loyal to his beloved turned into a life-threatening situation when the offended Queen reports the events in a manner that looks as though Lanval had attempted seduce the Queen and after being rejected, insulted her with the mention of his beloved so beautiful that even the chambermaids that waited on her were more beautiful than the Queen. Lanval is put on trial and given the choice to either expose this woman he speaks of as real rather than someone made up with the intent of insulting the Queen, or to

On the other hand, this mysterious woman is defined by nature. She is incredibly beautiful and she is seemed to be illustrated as a nymph because they roam around the meadow with lavishing clothing and with rare beauty. “ their clothes were in expensive taste, close- fitting tunics, tightly laced, made of deep- dyed purple wool. Their faces were most beautiful. The older of the two conveyed.”(56). As demonstrated in other works of epic and romance, usually the older women is possessed with unnatural magic or obtains bargains with the younger gentlemen just like in this story. In addition, the older woman is always illustrated to be the most beautiful woman the male character has ever seen. In Lanval, nature v. humanity comes to play when the Queen is rejected by Sir Lanval for the Nymph who stole his heart. By this display of rejection the Queen falsely accuses Lanval as a man who betrays the oath and code of conduct to King Arthur and the rest comes to play. On the other hand, in “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” the theme of nature v. humanity is demonstrated through the characters of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. In this poem, Sir Gawain represents humanity, civilization and honor while the Green Knight represents nature and deviance. This concept is presented in the wager the was made between the Knight and the Green Knight, in this “beheading game”.

Whats a good medieval romance without chivalry? The combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, especially courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak. “The world of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is governed by well-defined codes of behavior. ... The ideals of Christian morality and knightly chivalry are brought together in Gawain's symbolic shield. The pentangle represents the five virtues of knights: friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety.”

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.

During a high point in medieval chivalric romance, both Marie de France’s Lanval and the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tell fanciful tales of knighthood, chivalry, and spiritual and temporal (courtly) love. Both Lanval and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight portray their female characters as possessing considerable power and influence, within the events in the story and in the structure of the plot. Indeed, the female characters in both works function as the catalysts of the events within the stories, and also as instruments for each author's conveyed meaning. While Lanval presents its female characters in an unorthodox reversal of gender roles, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight employs the female characters as moral and spiritual trials for the hero, Sir Gawain. I will examine how the fairy princess and Queen Gwenevere in Marie de France's Lanval present a reversal of gender roles as was traditionally understood; she presents femininity as powerful, inspiring, and morally dynamic (for a woman can be ideal, or she can be corrupt). I will compare this to the representation of Lady Bertilak and Morgan le Fay in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which they are used to convey a “Biblical” warning for an ecclesiastical audience; particularly that of moral failure and the temptation of the flesh.

The Queen Guinevere's pride was wounded when she gets rejected by Lanval. Queen Guinevere offers herself to Lanval saying he could have anything he desires. Lanval rejects her by telling her he won't betray his king and that he

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 queen began to accuse Lanval of being gay because he had never had a woman show him pleasure. Suddenly, Lanval admits that he is in love with someone else who would be far better than the queen herself, which sent the queen away crying. Soon afterwards, Lanval was commanded to appear in court without delay. The Queen’s assertive power was shown by her ability to punish innocent people, meaning she obviously got what she wanted regardless of whether it was right or not.

In Lanval, one of Marie De France’s twelve Lais, she demonstrates a narrative poem about love and lust set in medieval times. Her short, romantic tale narrates a knight’s love affair with a maiden that is so beyond beautiful that she surpasses all earthly splendors. Lanval, a knight who sat at King Arthur’s Round Table, is the center of Marie’s story and is envied by all the other men and hated for his gallantry, kindness, attraction and courage. The poem’s location is based in the feudal town of Carlisle.

Not only does this outburst cause Lanval to lose his lover, but now, he must also prove to King Arthur that he did not insult his honor by demeaning the Queen during his fit of rage. If Lanval had not acted this way, he still could have been a successful knight, yet the

Lanval stays loyal to his promise until Queen Guinevere confesses her interest in him, offering herself to him in which he then he delicately rejects her. Speaking his loyalty to King Arthur. Angry, she blames him of being homosexual, Lanval, because of Queen Guinevere’s accusation says, “The poorest girl of all, is better than you, my lady queen, in body, face, and beauty.” The queen asking to be involved in an adulterous relationship is not seen as ideal behavior for modern women or for twelfth century women. During this time men were commonly known for being dishonest and unfaithful, therefore, to have this woman do this, definitely was a different direction than expected. Hurt by the rejection and statement of Lanval, Queen Guinevere tells King Arthur that Lanval came onto her. Arthur upset at the situation orders that Lanval be sent to court where if he could not prove that such a woman existed more beautiful than his beloved queen, he shall be

Even though these qualities are praised in this culture, medieval narratives commonly uphold unrealistic virtues of what a perfect woman is. After Lanval vows to keep their love a secret, the queen of the court tempts the knight with her love. She says, "Lanval, I have honored, cherished and loved you much. You may have all my love: just tell me what you desire! I grant you my love and you should be glad to have me" (pp. 1771). Shortly after Lanval rejects her advances, the queen further establishes her ill will towards the good knight by saying, "I well believe that you do not like this kind of pleasure. I have been told often enough that you have no desire for women" (pp. 1771). The importance of these accusations exemplifies the queen's power and influence over Lanval. Although he graciously declines the queen's love, he regrettably reveals his love to the queen in an attempt to prove himself to the court. He says, "And I will tell you one thing; you can be sure that one of her servants, even the very poorest girl, is worth more than you, my lady the Queen, in body, face and beauty, wisdom and goodness" (pp. 1771). The manner which the queen entices Lanval reveals that both power and evil can be easily compared to this woman's actions, showing readers the other side of the coin. The division between these two women illustrates how often this society feeds off of a virgin/ whore dichotomy, branding such women

In "Lanval," the knight is asked to make a promise to his "ami" not to let anyone know of their affair. Although Lanval does not remain true to his word, the importance of the oath is made clear in the simple fact that his love trusts his word implicitly. It is important to note that, were it not for the implied oath of a knight to remain loyal at all costs to his king, Lanval would have kept his promise

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