Monty Python and the Holy Grail Essay

     “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is a satiric comedy about the quest of King Arthur. The movie starts out with Arthur, King of the Britons, looking for knights to sit with him at Camelot. He finds many knights including Sir Galahad the pure, Sir Lancelot the brave, the quiet Sir Bedevere, and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Lancelot. Through satire and parody of certain events in history (witch trials, the black plague) they find Camelot, but after literally a quick song and dance they decide that they do not want to go there. While walking away, God (who seems to be grumpy) come to them from a cloud and tells them to find the Holy Grail. They agree and begin their search. While they search for the

of romantic love, courtly love goes hand and hand with chivalry. Chivalry is the code of conduct

England in the Medieval times was a monarchy, meaning there's a king who's in power and he was sworn in through family or through war. There is a scene where King Arthur talks to the “Political Peasants” about how they vote and such in a monarchy, while little do they know it doesn't matter. The satire used in Monty Python and The Holy Grail is cleverly used and hidden in humor that everyone can understand. To call back to the Black Knight anyone can laugh at an immortal knight who gets cut up and made fun of but, the common viewer watching for entertainment would not know he is a reference to not only the green knight but, the black plague. The entire theme of chastity is parodied in the castle of anthrax in which sir galahad the chaste is tempted by an entire castle of women to “spank” them.

This chivalrous act is derided in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when King Arthur confronts the Black Knight blocking the path to the bridge. King Arthur insists on crossing the bridge instead of going around, forcing a confrontation between the Arthur and the Black Knight. Arthur shows no mercy in the battle and cuts the Black Knight's limbs off, one by one. This demonstrates satire because as the Black Knights limbs are being cut off, King Arthur continues to slice at him, displaying an exaggeration of showing no mercy. The Black Knight persists against Arthur, also mocking how one must never recoil before the enemy, even if one's limbs are removed. In Le Morte d' Arthur, King Arthur is merciless against Modred, his bastard son whom attempts to take over King Arthur's kingdom, and pierces Modred with a spear. This instance is an example of chivalry because King Arthur does not hesitate to kill his own son nor does he display clemency. Modred as a response does not recoil, which is also is in the code of conduct of chivalry. When a knight faces the enemy, he should never flinch or shy away because of fear. This aspect of chivalry is parodied in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when King Arthur and his knights brawled with the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog. The Killer Rabbit is an unearthly creature because it leaps incredible lengths and wrenches a knight's head off with one bite. This scene is executed to make the confrontation appear ridiculous to the audience by the otherworldly rabbit decapitating one of King Arthur's praised knights, proving them to be inept in battle. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Knight, a mystic man with a green complexion and a body made of nature, challenges a knight to a beheading game. When Sir Gawain accepts this challenge, he decapitates the Green Knight, whom proceeds to ride away "although

do not think this is genuine love to me as he later falls in love with

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a classic example of the behaviors of a medieval knight and how the code of chivalry works within the courts and towards women. When Sir Gawain visits Bertiak’s castle, he respectfully treats the elderly woman and Bertiak’s beautiful young wife with the same level of dignity. “To the elder in homage he humbly bows; the lovelier he salutes with a light embrace. They welcome him warmly, and straightaway he asks to be received as their servant, if they so desire” (lines 973-976). The treatment of women is an essential part of the code of chivalry. If Sir Gawain had only given attention to the pretty young woman, then he would not have been abiding by the knight’s code of honor. He also keeps the code of chivalry intact when he says “Lover have I none, nor will have, yet awhile” (line 1790). Sir Gawain says this to Bertiak’s attractive wife, when she tries seducing him in the bedroom, which proved Sir Gawain’s loyalty to Bertiak, upholding his chivalric code. Honorable Sir Gawain demonstrates the knightly code of chivalry throughout the poem.

Guinevere, being a lady of the court, abides to the dictates of courtly love. Courtly love is a code created by the court poets in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, under the promotion of Marie de Champagne. There is more of a social code than a written law that is adhered to. It is, rather, a fanciful trend that hits the courts of the nobility. Courtly love actually condones fornication, adultery, sacrilege, but represents them as a necessary element to what it considers to be virtuous(Denomy 22). This adultery is accepted, as it is believed that true love cannot be found through the politically arranged marriages that occur. One marries a husband for bettering land holdings, power, and wealth, and

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail satire is used quite often to make fun of the Catholic faith. One of the most noteworthy moments is near the beginning of the movie when the monks are walking through the town chanting. Monty Python may use rather ludicrous humor to get their point across; however, they do a good job conveying the faults in the Catholic Church and display them on film. The movie does this through setting, characters’ costumes, and music.

