Chivalric order

time of misfortune, Beowulf is able to gain honor and payment for his own king, Higlac, back in Geatland. He is proud to lend his loyal services to Hrothgar, thus further heightening his fame. Near the end of the epic, Beowulf sacrifices his life in order to save his people and defend his reputation. He insists on fighting the dragon alone and chooses to die as a warrior, because he “longed only for fame”. The Green Knight tests the knights’ code of chivalry by proposing the Christmas game. Sir…

Reality vs. Myth Sir Thomas Malory was influenced by the knights in his time to write Arthur becomes King. Sir Malory was born in Warwickshire, England, sometime around 1405. As a young man, Malory was a fairly wealthy landowner. He became a knight in 1442 and served in Parliament in 1445. He became involved in crime and allied himself politically with people and groups who opposed the royal government. He spent several years in prison for his crimes and political alle-giances while in prison…

In Beowulf, belief in G-d is quite apparent, playing a big role in Beowulf’s life. Beowulf proves to be a man of faith throughout the epic poem, giving praise and thanks to G-d in all of his endeavors and credits to G-d for his unparalleled skills. When he is facing Grendel’s mother, his first sword melts and he is left weaponless. In an effort to find another weapon, Beowulf scans the cave for another sword and finds one. The poet writes, The son of Ecgtheow would have surely perished/ and…

possessions for people. Glory extremely evident throughout the poem. Beowulf had pride, but he knew how to contain it. Isaac Disraeli wrote, “Yet pride and glory fermented the coarse leaven of these mighty marauders, who were even chivalric ere chivalry rose into an order.” (Disraeli). In this time period pride and chivalry were required for warriors. Beowulf was the greatest warrior; therefore he had tons of pride and equal amounts of chivalry. However, Beowulf does lack a humanitarian view.…

world but never the same love twice." This is considered one of the most romantic quotes in literary history, but what exactly is this romantic love that Fitzgerald speaks of? Romance can be commonly defined as a medieval tale based off legend, chivalric love and adventure, or the supernatural or a love story. These may be a few of the first thoughts a person will have when they heard the term romance, but romance is infinitely more complex and rigid with extensive details that are not stated…

Human cultures are in an eternal state of fluxuation; the march of time pushes humanity in a number of directions whether they be progressive, stagnant, or regressive. After the stagnant social period known as the Dark Ages, in which little social change was widely implemented, European cultures began to challenge and question the status quo within their societies. In Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, we see a literary account of this stage in social evolution in Medieval England. In this…

The Call of the Wild revolves around the story of Buck, a St. Bernard, Scotch shepherd mix, who fights to survive in the unforgiving life of a sled dog. Kidnapped and beaten into submission, Buck learns quickly that these men are his masters and not his owners. The punishments are brutal but they don’t just some from those that own him now but even his sled dog teammates who teach him, in a less than sympathetic manner, how to work as a sled dog. Buck is quick to learn all the ways of a sled dog…

portrayed. While Beowulf represents the quintessential hero, Sir Lancelot represents the contrary. The author of Beowulf allows Beowulf to play the legendary hero, but on the other hand, in Morte Darthur, Sir Thomas Malory rebels against the traditional chivalric hero and portrays Sir Lancelot as a flawed protagonist. The distinction between Beowulf and Sir Lancelot as heroes is depicted through the male bonds they form throughout the narrative. Beowulf succeeds in maintaining loyalty towards…

Mcpherson’s For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, interprets not what was previously expected from this novel, including the political and militaristic motivations, but rather the personal, and humanistic side of the Civil War. Slavery, being commonly interpreted as the highlighted factor concerning all things related to the Civil War, the assumption was that in all sincerity, this was the cause, sustentation, and motivation for War between the North and the South. But as…

other hand, the only duty of women is basically being their husbands' wives. They take care of their children and their property. Virgins become objects of courtly love, where in knights court them and sometimes compete for their hand. It's their chivalric code. The queen may be a woman in the high class, but her role is pretty much the same as all other women: being the king's wife. Ever wonder why we know the names of the kings of the Middle Ages like William the Conqueror and King Richard I…