The Historical Accuracy of The War Lord
Wouldn’t it be thrilling to tread into the era of lords, knights and dukes? The War Lord is a 1965 fictional movie directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, and produced by Walter Seltzer. Charlton Heston is the star of the film (Brooke). Visually, The War Lord is remarkably well done. The weapons and sieges on the tower are good. The coarseness of the era is brought to the viewer’s attention. But some aspects of the movie may not be historically accurate. The right of droit du seigneur is practiced in this movie. But did this practice really exist? Also, the movie depicts a village openly practicing Druidism. Would this have been possible for the time period? Although The War Lord does a good job portraying visual aspects of the High Middle Ages, the film is not historically accurate in the way it portrays the right of droit du seigneur or the overt practice of Druidism.
First, here is a summary of the mostly historically accurate film, The War Lord. The film occurs in the High Middle Ages (1000-1300BC). The account begins when Chrysagon de la Cruex is dispatched to rule a Druid village, by the Duke of Ghent. Charlton Heston plays the imposing Chrysagon de la Cruex, who is an 11th century Norman knight. Chrysagon de la Cruex battles with Germanic Frisians, who have been raiding and looting the village. Heston falls in love with a village girl, and uses the right of droit du seigneur. This “right” permits the Lord to spend the wedding night with the bride instead of the groom. Chrysagon de la Cruex refuses to release her the next day, as the “right” declares he should. This causes the village to rebel against him and thus begins an invigorating conflict.
The film does an informed job repre...
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...storically accurate and makes the main plot of The War Lord questionable.
The War Lord is a movie worth viewing. The film is effective in portraying the visual aspects of the High Middle Ages. The tower sieges are attention-grabbing as well as the progression of military tactics. Furthermore, the attire and weapons are suitable for the time period. The human struggle, in this difficult era, can be seen and experienced. Moreover, the perceptible poverty and the odd assortment of clothing, add a dismal medieval element. The viewer can emphasize with the hardships and adversity of the age. On the downside, The War Lord does not offer a complete learning experience. The main plot of droit du seigneur did not exist. Furthermore, the practice of Druidism is likely to have been eliminated before the High Middle Ages. Overall, The War Lord is still a film to appreciate.
Michael C. C. Adams' book, The Best War Ever: America and World War II, attempts to dispel the numerous misconceptions of the Second World War. As the title suggests, Americans came out of the war with a positive view of the preceding five turbulent years. This myth was born from several factors. Due to the overseas setting of both theaters of the war, intense government propaganda, Hollywood's glamorization, and widespread economic prosperity, Americans were largely sheltered form the brutal truth of World War II. Even to this day, the generation of World War II is viewed as being superior in morality and unity. The popular illusion held that 'there were no ethnic or gender problems, families were happy and united, and children worked hard in school and read a great number of books.' (115)
For young people, the Vietnam War is a thing of the past and they can
War has been a constant part of human history. It has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. These effects, however, are extremely detrimental. Soldiers must shoulder extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot mentally overcome these challenges may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sadly, some resort to suicide to escape their insecurities. Soldiers, however, are not the only ones affected by wars; family members also experience mental hardships when their loved ones are sent to war. Timothy Findley accurately portrays the detrimental effects wars have on individuals in his masterpiece The Wars.
The main focus of the story is on Bertrande de Rols and her place in sixteenth century society, especially as a wife. At the age of nine, Bertrande was married to Martin Guerre who was a young peasant of Basque heritage. For several years, the two have trouble consummating their marriage. In 1548, Martin runs away from his village of Artigat, France to join the Spanish army, leaving his twenty-two year old wife Bertrande and a young son. After eight years of living in quiet desperation, an imposter Arnaud du Tilh nicknamed "Pansette," shows up in the village in 1548, in the guise of Martin Guerre. It is no wonder that Bertrande would finally find fulfillment of her hopes and dreams of a better life with the new Martin. The couple's marital bliss unravels the day Arnaud argues with his uncle, Pierre Guerre, over his desire to sell off some of his ancestral land. Under Basque tradition and custom, a man is never to sell his ancestral land this causes Pierre to be suspicious of the identity of his nephew and he decides to sue Arnaud as an imposter.
