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King arthur knights and tales
King arthur knights and tales
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Galahad was a Knight of the Round Table of Arthurian legend. He is almost always portrayed as the pure knight, and for this he is rewarded with the Holy Grail. He is mentioned in many writings in history including 12th century Cistercian monk writing The Quest of the Holy Grail, Sir Thomas Malory’s Selected Tales of King Arthur and his Knights, and Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Sir Galahad. After reading the next several pages, one should begin to understand the similarities and differences portrayed in these writings, along with some others. The reader will explore how Galahad resists temptation, his quests including the Holy Grail, any romantic encounters including God, and how the writings presented may contradict. After completing the reading the reader should be able to note in what ways Galahad is similar or different in early and modern writings.
The first writing selected is The Quest of the Holy Grail. An unknown author wrote this selection though believed to be a 12th century Cistercian monk. As the title implies the main story is in fact the spiritual quest for the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail in this case being the platter from which Jesus Christ served bread at the Last Supper. The Grail is full of many rewards to whoever achieves it including eternal life, and the ability to heal some ailments. Galahad is first presented in this novel by three nuns, “a youth so fair and so well-made that it was hard indeed to find his peer (Quest 33).” Lancelot then knights him unbeknownst of who he is. A few pages later, a quest is presented to Arthur and his Knights. It is a sword inlayed into a stone, with gold writing that reads, “none shall take me hence but he at whose side I am to hang. And he shall be the best knight in th...
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...alahad is portrayed still as a noble knight, however not that of the Lord, instead a Pagan. Galahad is also similar in age to Lancelot and Arthur, therefore making it seem that the reference of Lancelot being Galahad’s father is nonexistent. There is also no Grail quest, and thus eliminates the motive of God that drives Galahad in all other writings presented.
In conclusion, Galahad is portrayed in the presented writings as pure, and the knight of God, for whom the Grail is saved. Throughout the selected readings, there are remarkable similarities showing this, however very few differences. As noted, Galahad does endure many tasks, and resists many temptations of sin. The reader should now have a better understanding of how Galahad is presented in early and more modern works, including each author’s depiction, and the qualities, which they entitle to Galahad.
Marie De France’s Lanval is a remarkable short narrative that engages the reader into a world filled with unrealistic elements, but enhances on the true meaning of romance, chivalry and nature during the years that King Arthur reigned. “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” unfortunately does not have an author that can be recognized but this epic poem demonstrates the ghastly adventure of a knight who decides to defend the honor of young King Arthur against a supernatural being in this malicious game of cat and mouse. Both of these pieces of literature have enchanting characteristics that define them as a masterpiece of their era and that’s why they both are easily compared and contrasted. In addition, both Lanval and “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” can be classified as similar through their themes, style and plots, although they are different through their language and diction. Even though both of these literatures can be viewed as similar as well as contrasting, in the end, each of these tales have illuminated the realm of fantasy throughout the court of King Arthur.
Authors incorporate religious principles to set forth the moral characteristics and ideals expected of a person. Literary works are illustrated with biblical allusions to help express the message behind the plot of a story. The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight integrates biblical beliefs to depict the views on human nature. In this work, Christian concepts are embedded into the poem to suggest the Green Knight’s characterization as God, a representation to test human nature’s fidelity.
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.
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.
The isomorphism of Gawain with the story of Eden can be demonstrated only after the stage is set. It may be helpful to think of this isomorphism as a kind of image or reflection. This puts it squarely within the realm of neoplatonic forms. Medieval nobility, often well versed in neoplatonic thought, would be quick to point out that Arthur, the king is a lesser image of God and that his court is a reflection of the heavenly host. This assertion is not without textual support.
In the final scenes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain’s encounter with Sir Bertilak allows Gawain to perceive his own flaws, manifested in his acceptance of the Green Girdle. The court’s reaction to his personal guilt highlights the disconnect between him and the other knights of the Round Table. Gawain’s behavior throughout the poem has been most noteworthy; his understanding of his sin, one that many of us would dismiss since it was propelled by his love of life, enhances his stature as a paragon of chivalry.
Though often extensive detail may be condemned as mere flowery language, in understanding Sir Gawain and the Green Knight one must make special emphasis on it. In color and imagery itself, the unknown author paints the very fibers of this work, allowing Sir Gawain to discern the nuances of ritualistic chivalry and truth. His quest after the Green Knight is as simple as ones quest toward himself. Through acute awareness of the physical world he encounters Gawain comes to an understanding of the world beyond chivalry, a connection to G-d, the source of truth. He learns, chivalry, like a machine, will always function properly, but in order to derive meaning from its product he must allow nature to affect him.
