Friday, January 3, 2020

Examples Of Chivalry In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, King Arthur’s court is the epitome of chivalry within its own secluded walls. The code of chivalry to which the knights adhere to included many virtues like mercy, courage, valour, fairness, protection for the weak, a loyalty to their lord, willingness to give up their life for another and the widely known courtly love. In the outside world when faced with opposing ideals and trials this code of chivalry is quickly forgotten or rather ignored. Looking at Sir Gawain in his travels shows how the behavior that was so prized and common in the court, is not used or shown on his journey to find the Green Knight. Even though he had the pentangle on his shield as a reminder of the behavior he should exhibit†¦show more content†¦While still at the court a year later when he had to find the Green Knight to receive the same strike he gave to the knight, which so happened to be a killing blow. He could have stayed in the hall, but he felt a ne ed to follow the code so he set out into the land to find the Knight as he said he would. Although it would have been a poor choice in the eyes of a knight if he hadn’t gone, as he would have to keep his word to prove his courage and bravery. For his journey to meet the Green Knight, Gawain has the symbol of the pentangle to remind him of the five virtues he holds so highly and to exhibit them along the way. When he couldn’t find some place to attend Christmas mass he prays to the Virgin Mary in hopes of finding a place and he is rewarded for his action as that is when he is taken to Lord Bertilak’s castle. This however was not the case for him the entire journey as there were multiple times he strayed from them. The major times he strayed from the code was when he was a guest in Bertilak’s castle. The host put his wife up to seducing Gawain for the game he had proposed to the knight. Where the courtly behavior between the two was a facade as they were both lying to one another in a sense. The Lady of the castle never told that her husband put her up to it and Gawain would feign sleep and keep his true thoughts to himself. Although he still refuses the Lady in a chivalrous manner which can be seen as the ideal behaviorShow MoreRelatedChivalry Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight904 Words   |  4 PagesChivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight There are many great movies, like â€Å"300† or â€Å"Saving Private Ryan,† that are told with the classic chivalry elements that were known to describe the noble knights from hundreds of years ago. Much like the courageous soldiers in these movies, Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, faced many conflicts that might have questioned his moral code of nobleness. Sir Gawain was a great knight that was loyal to King Arthur and had the courage to take on theRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Chivalry Essay796 Words   |  4 PagesKnights and shining armor, is a modern day description of knights. These knights road on horseback, jousted, but more importantly, served by a code. This was a code dealing with chivalry, in which knights obeyed by. The article Nighthood and Chivalry, defines it by, â€Å"In modern English, chivalry means the ideals, virtues, or characteristics of knights,† (Velde). There is one specific knight who shows this code in the sto ry, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. The knight is Gawain, a noble and courageousRead MoreA Knight s Honor : An Analysis Of Chivalry865 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Chivalry† Throughout history, people of certain cultures base their lives off special rules, or codes. The Anglo-Saxons took examples from the epic hero of Beowulf. Knights during King Arthur’s rule lasted by the code of Chivalry. Lessons from this honorable code can be extracted from the text of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as well as from Morte D’Arthur. Each of these memorable pieces of literature show examples of the code of chivalry. The three aspects of chivalry are courageRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an1600 Words   |  7 PagesThe Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous author, are both sophisticated fourteenth-century examples of medieval romance. Medieval romances captured the heart of their audiences as narratives and stories that featured a protagonist, often a knight, and dealt with religious allegories, chivalry, courtly love, and he roic epics. The concept of the knight emerged from the remnants of the Anglo-saxon literature and ideals and influence of theRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight967 Words   |  4 Pages4 Period J 1 Oct 2015 Chivalry In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is considered not only a most brilliant example of Middle English poetry but one of the jewels in the crown English Literatures, and sits in the British Library under conditions of high security and controlled humidity. In the anonymously written story, Sir Gawain And The Green Knight shows Sir Gawain’s chivalry form his loyalty to his King, being testing by Green Knight, and his behavior duringRead MoreCantos Themes Of Chivalry In The Green Knight905 Words   |  4 Pagesshown. The main theme is chivalry. This was the system used in medieval times by knights. It shows the characteristics of a knight that should be present. These include respect, courage, justice, and honesty. These are all shown when the Green Knights shows up in Camalote he comes with a challenge to test the knights chivalry. The challenge is simple, someone can cut the Green Knights head off as long as he is able to do it to them one year from now. Gawain takes the Green K night’s challenge and cutsRead MoreThe Code Of Chivalry And The Fundamental Thoughts And Actions Of Human Nature1499 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish 2223 Jennifer Smith 26 November 2015 Sir Gawain†¦ Chivalric? By analyzing Sir Gawain’s attempts of following the Code of Chivalry and the fundamental thoughts and actions of human nature helps to further analyze Gawain’s character. The definition of Chivalry is the â€Å"set of values and code of conduct for the medieval knightly class† (Shatz) examining Gawain’s attempts to achieve his goal of being the perfect chivalric knight, the nature of his obstacles has to be determined, andRead MoreEssay on Chivalric Romance in Sir Gawin and the Green Knight701 Words   |  3 Pagesdoes a Chivalric Romance really represent? In â€Å"Sir Gawain and The Green Knight,† Sir Gawain continuously proves his knightly virtues and code of honor. Chivalry includes bravery, honor and humanity. He proves that he is in fact a â€Å"real† knight. It shows many ways that â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† are perfect and the emphasis on the importance of the chivalric code. Despite its divine origins, the chivalric code is ultimately a human ideal. Chivalry is not a trait naturally found in man, but ratherRead MoreMonty Python Satire Essay1647 Words   |  7 Pagesacts of chivalry, being hilariously mocked. â€Å"What, ridden on a horse?† â€Å"Yes!† â€Å"You re using coconuts!† â€Å"What?† â€Å"You ve got two empty halves of coconuts and you’re bangin em together.† This is a prime example of satire directed at chivalry today. People seem to think that chivalry is rooted so far in the past that it’s gone. I can say that it may be gone from some minds, but definitely not all. To be a good and true knight, a man had to follow certain ideals, ideals of chivalry and courtlyRead MoreThe Middle Ages : Sir Gawain And The Green Knight1742 Words   |  7 PagesAges†). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the thirteenth and fourteenth century, along with Morte D’Arthur. Both medieval epics exemplify bravery and courage as their themes. â€Å"The only universal European institution during the Medieval Era was the Catholic Church which had all the local power within the local bishops† (Sagona). The church saw itself as the only spiritual place of Christian believers, thus it had a large amount of influence on Medieval people, including knights. Christian

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.