The Chivalry Code In The Pardoner's Tale

In the late 1300s Geoffrey Chaucer began wrote The Canterbury Tales, a story which follows the religious journey of twenty-nine people, who represent many aspects of Medieval society, to the Canterbury Cathedral in southeast England. While on the pilgrimage the host of the tavern, where all the pilgrims meet, suggests that the pilgrims each tell a story for the group’s entertainment. Chaucer intended for all the voyagers to tell two stories, but he unfortunately died before he could finish the book and only got to write one story apiece. However, the goal of the storytelling contest is to tell the most moral story possible, and the one who wins receives a free meal, which the rest of the pilgrims will pay for. Although some of the other stories have good moral messages, “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” are on different ends of the moral spectrum. “The Pardoner’s Tale” focuses on a pardoner who preaches against greed. While “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” exemplifies what all women want in their relationships: power. Although both “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” demonstrate the value of the opinion of elders, the stories differ in their moral values and their storyteller’s values.

In the time period between 1066 and 1485, better known as the medieval age, a set of standards and how people are placed into order of importance in society is known as feudalism. In this caste system there are four groups; Kings, Barons, Vassals, and Serfs. The main individual of focus comes from the vassals, better known as the knight. Knights from this time period start out around 7 years old and are taught a code of chivalry (code of conduct) and the basics of knight hood. The knight in the Wife of Bath’s tale forcibly violates a young madden and punished with execution by decapitation. He is saved by the queen but is sent on a twelve month and a day quest. The knight in the Wife of Bath’s Tale doesn’t display chivalry by his actions

The women in Le Morte d’Arthur and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, were part to blame for knights breaking the code of chivalry. Knights in these stories broke the code of chivalry by treating women in a poor manner, not obeying their lieges, and keeping secrets from their kin. The code of chivalry was an honorable code followed by knights in which they had to respect women, obey their liege, and show bravery in battle. Sometimes the women tried to tempt the knights, resulting in affairs. Sometimes these women try to exploit a knights chivalry. The women in these stories had an influence that steered knights into breaking the code of chivalry that caused some battles and knightly dishonors.

In the stories Morte d’Arthur and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the use of the code of chivalry is used on the knights Lancelot and Sir Gawain. In Morte d'Arthur, Lancelot breaks the code of chivalry because he is not honest when King Arthur

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Virtuous code of chivalry is shown when the bodies of the women husbands were slain and dragged out into the plain by the the Lord of Thebes King Creon. The Duke showing his code of chivalry promising he would take vengeance “swore on his oath that he was a true knight he would take vengeance on this tyrant King” (29). The Duke

When asked to think of the word “chivalry” and the chivalric code, what is the first thing which comes to mind? Many would visualize the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Most people overlook that chivalry was a code of conduct, designed specifically for the hierarchical order of society and difficult lifestyle during medieval times. The code of conduct included many ideals such as courage, honor, and protecting the weak and was followed by the knights; it also helped control the warrior class by imposing such strict expectations, ensuring they won’t violently turn on those they are assigned to protect. Chivalry played a very important role in the medieval time period.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight along with The Canterbury Tales features impressive knights that all boast a chivalric code. As Sir Gawain and the Green Knight unfolds, we readers are led to look beneath the attractive surface of chivalry and question exactly what chivalry is through examples such as: Sir Arthur , Sir Gawain, the Green Knight, Palamon, and Arcite.

The Canterbury Tales, an anthology or collection of short stories was written by Geoffrey Chaucer, as he participated in the pilgrimage to Canterbury with 29 other pilgrims by his side. During their travels, each of them are responsible for telling four tales; and the pilgrim which tells the best tale will receive dinner by the group. As four stories are to be told by each of the pilgrims, each tale differs significantly as well as the themes of each. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” and “The Knight’s Tale” do share common characteristics, by building off of the ideas of the Knight’s Code of Chivalry. Whether humorous or representing the gravity of a person’s decision, Knight’s Code of Chivalry and Art of Courtly Love can be discovered in the two

Having heard his wife and sister-in-law’s pleas for mercy upon the men Theseus did not kill them and instead instructed them to each assemble an army and that in one year they would battle for her hand. The two men later returned with their armies and a tournament was held, Arcita being the victor, however, after a sudden earthquake he was thrown from his horse and mortally wounded. With his final breaths Arcita tells Emily that nobody could be a better husband for her than Palamon and after a speech by Theseus Emily marries him.

After the knight rapes the girl, he goes through court and the court is scandalized by the knight's crime, and they concluded that he should be put to death by decapitation. Instead, the queen suggested that if within one year he were able to find out what women really want most in the world, and report back, they wouldn't chop off his head. Then the knight goes to look for answers, he finds an old woman that agreed to give him the answer--but in return he has to marry her. The knight returns to the queen and says “A woman wants the self-same sovereignty over her husband as over her lover, and master him; he must not be above her”. This is what the knight learned from the old hag, and then he was off the hook and cleared from getting his head chopped off, but then he has to deal with the old hag, the old hag says“. You have a choice, you either have me ugly and loyal, or I be beautiful but unloyal to you”. The knight replies saying “in honor to us both. I don't care which; whatever pleases you suffices me” This shows how throughout the knight's journey, he did learn that women want sovereignty over men. Now he is applying it to his current situation, and the old hag sees that he is a changed man, so then the old hag says “kiss me. No quarrels! On my oath and word of honor, you shall find me both” she then turned both beautiful and loyal, and they live happily ever after. The author uses the knight to show how he made a mistake and raped a girl. He then learned a valuable lesson, and that lesson is that women want their husbands to give them authority, and the husband cannot be above them. In the end it didn't end up being about the one who had most power, but a mutual understanding, respect and