Medieval Knightly Dead: Is Chivalry Dead?

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.

Elements of the medieval romance are evident in the movie First Knight. As such Chivalry is clearly evident through the action of Lancelot in the First Knight. This is shown when he goes out to rescue Lady Guinevere from the ambush in the forest and from Malagant castle where she is being held captive after being kidnaped in Camelot, Therefore, this is a clear depiction of chivalry in where the knight goes out to save the damsel in distress from danger. Another act of chivalry is when Lancelot embarks into the gauntlet which is a contraption that test one’s courage, bravery, and skill to be able to pass. Therefore, Lancelot goes through the gauntlet without any protection to display his skill and bravery to impress Guinevere. Consequently,

The era of knights, lances, and chivalry, medieval times, cannot compare to the modern conveniences there are in modern day. From transportation to weapons, even ordinary indulgences, the conveniences of present day are superior to that of medieval times.

Some say chivalry is dead , I don't think so. Chivalry is a code of conduct governing a knight's behavior. It's the combination of qualities expected of an ideal person, especially bravery, loyalty,and honor.

In all of the stories we have read so far, a major theme that has been constantly discussed is Knightly Behavior and the Chivalric Code. In what we have read so far Arthur and his knights have displayed these themes multiple times throughout. The knights were held to a much higher regard than many other people during this time.

There are many misunderstandings with the word chivalry, one of them being that the knight never actually swore an oath of chivalry until later in the middle ages. Chivalry was a word that was created by French-speaking English nobility, during the medieval period. The word originates from the French word cheval meaning horse, and the French word Knecht meant knight, by putting the two words together, we get the word chevalier which meant horseman. During the early medieval ages, a knight was known as a chevalerie which meant horseman. Then the lords, who ruled over the

Today, chivalry can be observed in the bonds of love, friendship, and most importantly, family. Throughout time, chivalry became long forgotten, but it just is not seen vividly anymore. Chivalry has adapted to the way of modern life, we see chivalry in the way you greet others. Or how a clerk or waiter/waitress says hello and asks polite questions.

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 knight’s Code of Chivalry was a system of morals that they lived by. Knights were very respected people because they lived by that code. A person’s morals or personal code can reflect a person’s character. I realized mine throughout the time I spent taking care of my great grandmother.

A code or moral, everyone has one not always good not always bad. Everyday you see people following these codes. They live by them and go out of their way to follow them. One, of these moral codes that some people follow is chivalry seen in many different ways. Chivalry, the rules and customs of medieval knighthood; a class of behavior or moral defined by respect, courtesy, and politeness.

“Knights and chivalry”, they are gentlemanlike, romantic and ruthless warriors to the people around them and the people that read about them today. The uprising to knighthood was a long process for emerging knights. They had to follow the rules of the Code of Chivalry each and everyday of their lives. Their daily lives were exhausting, long and tiresome. Their skills showed in battle and in tournaments when they used their weapons, armor, and horsemanship. Between all of these factors of knights and chivalry, it shows how much of an impact that they had in the Middle Ages.

In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer tells “The Knight’s Tale”, a story of the two knights Palamon and Arcite who fall deeply in love with Princess Emily, a member of Theseus’ kingdom. Even though both knights are imprisoned within a tower, each finds a way to escape jail and try to win Emily. Ultimately, this leads to a duel between the two knights for which the prize is the hand of Emily. Chaucer uses the knights to reflect the very male-oriented time period through the strong chivalry and courtly love displayed towards Emily, when in reality, he was trying to expose the flaws of the chivalric code, which led to the deadly feud between two fellow knights. Essentially, Chaucer is holding up a magnifying glass to what people of the

Medieval Times began in 1066 with Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings, and ended in 1485 with the War of Roses. During this time period a new literary style was developed called Medieval Romance. This genre includes chivalry, a theme of good versus evil and settings like castles with knights, kings and queens. This was formed through new social, political, and cultural changes following the Anglo-Saxon period.

Chivalry is the type of thing that would be great to have in our society but I don’t believe that it exists too much anymore in the world today. Let me break down here some of the chivalry rules compared with the actions of the people of the current world.