Medieval Chivalry

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Each different aspect of the code of chivalry held a separate role in society. Whether it be religious or barbaric, chivalry tended to hold a moral guideline among those who followed it. This moral guideline held them true to their duties to man, God, and women (Sex, Society, and Medieval Women). All of which are reflected in the three themes of Chivalry: Warrior chivalry, religious chivalry, and courtly love chivalry (Sex, Society, and Medieval Women). These three hold their individual roles, all stimulating a different part of the mind and creating a code held by all areas of life in those who hold it. The underlying question posed in this intense pledge is whether those who took the oath lived it out accordingly. To live out Chivalry is to go against the logic of the human mind. That is a hard task. Canterbury Tales provides one example of a man fighting against the odds. The kenight portrayed in the story can be compared to that of the quarterback of a football team. That knight truly took the leadership of his role and lived out all of its responsibilities. On the other hand, in midst of the popularity, a large majority of knights truly embraced only certain aspects of the pledge of Chivalry. They used their title and their pledge to court women and gain an upper hand on everyone else around them. The corrupt behavior of these knights is why the general consensus of a knight’s success in following the pledge of Chivalry is failure. The mind of a man still finds its origin in the Social Darwinism concept of a man’s mind. This idea plays the leading role in the failure of knights in the medieval period to live out their oath of Chivalry in every aspect of this oath.

The first of three roles of a Chivalrous knight is his du...

... middle of paper ...

...creates impossibility within the system. It is impossible to perform duties to the Lord and a king at the same time for the overlap causes a choice to be made at some point. Knights failed in the oath of chivalry. They let their natural instincts take the reins in an almost impossible system where no room is left for fault.

Works Cited

Beals, Natalie. "Chivalry in Malory." Digitalcommons.liberty.edu. Liberty University. Web. .

"Medieval Code of Chivalry." Castles. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. .

"Medieval Knights." Think Quest. Oracle. Web. .

"Sex, Society, and Medieval Women." River Campus Libraries. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. .

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