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We live in an age where the brutality and the vigilante justice of the knight errant is
no longer acceptable for people with positions of stature in society. While courage and
honor are still praised by society, one rarely finds a man true to his word regardless of
cost. Chivalry towards ladies is sometimes mistakenly decried by those supporting
equality for women. And Courtly love, in it's modern form, is frowned upon. Those who
might have a keen sense of justice often have only indirect methods of fighting for the
right -- legislation just can never be as satisfying as clouting a knave over the head
with the flat of a blade. It seems that justice in American society is often tempered by
compromise, rather than a blacksmith. Skill at arms is more often attained as an
exercise, rather than a useful tool, and strength of body, while glamorized, is degraded
by large numbers of "men of the mind."
Chivalry is a lot like ethics; it is a governing principle concerning fair play as far as
medieval combat among your peers was concerned. Do not attack an unarmed knight - allow
him to arm himself first, if you unhorse your opponent and your opponent is still able to
fight, get off your horse to fight, etc. - fair play with honor and respect. At the end,
there still was a winner, and the winner ended up with more respect and admiration from
those concerned that had he fought without chivalry. What am I getting at? Capitalism can
be much the same way. American businesses have taken advantage of this system though, a
system that one can cheat in and get away with, instead of being honorable and
respectable institutions that children could look up to. So many things are like this
that I just shake my head and sigh when I think about them - is American just a scam?
Where did all the honor and respect go?
In "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," Gawain made a promise to the huntsman to give him
whatever gifts he received that day in exchange for whatever gifts the huntsman received
that day. On the third and final day of Sir Gawain's visit, he received a green girdle
from the huntsman's wife, who was his secret lover. The only reason that he accepted it
was because he, like Lancelot, had fear in his heart; only Gawain's fear was dying. The
huntsman's wife told Gawain that the girdle had magic powers and would protect him from
his fate, for the next day Gawain was going to fulfill a promise that he had made to the
Green Knight and get his head chopped off. At the end of the day, when Gawain met the
huntsman to exchange gifts, he did not give the huntsman the girdle, and broke his
promise so that he would fulfill his promise to the Green Knight. He, like Lancelot,
betrayed the code of chivalry for their own purposes.
The most prominent example of Arthur's "great" honor is depicted in the story "Day of
Destiny." In the story King Arthur and his knights have one the arduous battle against
his half son Mordred's army. The only one's left standing on the field is King Arthur
and two of his knights Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere. Lucan says to Arthur "sir, let him
be,"... "for he brings misfortune. And if ye pass this unfortunate day ye shall be right
well revenged. And, good lord, remember ye of your night's dream and what the spirit of
Sir Gawain told you last night, and God of His great goodness hath preserved you
hitherto. And for God's sake, my lord, leave this battle field, for yet be here three
alive, and with Sir Mordred is not one alive. And therefore if ye leave now, this wicked
day of destiny is past!" Arthur's response to Sir Lucan's speech is "Now come death, come
life,". What this proves is that Arthur shows his honesty and loyalty to his promise;
the purpose of the killing was to kill Sir Mordred and that exactly is what transpired in
the end.
In the movie "Excalibur" that we had viewed in class, Lancelot attempts to be honest by
refusing the love and attention of Guenevere. Nevertheless he becomes enchanted by the
beauty and charm of the lady and he falls for her. Although obviously disobeying the
Knights code of honor he continues his affair with Guinevere. Although people always
endeavour to be as honest and just, a honourable knight cannot afford to deceive anyone,
because consequences could have an adverse affect on them later.
Honor is not a virtue. It is the essential quality that accrues to a man when other
people view them as being virtuous-i.e. they honor them. The drive for honor earns a
knight or man-at-arms renown, his fame, his good name. It is always a very strong
motivator for some soldiers. Honor in a personal sense is often confused with such
'public' honor, but I say rather that this is not honor but integrity.
Chivalry is a romantic ethic, doomed to failure; Arthur fails because he had too much
pride in himself although his heart was in the right place his mind never was. But I come
away from good events with a heart full of courtesy and generosity, with a strengthened
sense of my own honor, and with a little more courage and persistence in the face of a
less than ideal world. That is the reason that during the Middle Ages warriors and rulers
at their leisure turned to dreams. That is the reason we today are drawn to these virtues
of chivalry. We may never live out a romantic ethic, but it is a food as nourishing as
any at the table, and a wealth as dear as any coin of the time.
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