Knights of the Round Table

the Middle Ages, the chivalric code was created to control the violent tendencies of knights who used to fight in wars and establish an ideal model that all knights should follow. At the same time, the concept of Courtly Love was introduced to meet women’s taste in stories and further show knights loyalty and respect for women. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the protagonist Sir Gawain is a righteous knight who tries to fulfill both of these ideal concepts, but ends up failing his quest. His…

In Malcolm Gladwell’s non-fictional book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants he carefully utilizes anecdotes, studies, charts, and research to analyze, “...What happens when ordinary people confront giants” (Gladwell 5). He takes the original Biblical story of David and Goliath and breaks down each side to certain advantages and disadvantages. Anyone who knows this story may make the mistake of assuming that this story's about the weak beating the powerful. The…

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince is a classic, literary work that illustrates and defines the true characteristic qualities of a prince, monarch, ruler, nobleman, or any other titled person of power. Those who follow Machiavelli’s judgement would be considered as strong and wise leaders. Some leaders in history have exemplified praised qualities, whereas others have succeeded in alternative methods. These leaders have assumed great, influential power, but the processes by which they lead…

A hero is someone who, in the opinion of others, has special abilities or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or idea. In Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel, Persepolis, Marji’s view of heroism changes when faced with loss and death. Her view of a hero shifts from an insurgent to a prisoner to a fighter and finally to someone who just stands up for himself without vengeance. At first, Marji based her view of heroism on rebellion and mostly because of her lack of experiences…

Holy Grail, a group of knights, led by King Arthur, go on a quest, given to them by God, to find the Holy Grail. After a little debate, they split up, going on their own way, but eventually find each other again, where they approached the Bridge of Death. Once getting past the guardian of the Bridge, King Arthur and Sir Bedevere the Wise find the Grail, just to have the police apprehend them. This movie is a significant, modern example of satire, which burlesques the knights and customs of the…

both mentally and physically. Throughout the story, Beowulf fights off evil monsters. His first battle was against Grendel, an evil monster with no true physical description: “Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding rounds the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan, whom the creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts”…

What are some leadership qualities that you value? The Endurance expedition of 1914-1917 was a trying feat. As captain of the Endurance, Sir Ernest Shackleton “put his own life on the line, against incredible odds.” and showed true leadership qualities that were put to the test throughout the expedition. He was adaptable, courageous and optimistic. These qualities Shackleton showed during the entire Endurance expedition. He was able to adapt to the conditions on the pack ice and on Elephant…

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Comparison Sir Gawain involved himself in a dangerous game when a stranger wandered into King Arthur’s hall. The stranger is called “the Green Knight” because both he and his steed are green. He came seeking adventure by requesting someone brave to play his game. The game calls for someone to strike the Green Knight with an ax, then in one year and a day the person who struck the Green Knight must find him and accept a strike from him. Originally, King Arthur…

character off all the various kinds of people from the Middle Ages. He makes most of the pilgrims very true to what they were stereotyped as at the time, but he also gave each one of them very distinct personalities and idiosyncrasies, such as the knight having a rust stain on his undergarment. Chaucer’s version of a Middle-Age innkeeper, Harry Bailly, was very accurate to what a good innkeeper would have been like at the time, as was his inn, The Tabard. In the Middle Ages, the period roughly…

hypothesized that the devil is actually guised as the Green Knight. Similar to the manner the serpent deceives Adam and Eve by saying that they “will not die” and they will be “like God, knowing good and evil,” the Green Knight entices Sir Gawain into taking the challenge by degrading the honor of his fellow knights (The New Oxford Annotated Bible 14). Sir Gawain stated he was “the most wanting in wisdom” and was the weakest of the knights marking his lack of knowledge and experience in the…