Chretien De Troyes 'Lancelot, The Knight Of The Cart'

When people picture Medieval Europe, the imagery is that of poverty, ignorance and disorder, which raises the question of how society even managed to function during these times. The ideals and values of people living in the middle ages, specifically the nobility, were reflected by chivalry and courtly love, which both encompassed the role and treatment of women, honor, humility, bravery and courtesy. Chretien de Troyes illustrated the importance of these conventions through the juxtaposition of the successes and demises of those who followed the ideals and values of courtly love and chivalry and those who did not in his Arthurian Romances. Like many of the Arthurian romances, in the story of “Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart”, the significances …show more content…
Courtly love can be defined as an ideal form of love that combined chivalry and nobility, demonstrated by knights acting as vassals to their ladies. During the middle Ages, misogyny was rampant and the role of women was marginal; however, with the rise of courtly love, their roles in fiction became much more prominent, thus leading to a shift in the role and treatment of women in medieval Europe. This is as a result of the amount of power and influence noble women had over noble men in the concept of courtly love, thus giving them autonomy. The significance of this convention in medieval society is exemplified by Lancelot’s acts of courtesy and the role women play in “Lancelot, the Knight of the …show more content…
Through the use of positive reinforcement for conducts valued by and negative reinforcement for conducts looked down upon by medieval society, Chretien was able to illustrate the ideals and values of people during this time period, namely the nobility. Whether it be Lancelot’s success in finishing his quest, winning a tournament and the reciprocation of his love for Guinevere as a result of his chivalrous and courteous behavior, or his close attempt at suicide as a result of his failure to wholeheartedly devote himself to Guinevere, the values of these conventions to medieval society were clearly shown in this story. Additionally, this fable also showed the dualistic nature of the ideals and values of the medieval nobility, with bravery, honor and humility (chivalry) on one hand and the devotion to and courteous behavior towards women (courtly love) on the other