Similarities Between Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Chivalry

Grown adults and the elderly are always saying the younger generation has no manners. That youngsters have no respect for grown-ups. Some even go as far to say chivalry is dead. What does that even mean; chivalry is dead? According to the Hutchinson Encyclopedia the Knightly code of chivalry is: “Code of gallantry and honour that medieval knights were pledged to observe. Its principal virtues were piety, honour, valour, courtesy, chastity, and loyalty.” (“chivalry”) It is easy to look at the bad apples of the younger generations and characterizer them all together. There are plenty of young kids today who have no respect for anyone who tries to tell them how to live their lives, or help guide their lives for that matter. The way people treat

each other has changed over the centuries. During the time of the great works of Homer, there was a sense of respect for even your most hated enemy. Jump forward a few thousand years to the time of the Knight, the Middle Ages, and the first time the thought of chivalry is brought about. Through the stories that surround the epoch of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. A person looking back in antiquity; however, will see similarities to the notion of chivalry all the way back to Homer and the Iliad. The code of chivalry, as established by medieval knighthood expressed in works that include Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Song of Roland, and Percival: The Story of the Grail, has similarities and differences to the epic poems of Homer, the Iliad and Odyssey, and Virgil’s Aeneid.
Firstly, in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, chivalry and the code of the knights is foundational.

As the poem goes, a large knight, who has green skin, rides into Camelot on a horse which has the same hue. He challenges King Arthur and his knights for one bold enough to strike him with his axe. “And I shall stand him a stroke, steady on this floor, so you grant me the guerdon to give him another, sans the blame. In a twelvemonth and a day he shall have of me the same;” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) Sir Gawain, Arthur’s nephew, steps up to the plate and takes the strange knights challenge. He swiftly strikes with the axe and severs the Green Knights head, but the knight stays standing. He rides out of the castle carrying his head in his hands. In a year Sir Gawain travels to find this supernatural man, who is told to reside at green chapel. When he has to stand and receive his blow of the axe, he flinches, and the Green Knight says Sir Gawain is cowardly. When Gawain realizes his folly, he shows true Chivalry and largesse when he admits his fault and takes a true strike from the strange knight. The code of the knights was broken by Gawain, he did not take the first strike in stillness. Even more important of the code of chivalry is he admitted his fault and confessed it aloud to be deemed pure and chivalrous by the Green

Knight.
The second story of chivalry is The Song of Roland, the poem that tells of the chivalrous code of Charlemagne and his knight Roland. France is at war with Spain and the Saracens and they offer peace, and Roland offers to deliver Charlemagne’s reply. Charlemagne doesn’t allow any of the men who volunteer to go for fear of treachery. This prompts Roland to volunteer his stepfather who becomes angry at being endangered and tells the Saracens to ambush Roland as they are leaving Spain. His pride and honor keep him from blowing the horn “Roland replies: ‘I’d be a fool to do it. I would lose my good name all through sweet France.’” (Song of Roland) Roland fights valiantly but him and fellow knights fall to the enemy. The chivalrous code of Charlemagne comes directly from this story. Chivalry was how you defined yourself as a king or knight according to Charlotte Allen: “Chivalry formed part of the wider ethos and value system of society. It was central to the identity of the English medieval elite.” (Allen) The code of knighthood was the foundation of middle age thought and reflects in the stories and poems of lords and knights.
The idea of chivalry and the stories of the Knights of the Round Table center around a quest for the Holy Grail, from the tale of Perceval: The Story of the Grail. Perceval is the only knight who can actually find the Grail because he is the only one with the right character. (aidjfkasdj) He is a prime example of the chivalrous knight. Drawing from each of the texts it is possible to find a full and working answer to what chivalry is and how to live a life to the code. Women are treated very highly in this epoch, which is a very new idea in any culture. Women are seen as very equal to men if they are of royal blood. Kate McGrath talks about the ideas written in a dissertation from Harvard University on chivalry as part of English history. “He not only analyzes the development of chivalry as a military code of behavior for the aristocracy, but he also considers the cultural and political aspects of knighthood.” (McGrath) The chivalric code is how knights lived their lives and was elementary to the development of England and Western Europe.
A form of chivalry as shown in the literature of the Middle Ages and its code is found in the epic poem the Iliad by Homer. The heroes of the Trojan War, Achilles, Agamemnon, Hector and Paris all have a code of conduct. This code they live by, which on a basic level is respect and honor, is very similar to the code of chivalry in the romance tales of knights and King Arthur. There is a very important difference between knights and Achaean soldiers, however; which is the way women are treated and courted. In the middle ages women of high class were very equal and deserving of respect. Knights would do favors for their lady. In classic Greece treatment of women varied drastically. They were thought of as possessions and had no power or say in matters of life. Agamemnon and Achilles argue over who will get the prize girl, Brisies. Achilles says this of Agamemnon: “And now you threaten to strip me of my prize in person – the one I fought for long and hard.” (Iliad 1.190-191) If two knights were arguing over her it would come down to a battle, but she would always be respected. In an article about courtesy books, which were used at the time to tell people how to be more chivalrous it says: “Modesty, respect for women, and truthfulness were important qualities.” (Courtesy Books). That is drastically different from the ideals in ancient Greek society. The idea of respect for women is a new idea in terms of European sociology.
Next, in the epic poem of The Odyssey by Homer, the code of chivalry is seen in the epic hero Odysseus. Odysseus has a character that is evident in the middle aged king Arthur of Camelot. Arthur is the ideal knight, who unifies his people, the people of Brittan under his rule. His lords and Knights of the Round Table follow him out of their deep and gratifying love of him, very much like the way Odysseus’ men follow him. They both, through their character, make others want to be like them. Arthur in his first fight with Excalibur hands it to his enemy so he can be knighted. Odysseus is very wise and insightful, he said this, probably when some linguistics mentor asked him for and essay. “There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep” (Ch. 11 ln345 Homer) they both show exemplary stature and reputation. They have honor and valor, in their homes and in their battles. Courage is another part of the code of chivalry that both heroes personify.
In the story of the Aeneid by Virgil, the hero Aeneas follows the code of chivalry in his journey and many of his actions. Aeneas knows that he must follow his destiny, the gods commanded him to do so. Chivalry is very dieti centered. Arthur and most of the knights of the land were very religious. Many of the knights in the crusade were bishiops of the church, the code of chivalry takes a lot of guidelines from Christian morals.