Chivalry displayed in Le Morte d'Arthur

A detailed Summary of Chivalry displayed in Le Morte d'Arthur

In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for

women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d'Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.

Respect for women and courtesy were two major characteristics that knights longed to develop, and King Arthur was able to demonstrate them in two specific instances. Arthur showed great respect for the Lady of the Lake. Merlin, the magician who guided Arthur as he grew to be a legendary knight advised him to "address her courteously, and do as she directed" (page 75). Arthur spoke very politely and she gave him the famous sword, Excaliber. In his respect for the lady, he also promised to give heany gift she wants because she presented him with the sword. Respectfulness to women was one quality knights strove for, but le

Another characteristic besides helpfulness was honor. When King Pellinore was helping Gryfflette, he was not only helping someone who was weak, he was being honorable. He knew that he had superior fighting skills than the new knight, so he did not pursue the battle because it would be unfair. He sent Sir Gryfflette home so he could regain his health, even though he had a chance to finish the battle and kill the knight. Another example of honor was Gryfflette's attempt to avenge Sir Myles' death. Gryfflette asked to be a knight, and then he pleaded, "Sire, but I beg you" (page 73), until Arthur dubbed him. He had a deep longing to do what was right and show his loyalty and honor by fighting the man who killed his master. Arthur did the same when he went to fight Pellinore because the king had wounded his knight. Although, Arthur was not ranked

d'Arthur, the characters demonstrated the qualities needed to make the ideal knight. Examples of respect for women and courtesy for everyone, helpfulness for the weak, honor, and skillfulness in battle were all observed in the actions of King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette. Because of this romantic atmosphere in the story, the

In addition to being courteous, being helpful to the weak was another aspect of chivalry portrayed through characters in the story. First, Arthur tried to be helpful to Merlin when he was being chased by ruffians. Arthur chased them away while

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Approximate Word count = 970
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History