chivalry Essay

In medieval romances there is a hero-knight, this hero-knight prides himself on being chivalrous. Chivalry is the overall code of being respectful, religious, and morally right. Some believe chivalry is dead in our society, but I believe it has just been evolved for modern day life. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, the author pokes fun at the court's values of chivalry. During the second half of the 14th century, when the story takes place, chivalry dictates their ranks and their everyday life.

​In the beginning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is introduced as a courtly knight with a sense of perfection. The author does this to compare it to his failures, which are later displayed through Gawain’s acts at Morgan le Fay’s castle. Gawain is portrayed to be a chivalrous knight with honor and courage. Gawain is presented with a challenge: accept the game to cut off the Green Knight’s head, and in a test of courage and honor, set out to allow the Green Knight to return the favor to him in a year and a day. This initially shows the knightly characteristics of Gawain which presents him as noble and honorable, which allows the author to shock the audience when Gawain falls under pressure to actions that contradict the chivalrous code. The first of these actions taken by Gawain in opposition to his morals is the temptation

Gawain’s first portrayal of being a true knight comes when the Green Knight makes his appearance in Camelot. The Green Knight first speaks to King Arthur and proposes that they play a “game.” Arthur will strike the Green Knight with his axe, and in return the Green Knight will return the strike in a year and a day. King Arthur agrees to this game and its terms, but as he steps up to accept the challenge, Gawain comes forward and offers to participate in the “game” in place of King Arthur. Sir Gawain says to King Arthur, “I implore with prayer plain that this match should now be mine” (341-342). Gawain goes on to strike the Green Knight, cutting off his head. However, the strike does not kill the Green Knight; he picks up his head from the ground and repeats to Sir Gawain that he will return the blow in a year and a day. In this moment, Gawain’s bravery is clearly showcased. First, he takes a challenge in place of his king, which he did not have to do.

Essay with Outline  Loyalty, courage, honor, purity, and courtesy are all attributes of a knight that displays chivalry. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is truly a story of the test of these attributes. In order to have a true test of these attributes, there must first be a knight worthy of being tested, meaning that the knight must possess chivalric attributes to begin with. Sir Gawain is self admittedly not the best knight around. He says "I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; / and the loss of my life [will] be least of any" (Sir Gawain, l. 354-355). To continue on testing a knight that does not seem worthy certainly will not result in much of a story, or in

Although Sir Gawain and Beowulf are heros, they have very different values. One of Gawain’s main morals is to keep his promises and at the end of the year, “Gawain leaves on his quest to find the Green Knight and fulfill his pledge” (216). Although Gawain knows he is leaving to his death, it is important to him to honor his end of the bargain. Sir Gawain also values humility and is not afraid to put himself down for the benefit of others. When he convinces King Arthur to let him accept the formidable challenge, he says, “I myself am the weakest, of course, and in wit the most feeble; my life would be least missed, if we let out the truth. Only as you are my uncle have I any honor” (214). Gawain wants to make sure his king is safe, even if it meant sacrificing himself.. He also mentions that the only reason he has honor is because of Arthur. On the other hand, Beowulf has many different

King Arthur loved Sir Gawain because his loyalty of commitment to his superior shows a great deal of respect, exhibiting his nobility once more. As I have previously stated, “Arthur loved this knight, always the first to come forward, ever ready to put his courage to the test; and his heart sank” (Hastings 2). In addition, Sir Gawain’s commitment allows King Arthur to know that his loyal knight is dedicated to serving him and that he will support him no matter what the cause may be, just as a true noble knight should be. Because Sir Gawain is ready to volunteer to save the honour of his king and his title, shows loyalty once more as he is the one eager to represent the king with whatever quest he may have. Another example would be when Sir Gawain displays his strong desire to represent the king as he enthusiastically shouts “Sire, I beg you, let me defend you! Grant me the quest that I may be the one to save the honour of my King!” (Hastings 2). Of course, Sir Gawain desired to be the king’s representative as he would die to portray his loyalty. That is to say he would literally die to portray his loyalty as his courage has no limits so for this; he is truly a noble knight. For these reasons, Sir Gawain is a favourite for his courage and loyalty demonstrates his nobility through his unique character, begging the king for quests and giving King Arthur a sense

More proof of Sir Gawain’s chivalrous and courageous character is evident when he arrives at Bercilak’s court. The people are honored that their guest is Sir Gawain, the most honored of all the knights on earth, even though Gawain describes himself as young and untested. They whisper to each other that Gawain, whose “courage is ever-constant” and “custom-pure,” will demonstrate and teach them his “command of manners” and “love’s language”(SGGK l. 912, 924, 927). The conversation of the household serves to provide proof of his Gawain's fine character.

