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The knight canterbury tales introduction description depiction and conclusion
Proloug of canterbury tales essay characterization of knight
The knight canterbury tales introduction description depiction and conclusion
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(Question #1) Knights are one of the most mistaken group of individuals of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. The truth is that they were only human and, like all humans, were flawed. Knights did not always live up to the standards of society, and they had many faults. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is a character that would be considered, today, the stereotype “a knight in shining armor”, a perfect example in how he acts. In the prologue, Chaucer mentions that the knight follows the five basic ideals that a good knight should possess: “chivalry, truth, honour, generousness, and courtesy” (Chaucer 4). In “the Knight’s Tale”, the two cousins, Palamon and Arcite, exemplify the ideals of a good …show more content…
They exemplify the moral code of a knight which demands mercy as well as justice, and a sense of honor which extends to the humane treatment of enemies as well his chivalrous treatment of women. They uphold their oaths and remain true to their promises despite the fickleness of fortune. Sir Gawain is always true and humble, and his honor is by far his best quality. From the beginning, he shows great loyalty to the king by taking the Green Knight’s challenge in the name of King Arthur. Although, on his journey, he doesn’t live up to the integrity and honesty of being a good knight, he did prove himself honorable by not giving into the seduction of Lady Bertilak. Arcite lives, fights, dies, and sacrifices like a noble knight, a man generous to a friend. Averagus is quite different from the other three knights because after returning home, he says his wife must keep her promise to Aurelius. However he shows a great deal of slothiness because instead of fighting for his wife he just let's her go. If he was truly honorable and just, he would fight for his wife the way Palamon and Arcite fight for Emily. The ideal knight is also supposed to fall in love with a beautiful damsel, in whose service he becomes more noble, brave, courteous and worthy. By not fighting for her, he is losing her, which is clearly the opposite of falling in love with his beautiful
Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’arthur, T.H. White’s Once and Future King, and George Romero’s Knightriders encompass the evolution of the Arthurian tale from Malory’s time to the 1980s. Through this time many things have changed and these changes can be seen within the differences between each work. While there are many prominent differences chivalry or the knightly code is one of the main forces that tie these tales together. Malory reworks many of his sources to bring attention to the grand fellowship of Arthur’s Round Table and the chivalry that holds the knights together. Malory idealizes the power of chivalry and gives a great importance to it throughout his text. Unlike Malory, White does not idealize chivalry, but he does see the good and honorable aspects of chivalry. From Sprague Kurth’s article, “Conclusion,” it is clear to see that White gives his text an anti-war stance and shows chivalry and the controlling moral compass of Arthur’s knights. Chivalry is once again idealized in George Romero’s Knightriders the situations within the film are modernized but the emotions and illusions remain the same. T.H. White is directly referenced within the film and Malory’s idealization of the glory of chivalry can once again be seen. In my essay, I will show how chivalry is used in all the texts above as a bonding agent between all Arthurian knights. As Arthur’s knights honor and respect chivalry they remain as one cohesive group, but once they begin to abandon chivalry the Round Table begins to crumble and chaos ensues.
The tales of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Lanval offer their readers insight into a common knightly quandary. Gawain and Lanval are both faced with challenges that threaten their ability to protect, uphold, and affirm their very knightliness. The two knights repeatedly see several knightly traits--- each invaluable to the essence of a knight--- brought into conflict. While the knights are glorified in their respective texts, they are faced with impossible dilemmas; in each story, both reader and knight are confronted with the reality that knightly perfection is unattainable: concessions must be made--- bits and pieces of their honor must be sacrificed.
During the Medieval Times, knights hold high status and are seen as sovereign, yet their actions are contradicting. Knights stand for loyalty, justice, and chivalry; however, most are liars, cheaters, and foolish. Throughout medieval literature, authors create characters that contain both attributes and utilize literary elements to highlight this medieval crisis. Many Knights maintain a loyal and noble character because chivalry outlasts hypocrisy.
Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is so recognised by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood.
It does this conceptually, by emphasizing human nature over chivalry, and it does this narratively through Gawain’s failure as a knight, and the Green Knight’s illegitimacy as a true villain. In traditional romance of this time, the protagonist could not have faltered in chivalry; Gawain’s “lapses of courage and honour… are highly untypical of the knightly conduct we find illustrated with such stultifying sameness in medieval story” (Shedd 245). But this occurs because the Green Knight is not the true villain; the real conflict is Gawain’s struggle against his own human nature. While the Green Knight appears to be a classic antagonist in the first part of the poem, he proves himself merciful and forgiving in the final part, stating that he does not blame Gawain because it was only because “[he] loved [his] own life” that he failed the final test (95). Rather than merely taking Sir Gawain’s head, the Green Knight gave him the opportunity to prove himself as “faultless” (95), or above his human nature, to “[purge] the debt” (96). Just as Shedd argues, the shift from external to internal conflict in the poem sets Sir Gawain and the Green Knight apart from other works of medieval romance.
In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.
