Chivalry In The Middle Ages

The concept of chivalry often graces the pages of children's fairytales, filling young girls' minds with visions of knights in shining armor who treat princesses with the utmost courtesy. This is representative of what chivalry is in today's society: a distant fantasy. It would be incorrect to say that chivalry is completely dead, but the presence of its values have decreased in modern times. Chivalry desperately needs to be revived because without it, there is no hope at achieving a future of gender equality. The origins of chivalry date back to the Middle Ages, a time when barbaric behavior in men ran unbridled. Chivalry developed out of the chaos as a code of conduct to follow. Its ideals of courtesy, courage, and respect revolved around the preferential treatment of women, purely because it was believed a female’s attention was worth seeking (Smith). Now, however, such belief is long gone, replaced by the same abhorrent behavior that men originally possessed. The constant stream of news headlines in recent decades about the mistreatment of women support the assertion that chivalry and its morals have declined. Essentially, chivalry is at risk of permanently dying out if no …show more content…
However, society has evolved since the Middle Ages, so reviving it in its original form would be regressive. The context of chivalry should be modified to fit today’s culture. In order to do this, it would be beneficial to emphasize that chivalry is no longer a practice only men need to follow. With various gender equality movements in full swing, it makes sense to highlight the fact that women should reciprocate the courteous treatment because chivalry, stripped down to its simplest form, is about respect. There can be no equality if only one gender feels the effects of chivalry. Modifying the original connotation behind chivalry allows both genders to mutually respect one another, thus bringing about positive social