The Story Of The Grail By Chretien De Troyes

Marie de France, supposed author of the series of Lais, recounts her stories through short texts, which are centered on women and their place in the 12th century. There are several supernatural elements throughout her work, which are mainly and explicitly present in ‘Guigemar’ and ‘Yonec’. This can be defined as ‘events or things that cannot be explained by nature or science and that are assumed to come from beyond or to originate from otherworldly forces.’ It is not however the only narrative device she has used in her written pieces. It is with the combination of the supernatural with the self-propelled ship or the transformation of the hawk into a knight, and the natural, the symoblisation of the stick and the rossignol, that Marie de France explores human relations between her characters.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an Arthurian poem; an enchanting story of chivalry, romance and heroism. With its intricately woven details, parallels and symbols, the reader will often easily overlook these facets in a story of this caliber. Undoubtedly, the author would not have spent time on details that do not add to the meaning of the overall telling of the story. The three hunting scenes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and in parallel, the three temptations, monopolize a considerable portion of the story. In a comparison of the three hunts and their corresponding temptations, we will see how the poet parallels these circumstances to emphasize the meaning of its symbolism.

Marie De France’s Lanval is a remarkable short narrative that engages the reader into a world filled with unrealistic elements, but enhances on the true meaning of romance, chivalry and nature during the years that King Arthur reigned. “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” unfortunately does not have an author that can be recognized but this epic poem demonstrates the ghastly adventure of a knight who decides to defend the honor of young King Arthur against a supernatural being in this malicious game of cat and mouse. Both of these pieces of literature have enchanting characteristics that define them as a masterpiece of their era and that’s why they both are easily compared and contrasted. In addition, both Lanval and “Sir Gawain and The

A medieval romance is a kind of writing that has a mysterious, supernatural setting, idealizes chivalry and courtly love, and may involve masking a character's real identity. Usually the hero of a medieval romance is a knight who takes an unusual challenge and whose triumph brings glory to the king and the nation. This paper will be an analytical essay, I will examine the writing “Sir Gawain and the Green knight” and show how it fits into the medieval romance genre.

The concept of physical war is universally understood while many do not recognize internal struggles as a war within. The wife of bath, Beowulf, Lanval, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight all share a common theme of internal struggle. From a mental war over the kingdoms precedent, to an altering decision on whether knightly virtues are more important than his own life, these characters are battling the ideology of their roles during their time periods, as well as themselves.

Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur,” and the Gawain Poet’s “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” are important works that should be considered when studying medieval literature. They both portray the style and structure of medieval romance. They also tackle the same topic of King Arthur and his knights, as well as share the same characters of King Arthur and Sir Gawain. In order to be able to go over these works and understand them, one must understand the aspects of literature of the time.

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.

“Sir Gawain and the Green knight” is a romantic Middle English poem written in the fourteenth century by an unknown author. This poem is a fairy-tale like story that gives its readers a glimpse into the social class system of Medieval England. This literary work opens with the famous King Arthur, a local bishop, and King Arthur’s knights enjoying a royal feast at Camelot during the Christmas season. This poem provides an accurate depiction of the feudal system of the middle ages. Within this tale are individuals representing the “pyramid of power” that symbolizes the social class system of Medieval England. This top of the pyramid group consists of royalty, clergy and noble knights.

Marie De France’s Lanval is a remarkable short narrative that engages the reader into a world filled with unrealistic elements, but enhances on the true meaning of romance, chivalry and nature during the years that King Arthur reigned. “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” unfortunately does not have an author that can be recognized but this epic poem demonstrates the ghastly adventure of a knight who decides to defend the honor of young King Arthur against a supernatural being in this malicious game of cat and mouse. Both of these pieces of literature have enchanting characteristics that define them as a masterpiece of their era and that’s why they both are easily compared and contrasted. In addition, both Lanval and “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” can be classified as similar through their themes, style and plots, although they are different through their language and diction. Even though both of these literatures can be viewed as similar as well as contrasting, in the end, each of these tales have illuminated the realm of fantasy throughout the court of King Arthur.

In Marie De France’s poem “Lanval”, the knight Lanval faces immense cultural pressure to get married and have a male heir, as it is the norm in King Arthur’s kingdom. It may appear that “Lanval” is supporting the concept of the institution of marriage, as the story had a heavy focus on marriage, and the court nearly punished Lanval for rejecting Guinevere. On the surface, the poem could easily mislead the reader to believe this is the case, but without further analysis, the reader may miss the courting that the mystery-lady has provided Lanval, which prove why the text critiques the establishment of marriage, as her courting is very much of the inverse of a typical heterosexual relationship in the culture. This misunderstanding can be

There is heavy celebration and feasting among all of the court for fifteen days until New Year’s Day. King Arthur proposes a game and refuses to eat his dinner until he has heard a wonderful story. Everyone sits in quiet at Arthur’s request, and suddenly they hear something coming from the door. The Green Knight burst through the door glowing, decorated with gold speckles and wielding a glowing green axe while mounted on his Green Horse. The Green Knight has very handsome features including long hair and a long beard. The Green figure shocked the guest and the court leaving their jaws locked open at the sight of this Green Knight. The Green Knight proposes his offer reassuring Arthur that he is not there to fight, as he has no armor on, but rather test Arthur’s court that he has heard so many great things about. He offers the court a particular challenge against his life, saying that whomever strikes him must let the Green Knight repay the same blow he suffered to the challenger. With such a odd challenge at the courts midst, Arthur and his guest are still shocked at this figure and hesitate to reply. The Green Knight begins to question the courts reputation and Arthur will not take this disrespect. King Arthur steps up and grabs the Green Knight’s Axe, prepares to take a blow, but is stopped by his nephew Sir

In both the Inferno and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the central characters are riddled with moral inadequacies. Both Dante and Gawain set forth on a journey that reveals the flaws within themselves. Each is faced with challenges that force them to go against their original beliefs. Dante endures a full 180 degree transformation on his views of sin and Gawain is unable to uphold the perfect identity of knighthood. Based on these journeys the nature of the individual in medieval literature is to be in a state of identity crisis because Dante’s views of salvation are based on arrogance and Gawain is obsessed with perfection. The self view of each character provide an element of moral progression throughout the story and the ultimate theme behind each piece of literature.

Ideally, a king has an old look, a great amount of power, and naturally rules his domain with an iron fist in literature. In the two works, Le Morte d'Arthur and First Knight see two different versions of how king Arthur is portrayed. Yet the honor and respect that a king should have remains undisturbed, much like how both are products of their time. First Knight is told as a modern retelling of the legend and Le Morte d'Arthur is a minorly altered, much older work. While the depictions of king Arthur are seen as the paramount backbone for arthurian times, these two works have also proven to exhibit differences and similarities, illustrate Arthur’s figure in character, and serve as preservation of the time period.

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

Meanwhile, Perceval rode on down the road to King Arthur’s castle. Outside there was a knight bearing red arms who had took King Arthur’s golden cup. Perceval