Two years after the looting, Adalbert remained in the estate by necessity, for no one else in the

Knights are one of the most mistaken figures of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. When medieval knights roamed the earth, it was known that they were only human and, like humans, had faults. These knights did not always live up to the standards designated by society. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is revealed as a character that would now be considered a knight in shining armor, a perfect role model in how he acts and what he does. Modern day people see them as chivalrous figures instead of their actual role as mounted cavalry soldiers. As time passes, the idea of what a knight is changes from a simple cavalry soldier to a specific type of behavior.

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 flirty, outgoing Squire was a Knight in training. His father, the Knight, pressures the Squire to become this extraordinary knight who will save many lives. The Squire was described as a very proficient horseman with some skills that would help him to be a Knight, but also as a young man with blonde curly

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

In Lanval, Marie de France introduces a knight who at the time, despite his chivalrous disposition and dedication to King Arthur’s court, is experiencing the hardship of poverty. One day he travels out into the countryside and is then pleasantly entranced by two maidens who lead him in a otherworldly manner to their Lady, a powerful fairy, who insists

As he looks back as a Squire he learned about Chivalry, the rules of Heraldry, horsemanship and practice the use of weapons and the skills required of a Knight. It was also their duty to enter into the social life of the castle and learn courtly etiquette, jousting, music and dancing. He wonders today as he welcomes all his knighthood friends and if he has what it takes to fight and serve his Lord according to the Code of Chivalry. In the morning he and others heard at Mass and a lengthy sermon on the duties of a knight. The entry into Knighthood was highly ritualized which started with a Night Vigil in the Chapel of the Castle. The day started with him have a ritual bathing - his body was thoroughly cleansed as a symbol of purification. He wears a white vesture to symbolize purity covered by a red robe that symbolized nobility. He wore black shoes and even his horse were black armor that symbolized death. His sword and shield was placed on the altar as he knelt at the Chapel altar, in silent prayer, for ten hours. A sponsor took possession of the sword and shield, which had been blessed by the priest. The sword and shield were passed to the lord who was to conduct the knighthood ceremony. Two sponsors in a Public ceremony presented the Medieval Knights to the lord. The Medieval Knights swore an oath of allegiance to the lord and swore the following oaths:

The knight was given a year and a day to find out what women most desire. The only way it can be answered is if he does this old woman a favor. The old woman wants him to marry her and let her have complete control. Every fairy tale has some kind of fairies or magical creature.

Not hesitating once to reject her father’s request, she dashed down the stairs, her dress rustling behind her. She noticed that her father was not alone. With him stood a knight. He was handsome, but wore clothes with holes and tears.

The Squire’s tale was originally intended to be a heart wrenching story of love and loss; however, that is not the lesson the Squire is portraying at first. When the Squire tells his acquaintances this story about an empowered King and his family who receive magical gifts from a mysterious Knight, they would think he is telling a story of witchcraft or some magical fantasy. Some even say his sole purpose of the story is just to compete with his father. Even though he speaks of many points except for love in the beginning, he eventually gets his point across.

At the end of Medieval literature a new literature was created. Women wanted stories where they could have a role. The women wanted to be treated like queens. This idea of courtly love-where a knight honored a married woman like he would “his liege lord” (Schwartz 1) can be found in Gardner’s translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Sir Gawain must honor such a lady. Because Sir Gawain honors a married woman, he struggles with being an honest and loyal knight.

The porter, at his station on the wall, greets the knight and assures him that his lord will welcome a noble knight such as he. As he steps off the drawbridge, the people welcome him, kneeling on the naked earth. Many folks offer to stable his horse: "The knights and squires escort him with bliss into the hall"(SGGK l. 824-825). When he removes his helmet, a "throng of attendants come to take it and see to its care"(SGGK l. 826-827). Many nobles draw near "to honor the knight and lead him to a hearth to warm him"(SGGK l. 830-832). Soon, the lord himself descends from his rooms to welcome Gawain. He opens his house to Gawain and offers into his power and sway (SGGK) l. 836, 837 all that he, Bercilak, owns. The two embrace, and then Bercilak leads Gawain to the parlor where he assigns a servant to see to their guest's needs.

The Knight, who has the highest social rank in The Prologue’s characters, is the one who gets to tell his tale first. This is important because the order in which the characters tell their tales represents their social standing of their different occupations. The Knight has qualities such as “chivalry, truth, honor, generousness, and courtesy”. He has fought in the Crusades and has seen many different foreign lands. Although “he possessed fine horses, he was not gaily dressed”.

Two weeks later, and a smiling Leon leant against a tree, watching as Arthur was helped off the floor, the boy laughing as it happened. It had been two weeks of utter chaos as Arthur had finally come clean about what had been happening. Oswald had been treating him almost like a servant rather than a squire, and as no one had specifically told Arthur what a squire's duty was, the prince had no idea he had been treated differently to all the other boys in his position. Determined to try and make his father proud, he had kept quiet, not wanting to be moaning if it had been nothing out of the ordinary.

This story tells me that Chaucer holds the knight in high regard. As the creator of this character and his tale, he displays his fondness of the characteristics which he attributes to the knight. Chaucer uses many great adjectives to describe the knight in the general

After this profession, the faery lady brings the knight to her “elfin grot” (29). The knight attempts to