Comparing The Codes Of Comitatus And Chivalry

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Recommended: Chivalry in literature

Sean Blumlein
Mr. Flood
English 11 H
28 November 2017
The Codes of Comitatus and Chivalry

Throughout our readings so far this year, there have been different codes that are often held higher to a society than the laws of a particular land. Laws are defined as “A system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties” (Dictionary.com). Laws are basically written rules that the people are forced to follow because of fear. The fear is some sort of punishment, these codes serve as a rule book for how people should live their lives in a particular society. Two such codes we have read about this year are comitatus as demonstrated in Beowulf …show more content…

Comitatus is a social system under which people serve their brave, heroic leader no matter what the condition. Under this social order, the leader is bravest among his men and he commands the respect and loyalty of those who follow him. The leader is shamed if one of his followers has more courage than him, and his followers must surrender their own acts of courage so that their leader can receive all of the glory. Comitatus is the social system that governs the characters in the poem Beowulf. Beowulf is the biggest advocate of comitatus early on in the poem. After learning of the assaults made by Grendel against Hrothgar’s kingdom, Beowulf assembles 15 warriors to travel to Hrothgar’s kingdom and demands that Hrothgar allow him to fight Grendel. Hrothgar accepts Beowulf's request, and Beowulf pledges allegiance to Hrothgar. He promises that he will fight Grendel to the death for his new leader when he says “You will not need to hide my head if death takes me, for he will have me blood smeared; he will bear away my bloody …show more content…

Chivalry stresses fighting ability, faithfulness, honesty, generosity, service to one’s lord, service to one’s lady and loyalty to other warriors. The first part of chivalry, which stressed fighting ability and service to one’s lord, is taken directly from comitatus. Chivalry was not always followed in Le Morte D’Arthur much alike comitatus in Beowulf. The biggest withdrawal from chivalry is done by Lancelot. Lancelot broke this social system by taking part in an affair with Guinevere, by doing this he shatters the law of service to one’s lord. It is this decision that results in other characters in the story to stride away from the rules of chivalry, and in the end bring down the society. His decision caused warriors to conspire to catch Lancelot with Guinevere, which in the end leads to Lancelot killing several knights to escape. A pattern forms where a character breaks one part of the code of chivalry in the goal of keeping another code of chivalry intact. Eventually, this results in the demise of the Arthurian society. Because of Lancelot’s failure to follow the code of chivalry, he and Arthur create a long war. A lot of confusion in the warriors results from this, much like when Arthur’s men are ordered to have Guinevere burned, yet it was a violation of chivalry to not be loyal to your lady, and also a violation not to follow an order of the king.

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