The Knights of Medieval Culture

The values of medieval literature revolve around the noble actions conducted by those seeking honor. There were codes developed to assist in the structure in mentality for those willing to follow the fundamentals of the noble knight. Their love lives even had guidelines to be understood for the philosophy of being a man. All knights whom participate in a quest for honor often run across correlating obstacles and occurrences. This could be a clear indication of the validity of the lifestyle of seeking nobility and chivalry.

The chivalric code and knightly behavior provided an inspiring understanding as to the balance that goes into being a knight. They managed to provide skills in combat when facing battle. Simultaneously, an equilibrium of power and peace must be established in the process. The purpose of being noble is to establish the qualities of sufficient morals within an individual. With the chivalric code, the knights of medieval times were better able to uphold the values of a higher cause in order to establish their goals as men.

Particular principles of “The Art of Courtly Love & Role/Responsibility of Women” seems somewhat ridiculous to people of modern society. This is only because of the intensity in the dedication to having a controlled love life that we are not used to today. These rules strengthen the borders of the structure in a relationship and addresses the faults in any couple who fail to comply accordingly. In Monty Python, a knight’s courtly love art was tested when he was surrounded by temptresses who attempted to seduce him in a castle. He managed to withhold his integrity for the most part, but more recency in the portrayal of this test depicted his willingness to give in.

When the story of a knight begins, they have to complete a challenge that was either to receive a token that is symbolic of a moral, or to defeat a subject symbolic of a negative aspect of some sort. Beowulf presented the use of a chain reaction of antagonists for Beowulf to slay. The characters were misrepresented in the tale, but their wicked imagery makes the inevitable victory of the warrior more inspirational to audiences, and establishes the understanding that nobility leads to triumph. The plot of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight creates a dual understanding of achieving honor since the preceding cause behind Gawain accepting the challenge was to prove his chivalry to King Arthur, but it later led a more drawn out test as to the long-term sincerity in Gawain’s word. When Monty Python attempted to summarize the concept of medieval times, the goal became to achieve the holy grail as requested by a vision perceived as God (linked to the religious influence of knights). Along the way, the historical representation of the time period was mocked with modern criticism. However the broad perspective presents the more essential intentions of the monarchy of the era.

Ultimately, the way of the knight is meant to be conceived as the most respectful route for a man to go down. The purposes for said path to respect is described through laws and tales. Each tale represents a trait that is predominant in the knight’s characteristics (i.e. Beowulf’s ferocious demeanor and Gawain’s ambivalence). The understanding of these traits and fundamentals are ridiculed in today’s society due to the deterioration of leniency over time. Yet, the concept of chivalry and nobility remain highly accepted by the masses throughout history.