When Laudine eventually speaks with Ywain, she tells him that "she ought not refuse to take as lord a good knight and the son of a king" (35). We get here a sense of necessity, not love. There is an agreement between them without any show of affection. Then Laudine brings her new husband to be before the court. She tells them that although she has "not made his acquaintance before" she should not be dissuaded from marrying him (36). Again, this is solely because he has the abi lity to protect them. Chretien writes, a paragraph later, that "Love commanded her" to marry Ywain; however, it is sometimes necessity which fuels this marriage to him, rather than love (36). Gawain sums all of this up when he persuades Ywain to go about the land entering tournaments. He tells Ywain that "it is not fittinq that" his wife should "love him if his valor and fame are left behind" (42). This attitude about love only reenforces the fact that it is not love to begi n with, for if Laudine truly loved Ywain, he would not have to prove his mettle.

By the mid-fourteenth century, courtly love became an accustomed behavior. The heart of courtly love grew to demand a knight’s complete obedience to his mistress under his honor and courtesy, by means of taxing ordeals to prove his enduring commitment to her. The resulting relationship would be characterized by full expressions of mutual lust and love. Fast-forward to America during the Roaring Twenties and romantic love had long become the basis of most marriages, but the great Jay Gatsby revives the medieval style of courtship to address his deep affection for his beauteous lover.

Home in today’s society can be described in many ways, but is ultimately expressed as more of a feeling of safety and love. Sonsyrea Tate claims "You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you." In essence, the feeling of home is a part of the character and who he/she will become. In Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, Pip examines the true meaning of home and how the subjective opinion of home can reflect who a person becomes. He illustrates this idea using recurring appearances of home-like symbols, the way Pip’s definition of home changes throughout the novel, and how he shows Pip’s acquired feelings after moving into higher society.

“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is an excellent work to reference when examining different relationships within Arthurian legends. The author of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is unknown, but he is sometimes referred to as the “Gawain Poet” or “Pearl Poet” because of his additional works: “Pearl,” “Purity,” and “Patience.” All four poems were part of the Alliterative Revival of the Middle Ages of Northern England, containing mostly religious content. This may be the origin of Gawain’s exaggeratedly religious portrayal in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is organized in a stanza arrangement. Each stanza ends with one short line and four longer lines, called the bob and wheel, which “knits” the story together. It may important to note that the work was most likely written in the fourteenth century. The work is set in sixth-seventh centuries, but includes modern advances in armory, dress, and décor from the time the poem was written. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” exhibits many different types of love and relationships in which they are demonstrated. Familial love, spiritual love, erotic love, and courtly love are demonstrated within families, friendships, marriages, and Godly relationships.

One of the most obvious reasons why “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is a Medieval Romance is because the hero of the story is sent on a quest. In the first few pages, the story describes how the Green Knight challenges King Arthur to a game. However, Arthur cowers from the thought of doing it. So, Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, volunteers to play the game for him, and the court allows him to do so. “The court assays the claim, /And in counsel all unite, /To give Gawain the game, /And release the king outright” (Lines 135-138). When in comes close to New Year’s Day, Sir Gawain heads out on his quest to find the Green Chapel. However, he finds a lord and his castle. He stays with the lord and his wife for quite some time because the lord assured him that he would take him to the Green Chapel when the day came. During his stay, the wife of the lord visits Gawain inside his bedroom multiple times and tempts him. As the days progressed, Gawain received more and more kisses from her, along with her magical green sash. Little did he know, that it was a test set up by the Green Knight, who was disguised as the lord, to see if he would restore the gifts he got to him as well and fulfill his part of their deal. “You kissed my comely wife-each kiss you restored. /For

Although King Arthur is one of the most well-known figures in the world, his true identity remains a mystery. Attempts to identify the historical Arthur have been unsuccessful, since he is largely a product of fiction. Most historians, though, agree that the real Arthur was probably a battle leader of the Britons against the Anglo-Saxons in the sixthth century. In literature, King Arthur's character is unique and ever changing, taking on a different face in every work. There is never a clearly definitive picture that identifies Arthur's character. It is therefore necessary to look at a few different sources to get better insight into the character of Arthur, the once and future king.

Courtly love or domnei was a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration.[1] Generally, courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility.[2] It was also generally not practiced between husband and wife.[2][3]