Individuals in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Sir Gawain is, undoubtably, the most varied of the Arthurian characters: from his first minor appearance as Gwalchmei in the Welsh tales to his usually side-line participation in the modern retelling of the tales, no other character has gone from such exalted heights (being regarded as a paragon of virtue) to such dismal depths (being reduced to a borderline rapist, murderer, and uncouth bore), as he. This degree of metamorphosis in character, however, has allowed for a staggering number of different approaches and studies in Gawain. The greatest part of these studies have involved the middle-English text Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Brian Stone. The Middle Ages, Volume 1A. Eds. Christopher Baswell and Anne Howland Schotter. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Fourth ed. Gen.eds David Damrosch, and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2010. 222-77. Print.
The medieval knight Sir Gawain is a hero like Achilles, but his certain characteristics make him unlike his Greek counterpart. The first quality that creates the separation of Gawain is that he is a Christian character, meaning that he believes in the monotheistic religion of Christianity, following the teachings of Jesus and God. He holds the values of this religion to be true such that he should follow with respect, compassion, and forgiveness. This religious view of life affects what Gawain holds to be his moral code, because he fights for God and for his soul to be perfect to reach heaven. Unlike Achilles during classical antiquity, the Middle Ages held Christianity, along with God and the soul, to be the controlling factors in which how people lived their lives. From this Christian tradition of living life Gawain’s masculinity is developed completely different than that of Achilles. Gawain receives his masculinity through the
The author of The Quest of the Holy Grail addresses a significant number of spiritual and moral issues throughout his engaging story. His goal is to provide a guide to proper living in the eyes of God, and he successfully achieves this goal through the adventures of several very diverse knights of the Round Table who, through their victories and follies, show us the value of spiritual chivalry; furthermore, if we have any additional questions concerning spirituality that are not addressed in The Quest of the Holy Grail, the author suggests that we may always seek out the guidance of our wise local hermits.
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. 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, /
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem which tells the tale of a knight who undergoes trials-testing the attributes of knighthood-in order to prove the strength and courage of himself, while representing the Knights of the Round Table. One of King Arthurs most noblest and bravest of knights, Sir Gawain, is taken on an adventure when he steps up to behead a mysterious green visitor on Christmas Day-with the green mans’ permission of course. Many would state that this tale of valor would be within the romance genre. To the modern person this would be a strange category to place the poem in due to the question of ‘where is the actual romance, where is the love and woe?’ However, unlike most romances nowadays, within medieval literature there are many defining features and characteristics of a romance-them rarely ever really involving love itself. Within medieval literature the elements of a romance are usually enshrouded in magic, the fantastic and an adventure. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows Sir Gawain over the course of one year, from one New Years to the next, as was the deal he and Bertilak, the green knight, struck.
The novel The Natural is written by Bernard Malamud. Bernard was a famous author mainly known for writing short stories and novels. He was considered one of the great American Jewish authors of the 20th century. Bernard was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants and he had a brother named Eugene. Unfortunately, Malamud entered his adolescence when the Great Depression began. The Natural is one of his more famous books, which was written in 1952. This novel is about a baseball prodigy named Roy Hobbs. He has a bat that he made himself, which he calls Wonderboy. Roy plans to join the major leagues and break all the records. However, his plans are put on hold when a woman he meets shoots. After fifteen years after the tragedy Roy goes back to baseball and is drafted to the New York Knights. Along his journey to becoming a superstar he is distracted from his goal by the women in his life. The Natural is very much similar to the mythological story of Perceval, the Story of the Holy Grail. Roy Hobbs is comparable to Perceval, Pop Fisher to the Fisher King and the pennant to the Holy Grail.
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight has prompted scholars to examine and diversely interpret the medieval narrative. One of the underlying questions that has been proposed embodies the analysis of the relationship between Christian and Pagan ideals and how knightly chivalry is influenced by religion during the Arthurian Romance period. It is no mistake that the two varied religious ideals are intertwined throughout the poem due to the nature of classical antiquity. Amidst the overlap between superstitious rituals and Orthodox- Christian beliefs it is clear that Sir Gawain has a sense of personal integrity guided by a moral compass.