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

     An act of chivalry is described as the qualifications or character of the ideal knight. Knights were expected to uphold this code of conduct. In the English literature Le Morte d?Arthur, French for ?The Death of Arthur?, by Sir Thomas Malory, the characters display acts of chivalry from beginning to end. Though the code of chivalry contains many qualities or acts, nevertheless bravery, loyalty, and courtly love are demonstrated more throughout this literature.

“The motto of chivalry is also the motto of wisdom to serve all, but love only one” (Balzac 1). During the Medieval Age, there once existed a moral system that introduced a set of conducts such as, virtues, honor, and courtly love. This was known as the Code of Chivalry. These codes where available and practiced in knight's daily life. The idea of chivalry is extremely valuable to the people, that even everything a knight wore symbolized something valuable or unique. In other words, chivalry was no game. Authors during the chivalric period were influenced by the concept of chivalry and romance that the authors wrote about it in their work. During the Medieval Age and the Renaissance period chivalry, courtly love, and romance played a

Chivalrous conduct can be described as, "qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women,” (Ramsay) In the many stories surrounding King Arthur, his own story included, all contain this chivalrous conduct in the text. In the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain shows his courage and honesty. The Song of Roland is the story of a chivalrous man that is humbled and courageous through his experiences. The tale of Perceval, one of Arthur’s knights, is one that displays a whole new level of dedication and loyalty, The story of King Arthur himself also contains several elements of chivalry that he depicts to his followers. The theme of chivalry resonates within the four texts, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Song of Roland, Perceval: The Story of the Grail, and Morte D’Arthur, leaving the readers with a new hope for the future.

There is a difference between being brave and being courageous. Being brave is encountering fear in the moment and being able to work through it. Being courageous is understanding the risk and your fear beforehand, and taking the challenge anyway. Sir Gawain was courageous. He understood the challenge the green knight gave completely, and despite the almost certain fatal blow that would await him in a year if he was to accept the challenge, he did so anyway. This shows courage and honor, and how important it is to him to live up to the reputation of the knights at the Round Table.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a knight’s bravery correlates with their ethical code of honor. After the mockery of King Arthur’s court when the Green Knight notes, “Where is now your arrogance and your awesome deeds, your valor and your victories and your vaunting words,” (lines 311-312) one of the many knights in attendance is obligated to come forward to keep their pride and to save the name of King Arthur’s court. Following this encounter, Sir Gawain steps up to fight the Green Knight, which allowed King Arthur to not have to fight the Green Knight. The code of chivalry helps explain that one of the knights has to step up to keep his honor and protect the King and his court. “And the loss of my life would be least of any; and it is I that have asked it, it ought to be mine, and if my claim be not comely let all this court judge. And all councel all unite to give Gawain the game and release the king outright” (lines 355-365). The bravery to come forward and risk one’s life is another of the traits in the code of chivalry of the knights.

Chivalry was a system of principles and ideals that were developed among the knights of medieval Europe. These rules of conduct were guidelines that they needed to live by and uphold. Afterall, this was a typical “mans-world” where there were horses to ride, pubs and bars to hang out in and make merry, fights with rivals for respect and honor, and knights were admired. Knights were respected for their chivalry, abilities, and courage as it was all about war and winning. Having learned all about this subject from several related stories, I pursued a quest to become a knight and not just any knight, a Knight of the Round Table.

From Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the hero of the story, Sir Gawain, represents a lot of the characteristics of a chivalric knight/hero, among them: modesty for himself, honesty to everyone around, as well as commitment and courage to complete his agreement made. He also engages in the activities that define heroes: starting out with a journey and completing challenges along the way, all trying to prove his worthiness to not only himself, but to King Arthur and his people back home. The most chivalric thing about Sir Gawain was probably when he knew he had the option to let King Arthur chop off the Green Knight’s head, but instead, he volunteered himself to do what he thought was the smartest thing. He also had the choice to stay in his home when he should have been out and going to find the Green Knight, but he owned what he had done and completed his journey all the way to what he was thinking was his death. His only downfall was when he lied about his magical girdle, which was given to him by a lady, but did not return to the host after they had made a deal. The Green Knight