In the Authorain legend, Sir Gawain has great nobility, honesty, loyalty and chivalry. Sir Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur and a member of the king's elite Round Table. In the texts of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell," Gawain is portrayed as a hero who exemplifies the characteristics of an honorable knight. He is viewed by many in King Arthur's court as a noble man who is loyal to the king, and who will sacrifice his own life to protect his lord. Sir Gawain represents an ideal knight of the fourteenth century.
The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight revolves around the knights and their chivalry as well as their romance through courtly love. The era in which this story takes place is male-dominated, where the men are supposed to be brave and honorable. On the other hand, the knight is also to court a lady and to follow her commands. Sir Gawain comes to conflict when he finds himself needing to balance the two by being honorable to chivalry as well as respectful to courtly love.
In The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, the stereotypes and roles in society are reexamined and made new through the characters in the book. Chaucer discusses different stereotypes and separates his characters from the social norm by giving them highly ironic and/or unusual characteristics. Specifically, in the stories of The Wife of Bath and The Miller’s Tale, Chaucer examines stereotypes of women and men and attempts to define their basic wants and needs.
Gawain's actions reflect the social mores of 14th century England, where a good knight was expected to adhere firmly to the code of chivalry. Gawain is the model knight, gallant and valorous, not to mention a devout Christian. Gawain's superb character traits are bolstered by his status as a member of King Arthur's court. The Gawain poet writes of Camelot: "With all delights on earth they housed there together, / ...
Closely associated to the romance tradition are two idealized standards of behavior, especially for knights: courage and chivalry. The protagonist within many medieval romances proved their worth by going on quests, as many a knights went in those times, thus returning with great tales of their travels and deeds. Many modern people think of chivalry as referring to a man's gallant treatment of women, and although that sense is derived from the medieval chivalric ideal, chivalry could be seen as more than that. Knights were expected to be brave, loyal, and honorable-sent to protect the weak, be noble to...
Sir Gawain from Sir Gawain & the Green Knight was regarded as one of the best knights to grace the table and he was considered to be modest because he always denied everyone’s boastful words about him. Gawain is a prime example of humility, devotion, integrity, loyalty, and honesty, also known as the five points of chivalry. He prides himself on his observance of the five points of chivalry in every aspect of his life. His only flaw turns out to be that he loves his own life so much that he’ll abandon his hard earned reputation of honesty to save
The Arthurian Legend tells a story about a British King and his Round Table Knights who fight heroic battles seeking peaceful order in a time of turmoil and uncertainty. The story is a fascinating tale that reflects on magical beings and the social beliefs of moral behavior associated with heroism, honor, love and friendship that later degrades in a lovers triangle and deceit that leads to the downfall of the noble King Arthur and his knights. Today, the story lives on although told much differently as it focuses more on King Arthur and magical influences, while significantly stripping the Christian connection of the Le Morte Darthur warrior tale of moral societal standing at that time to appeal to a traditionally diverse audience. The modern day story Excalibur and the historical tale of Le Morte Darthur both stick to the basic concept of King Arthur who is a grand leader born with a noble lineage and confirmed through the choosing of a magical sword.
“He was a knight indeed, a worthy man, who from the very moment he first began to ride, searching adventure, held chivalry in his heart, and honor and truth, and courtesy and grace”. This excerpt from The Canterbury Tales perfectly exemplifies what are the makings of a knight. A knight is a man who is chivalrous, honorable, and trustworthy. A knight is always guided by God and has a keen sense of justice.
One of Geoffrey's less believable main characters is the Knight, for reasons of chivalry. The knight displays many traits which make him seem almost too good to be true, and a true gentleman that rarely exists in reality. The narrator sums up the knights character by stating that "Though he were worthy, he was wys,/And of his port as meeke as is a mayde." (pg. 5, The Canterbury Tales) The knight holds four main admirable traits, making him the most liked traveler in "The Canterbury Tales," and also amplying the doubt of his realism. The reader is prepared to learn of each of his noble accomplishments and importance when the narrator remarks that" A knight ther was, and that a worthy man,/That fro the tyme that he first bigan/To ryden out, he loved chivalrye,/Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye." (pg. 4, The Canterbury Tales) From the characters impressive introduction, it is clear that this man is the most valued and honorable traveler among the group. This perfect gentleman holds a love of ideals that are often not displayed by people. First and foremost, he believes in the ideals of chivalry, and always stays true to its principles. He also feels that one should be honest, truthful and faithful, which many people are not all of these ideals. The knight thinks one should only do what is right, and what will gain him honor and reputation. This character also believes in freedom and generosity towards all, and displays this ideal repeatedly throughout the novel. And lastly, the knight also strongly feels that any proper person should display courtesy and elegance at all times. Another aspect of this character's life which makes him seem too prestigious to be truthful is his impressive military career. He fought in the holy war, known as the Crusades and was involved in 15 "mortal battles." In the prologue, the narrator informs the reader that "Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,/And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,/As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,/And ever honoured for his worthinesse.