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King Arthur's Code Of Honor

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King Arthur

Iron clad warriors engaged in combat, enormous castles which contained miniature cities, wizards and other type of magic. These are just a few of the things that are pictured when talking about the medieval times. Another incredibly familiar one is King Arthur. The great king who, as a young boy, pulled a sword from a stone proving that it was his destiny to be king. He was also the proprietor of the round table, where knights would gather together. All of these Knights carefully followed a sacred code know as Chivalry. It was a knight’s code of honor, something they all strove to live by. In the story of King Arthur you can see that he is a man of great courage, honor, and strength. Courage is something that is irreplaceable, …show more content…

For the knights this encompassed many things which included honesty, respect, and pride. This may have stemmed from the fact that Knights weren’t mercenaries; they fought for a king or lord. Sir Gawain is a perfect example of this. In line 117 he says to his king, “Would you grant me the grace, to be gone from this bench and stand by you there, if I without discourtesy might quit this board, and if my liege lady misliked it not, I would come to your counsel before your court nobel”. He may not want to accept the Green Knight’s challenge, but he doesn’t want Arthur to do it. So, out of respect for his King, he steps up. Gawain is very humble about asking King Arthur if he would grant Gawain the honor of accepting the challenge. This appears again in Morte D’Arthur right after Sir Lucan dies on page 191. Sir Lucan’s brother, Sir Bedivere, is deeply saddened by the loss of his brother. Still, he saves the mourning for later and answers the requests of his King out of honor. When the dying King Arthur asks Sir Bedivere to take Excaliber to the lake and throw it in, that’s what he does. It is difficult but due to the respect he has for his king that’s what he

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The code of Chivalry stated that you had to promise to do no wicked deed, to be loyal to the king, to give mercy to those asking it, always to be courteous and helpful to ladies, and to fight in no wrongful quarrel for worldly gain, upon pain of death or forfeiture of knighthood and King Arthur’s

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(Document E). Parallel to this, knights follow a code called, ‘The Code of Chivalry’. In this code, the knight has to be loyal to the king, give mercy to all and live a well-rounded life all together. Meaning, he must be kind and respectful to ladies and must serve his king with a great deal of loyalty. Breaking this code was a huge disgrace to any knight.

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To be a marvelously noble Knight one needs to be honorable and as a knight honor is obtained by those who show outstanding valor. Thus, as a knight, valor means that one is honorable and noble. There are multiple ways that honor and valor are shown as a knight. Roland and Oliver show their valor and loyalty through their loyalty for kin, king, and country, through their hardship of battle, and eventually in their death.

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Would you be able to hold steadfast to your core values and knighthood when faced against a sorcerous Green Knight with an itching to kill? Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by the Pearl Poet, is a Medieval Romance tale about a noble knight who puts his life on the line in order to defend his king. Sir Gawain is a prestigious knight who demonstrates passionate integrity and honor as he remains faithful to King Arthur and holds true to the knight's code of chivalry. Although Sir Gawain knew that his life would be thrown into grave danger, he chose integrity and proved his loyalty to the king by upholding the virtues of knighthood.

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NAME INSTRUCTOR COURSE DATE The Five Knightly Virtues of Sir Gawain Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is the most known 14th century poem that depicts the Arthurian legend. It has been translated from a Middle English dialect by Simon Armitage; unfortunately, very little is known about the original author. Sir Gawain is the protagonist as he is the major source of conflict when he struggles to decide whether his “knightly virtues” are more important than his own life.

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In this time period a knight’s honor was everything, without it the noblemen would become a huge disgrace. Sir Gawain’s honor is immediately tested at the beginning of the poem. He gives his word in the beheading game and intends to keep it even though it’s obvious that the Green Knight had tricked him. “Blood gutters brightly against his green gown, yet the man doesn’t shudder or stagger or sink, but trudges towards them […] gripping his head by a handful of hair. Then he settles himself in his seat with the ease of a man unmarked” (429-439).

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During the Medieval times chivalry was one of the most important characteristics a knight could display. Chivalry was viewed as a moral obligation that involved bravery, honor, respect, and gallantry. Knights were expected to uphold this code or face social consequences for any infractions, with punishments ranging from humiliation to termination of their knighthood. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” presents the struggles knights faced with honoring the chivalrous code at all times. Sir Gawain, while imperfect, exhibits qualities expected of knights and embodies the internal struggle between honoring the chivalrous code and giving into selfish desires.

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Early on in the tale, Sir Gawain shows courage when he steps up and accepts the Green Man's challenge well knowing of the chance of Death. By doing so Sir Gawain surpassed his fear of death by stepping up to do a mission none of the other knights at the round table wished to do. His reasoning for this was to take the place of his uncle, King Arthur who was originally the chosen participant after none of the other present knights volunteered. After chopping off the head of the Green Man, Sir Gawain is told that he must go to the green chapel in one year and one day to meet the Green Man. Sir Gawain fearful of death debates whether or not he will set journey to the green chapel at that time yet his courageous characteristics force him to go.

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