The evolution of human society consists mainly of ineffective ruling regimes and oppressed peasants. Medieval Europe falls into this same pervasive cycle. Social and political hierarchies intertwine which creates a grossly inefficient system. Hereditary lineage determines nobility. Commoners possess no hope of social mobility. Every aspect of life is virtually preordained. These circumstances revolve around the figure Lanval by Mari de France. Mari de France introduces Lanval as a courteous and distinguished knight of King Arthur’s court. Lanval possesses the most moral nature of all of King Arthur’s knights, yet even so, the other knights of King Arthur’s round table despise him. The many knights neglect acknowledgment of his nature as does
Morgan, Gerald. "Medieval misogyny and Gawain's outburst against women in 'Sir Gawain and the green Knight'." The Modern Language Review 97.2 (2002): 265+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
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.
Froissart’s Chronicles, simply known as the Chroniques, is considered by historians as the one of the important entities that recounts the events which happened during the Hundred Years’ War period. It was an extensive literary work with approximately 1.5 million words in length, written in Middle French prose by Jean Froissart. The Chronicles start by narrating the deposition of King Edward II in year 1326 and covering events from this time onward up to year 1400, hence can be significant in the study of the first part of the Hundred Years’ War. This source is also of vital importance in the study as well as the understanding of the chivalric culture of the 14th century England and French as chivalry and knighthood are the central ideal of
As this mythical poem begins readers are quickly introduced to the pinnacle of this “pyramid of power”, the king and queen. King Arthur and his “full beauteous” wife Queen Guinevere were “set in the midst, placed on the rich dais adorned all about” (Neilson 3). During this time, royal monarchs often hosted large illustrious gatherings in order to display their wealth, prestige and power. This display of rank is evident when the all powerful “King Arthur and the other knights watch approvingly as Sir Gawain advances” to take the place of his cherished king and accept the Green Knights challenge (Swanson 1). Randy Schiff further clarifies the difference between kings and knights in medieval times when he states, “ Displaying his mastery of courtly deference, Gawain in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” publicly defines himself through kinship, telling Arthur that he is praiseworthy only “for as much” as Arthur is his “em” (uncle)”(1). In the fourteenth century feudal system the top ranking social class position belong to the king and the queen.
Create a list of O'Brien's criteria of how to tell a true war story and give an example of each criteria in outline form.
Narratives are an important part of an essay as they create a sense of tone needed to describe a story or situation with ease. If the narrative is not correct, it can leave a false impact on the readers or viewers because it lacks the main tone of the story. Having a perfect narrative can not only enhance a story, but it can also prove evidence. In her essay, “An Army of One: Me”, Jean Twenge provides some of the best examples of how narratives enhance a story and she also emphasizes on how the tone of storytelling matters on the impact that the story would have on its readers or listeners. Apart from Twenge, Tim O’Brien also focuses on how the narrative of the story can help in understanding the truth and falsity of the story in his essay, “How to Tell a True War Story.” In addition to O’Brien, Ethan Watters also emphasizes on the narrative of cultural progress in his essay, “The Mega-Marketing of Depression in Japan”, when he talks about the anti-depressants to be sold in Japan. All three authors agree to the fact that narrative, the art of telling a story or explaining a situation, has a major impact on the story and on how it is taken by the audience.
The “Baby Boom” era occurred between the years of the late 1950s thru the 19970s and shaped America and its culture into the type of country it is today. It helps to understand these times to prevent history from repeating itself while better understanding how people were feeling during that time. Also, to better understand what was happening during that time by reading the literature that was written during that time period. Through Tim O’Brien’s “How to Tell a True War Story” to Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, they reflect the cultural, economic, political, and intellectual upheavals the United States was experiencing. These stories affect your way of thinking about these times, especially the war.
In this essay, I will uncover the countless insights that can be learned about the characters in Beowulf, as well as the society as a whole, based on the weapons the characters choose to use in battle. During the Anglo-Saxon time, roughly between 400 and 1066, swords were considered the most precious weapon someone could own. Although it is not certain who wrote Beowulf, and when, many people believe it was composed in the middle to end of the Anglo-Saxon period. Analyzing the different weapons, and significance of each, in Beowulf, and comparing them to the weaponry at the time, provides the readers with a great deal of insight into the society during this period. The use of weapons in Beowulf not only provides the readers with insight into
George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy saga Game of Thrones transcends the traditional boundaries of the fantasy genre, representing the harsh reality of class exploitation in feudalism and its dichotomous social structure: high birth (nobility) and low birth (peasant). Throughout the series, the interpersonal strife of the noble houses dictates the lives of the peasants. Family is the principle institution through which power is acquired, sustained, and imposed on others. The conflict and subterfuge that occurs in the interest of political gain between houses in this feudalistic society sows the seeds of its own destruction; as a result of war, thousands die in battle, countless villages are pillaged and raided, and the aristocracy falls into