“Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world,” states Aragorn upon his victorious return to Minas Tirith (Tolkien 946). This moment marks the culmination of years of trial and toil for Aragorn as he strived to regain his kingship; yet, throughout his existence, he remained the epitome of the chivalric hero and maintained his kingly qualities in secrecy. In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the character of Aragorn is just one of many examples of chivalry Tolkien utilizes to create his “mythology for England.” Tolkien also does not just limit himself to this one example of medievalism in his novels. The concept of feudalism is also present at pivotal moments of the novels and aids in structuring the governmental workings of Middle-earth. Both of these aspects of medieval England can be found in numerous places throughout Tolkien’s works including in the bonds between characters, in the heraldry of the various kingdoms, in the sacred ceremonies and high language of characters, and in the personalities and actions of the characters, themselves. Together, in The Lord of the Rings, these two aspects of medieval England blend together beautifully to create the sense of depth, history, and weight Tolkien strived to achieve in his works.
One must first understand the meaning of these medieval qualities, in order to then succeed in examining Tolkien’s use of them in The Lord of the Rings. Chivalry, to begin, is described by Maurice Keen, the author of the undisputed “last word” on the subject, as “a word that came to denote the code and culture of a martial estate which regarded war as its hereditary profession” (239); this is not, however, all that Keen be...
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It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us.
Life during the Middle Ages was full of social change, division, and classism. This feudal society of Britain was divided into three estates. (social classes) Within the second estate was the the knight who was a soldier for the king who fought in many battles. Even though the knight is expected to have the strength and the skills to fight in battle, all knights during the Medieval period additionally had a chivalrous aspect to them. Chivalry was the honor code of a knight which included bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women. Within the stories of the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” and “Le Morte d’Arthur”, the code of chivalry was broken by knights which show the corruption of England’s feudal society.
When Maurice Keen set out to write a book on the components and development of chivalry, he did not know it would be “the last word on a seductive subject,” as stated by one Washington Post reviewer. Instead, Keen was merely satisfying a curiosity that derived from a childhood fascination of stories filled with “knights in shining armour.” This juvenile captivation was then transformed into a serious scholarly interest by Keen’s teachers, the product of which is a work based upon literary, artifactual, and academic evidence. Keen’s Chivalry strives to prove that chivalry existed not as a fantastical distraction, as erroneously portrayed by romances, but instead as an integral and functional feature of medieval politics, religion, and society. The thirteen chapters use an exposition format to quietly champion Keen’s opinion of chivalry as being an element of an essentially secular code of “honour” derived from military practices.
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The paper will begin with a look at the life of Tolkien. This will serve the purpose of providing some context for the novel. Looking into the life of Tolkien will also serve to give the reader some insight into the mind that gave birth to such a rich land and why the novel may have some importance for sufferers of mental illness. Next will likely be a short summation of the
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In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by J.R.R. Tolkien, Gawain, a knight of the round table, expresses love and respect to aid his journey. These forms of love, from the beginning to the end, play key roles in demonstrating and maintaining the dignity of his knighthood. The manifestation of Gawain’s love forms a number of relationships over the course of the poem. Accordingly, these relationships test his true vow of chivalry and sustain his credibility as a true knight of the round table.
"John Ronald Ruel Tolkien." 2014. J.R.R. Inspiration of Tolkiens Ring Website. Feb 01 2014, 09:36 http://www.historytoday.com/lynn-forest-hill/inspiration-tolkiens-ring
Beowulf, being Tolkien’s biggest inspiration in The Lord of The Rings, is the prime example of Anglo-Saxon Literature. Written anonymously, it is the oldest surviving epic poem in history. The Anglo-Saxon time period thrived on the heroic codes of Honor, Strength, and Bravery. The warrior, Beowulf himself, exemplified this heroic code...
The title characters in both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight were both considered paragons of excellence by their peoples. Yet, upon close inspection of the specific actions of these characters, stark differences emerge. While Gawain is virtuous and exemplifies selflessness, Beowulf's heroism is marred by his pursuit of fame and wealth, which seems to dominate his every action. The discrepancy can be explained by a contextual analysis of both heroes. Gawain's code of chivalry emphasized perfection and thus he is flawless. Beowulf on the contrary adheres to the code of heroism, which is much less stringent on man's actions, and much more open to interpretation.
Kim, Sue. “BEYOND BLACK AND WHITE: RACE AND POSTMODERNISM IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS FILMS.” Modern Fiction Studies 50.4 (2004): 875-907. Platinum Periodicals, ProQuest. Web.
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Throughout his works, Tolkien includes, in varying degrees, every major component of our Primary World: landforms, minerals, weather and climate, natural vegetation, agriculture, political units, population distribution, races, languages, transportation routes, and even house types. “He did more than merely describe these individual comp...